Most planners have been there before: it's time to implement the goals of a newly approved Master Plan by rewriting the zoning code, and suddenly the public becomes outraged.
"Reality took a back seat at a recent public meeting in Reston [Virginia], as livid residents turned out en mass to protest increases in density, the allowance of more mixed-use buildings, and frankly, the addition of new neighbors," reports Canaan Merchant.
The problem is a familiar one to planners: it seems that much of Reston's outraged public hadn't paid attention during the community's recent master planning process undertaken by the county of Fairfax.
Merchant also notes that the now-outraged portion of Reston has also played fast and loose with the facts, claiming that the increases proposed by the Master Plan (from 13 people per acre to 16 people per acre in the Planned Residential Community (PRC) District) would double or triple the population of Reston.
Merchant provides more details on the zoning changes proposed in the Master Plan, as well as more description of the "firestorm" created by the zoning implementation.
Read the full story: Reston enters the Upside Down when it comes to zoning
Controversial Comprehensive Plan Update Moves Forward in Charlottesville
Residents have had a chance to oppose the new residential density proposed by the "Charlottesville Plans Together" comprehensive planning process.
City Council Rejects Rezoning Approved by Planning Commission, Planning Staff
It's a tale as old as time: A plan to rezone ten acres of land in Spokane splits the public and the City Council from the opinions of the city's planning staff and Planning Commission.
Exhibition Aims to Change Minds About Density
"Everything You Think You Know About Housing Is Probably Wrong," reads the headline of this New York Times article.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority