Feb. 6, 2009 — Since the Department of Planning and Natural Resources has been unable to recruit the long-promised planner for St. John, it is negotiating with the Urban Land Institute for planning assistance. Planning Commissioner Robert Mathes said he expects to have the Urban Land Institute on board by March.
"The ULI, in addition to other activities, provides technical services to local jurisdictions on planning issues of concern," Planning Commissioner Robert Mathes said in a statement this week.
According to Mathes, the Urban Land Institute brings experts into the community, holds public meetings for input, analyzes problems and makes recommendations, It typically has six or seven experts who spend a week to 10 days on site, he said.
"For example: if a community concern is transportation, they will hire a nationally recognized expert; if the issue is ridge line development they might bring in a recognized land planner/architect," Mathes said.
Gov. John deJongh Jr., in his Jan. 26 State of the Territory address, said the "community-based initiative" developed by the Urban Land Institute will serve as a model for the rest of the territory.
Founded in 1936, the Urban Land Institute describes itself on its website as a non-profit research and education organization supported by its members. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization has 40,000 members worldwide "representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service."
The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide, the website states.
Should DPNR finally find a planner to hire for St. John, the information generated by the Urban Land Institute will provide "invaluable" assistance, Mathes said.
Gov. John deJongh promised St. John a planner when he campaigned for governor. While it seemed like the department had someone on board in July 2008, the person declined the job due to family issues.
St. John resident Steve Black, who has long pushed for a St. John planner, said the governor should follow through on his promise.
"Why can't he just do what he said he was going to do and hire somebody?" Black said.
A St. John planner wouldn't be a "panacea" for all that ails St. John, Mathes said.
"They'd be a glorified ombudsman with a bull's eye on their back. Not a pleasant job. But, we're still looking," Mathes said.
Cruz Bay parking is high up on the list of issues Black wants a planner to solve. "We're headed toward civil unrest," he said.
In addition to the inability of residents to find parking to run errands, Black said downtown Cruz Bay businesses are suffering because visitors can't find anywhere to park their cars so they can shop and dine out.
With guidance from the Urban Land Institute and the recommendations made by two consultants developing zoning recommendations, Mathes said he hopes to jump-start the planning process and use the generated public awareness to push ahead on the long-awaited Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan.
Planning has hired two experts to come up with recommendations for revamping the territory's zoning code. They are Stuart Meck, the director of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Public Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and Marya Morris of Duncan Associates, a planning firm specializing in land development regulations and growth management in Chicago.
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