Investing in Land

No two places could be as dissimilar than Grand Junction, Colorado and Escanaba, Michigan but each has seen the value of managing land development issues for both the future and the here and now.

In his year-end report, Escanaba City Manager Jim O’Toole said that “In this depressed time of land development, the city still experienced almost $4 million in improvements.”   As reported in the Escanaba Daily Press, “Though this figure is down compared to previous years, he said he was pleased to report what was accomplished during the poor economy.”

For a small town (population 13,000) along the water on the south short of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, these numbers are nothing to sneeze at!

A little further south sits Grand Junction, Colorado.  A little higher (about a mile above sea level), a little bigger (population 43,000) and a little drier (locked among Colorado, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico), it too found value in dealing actively with land development.

As reported in the Grand Junction Free Press, the Mesa County governing body is helping to address its micro needs with some macro changes.  According to County Commissioner Craig Meis,  “In this economy, we feel your pain.  We’re sharpening our pencils to find ways to help by cutting county taxes and fees.”

Key though was the link between making changes that have an effect now and in the future.  “As a business owner himself, Meis has spearheaded this effort called ‘Open for Business,’ identifying key areas where business expansion could be encouraged, and obstacles to growth eliminated.”

Forward thinking and land development have been synonomous for a large group of companies who are committed to helping cities like Escanba and Grand Junction get the most of their real estate.  Companies like Walton International have, for more than 30 years, been just that kind of partner to communities.

It looks like it is paying off.

It may be 75 miles from Greensboro, North Carolina to Cary (a suburb to the Tar Heel State’s capital of Raleigh) but the two towns are in synch on the need to create clearer and accessible land development guidelines.  Whatever the current state of the economy, City leaders and citizens are looking to the future.

In Greensboro, according to the News-Record, an update of the city’s land development rules is headed to the City Council for approval.  “The goal of the rewrite is to make the ordinance easier to understand and use for everyone, from developers to residents affected by re zonings.”

In Cary, the process is not as far along, but is headed in the same direction.  According to the Cary Citizen newspaper a set of town hall meetings are being held that “will be used to further revise the proposed draft plan before the county or the town hold official public hearings in Spring 2010…”

In keeping with the move to regionalize development plans, the Cary eff0rt is being done in conjunction with Chatham County.

It is about 800 miles from Round Rock, Texas (hard by Austin) and Avon, Colorado (as close to Vail) but the air the leaders of each city are breathing must be the same.  In recent days, each has stepped up its efforts to participate more fully — and thoughtfully — in planning for the future of development.  Long a product of the expertise of companies like Walton International, development is becoming a team sport.

In Avon, there is a new community development director and assistant town manager.  Here is how the new hire was described:

“We believe (her) experience will help Avon move forward with its long-term goals such as developing the east and west town centers, affordable housing and improving our overall land use and planning practices,” said (the) Town Manager.

In Round Rock, it is not just a focus on the people, but the plan to make development happen.  As they put it:

“The City of Round Rock in early 2009 began work on improving its land development processes. This effort is part of the City’s overall philosophy of continuous improvement, and builds on previous efforts to streamline the land development process.”

The city of Greensboro, North Carolina is in the midst or re-thinking its development future.  The program, called “Connections 2025,” seeks, according to local media reports, to provide “more flexibility on standards and encourages more urban infill and mixed-use developments…”

The program’s mission is stated clearly:

“Our Vision of Greensboro and its environs in the Year 2025 is one in which the City is recognized throughout the nation as an exceptional place in which to live, work, play and nurture future generations. It is this exceptional livability which defines our identity, contributes to our civic pride, and offers opportunities for all to participate fully in community life. We have achieved our vision by retaining and building on our heritage, embracing positive growth and change, and by balancing our priorities.”

The key point is made by “embracing positive growth.”

“Smart” is not at odds with “growth” in Greensboro.  There is a chance that in other cities, the need to The need to grow smart is not at odds