Checking In on the City's Planning Commission
The Planning Commission had a busy 2023 -- but on items that might surprise you
City's Planning Commission Concludes A Productive Year
This afternoon, the City's Planning Commission, an influential citizen-led board, concludes its eventful year. Comprising four appointed residents, the Mayor, the City Service and Safety Director (the city's chief bureaucrat), and the Park Board President, this group plays a pivotal role in shaping our community's future.
Understanding the Planning Commission's Role
As a statutory city, our Planning Commission derives its authority from Chapter 713 of the Ohio Revised Code. Their key responsibilities include:
Developing Municipal Plans and Maps: These crucial documents guide the layout of streets, parks, utilities, and public spaces. The Commission also adapts these plans as needed.
Creating and Adopting the Comprehensive Plan: Currently, the Commission is formulating a new Comprehensive Plan, a topic previously discussed in our newsletter.
Zoning and Land Use: The Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on zoning amendments, vital for maintaining orderly development. This process ensures that land use matches the designated zone, like keeping commercial activities out of residential areas.
Overseeing Property Developments: The Commission reviews and approves major subdivisions and right-of-way dedications, ensuring compliance with zoning and subdivision laws.
2023 in Review
This year, right-of-way dedications accounted for 10% of agenda items, rezoning requests for 7%, and planned development for 9%. Where did a majority of the commission’s work come from?
Unique Local Mandates
Our City's Code of Ordinances assigns another crucial task to the Planning Commission: overseeing historic district applications. Any exterior changes to properties in the historic district, from demolition to minor alterations like painting and signage, require a "Certificate of Appropriateness" from the Commission. In the last year, these certificates represented 53% of the Commission's agenda.
A Call for Representation
Significantly, over half of the Commission's discussions focus on historic preservation, yet the current Commission lacks architects or historic preservation experts. Moreover, the geographical distribution of the members raises concerns about fair representation, as none reside in the districts most impacted by their decisions.
Looking Forward
On January 1st, terms for two members expire, presenting an opportunity. Will the Mayor reappoint the same members, or strive for better geographical and professional representation? This decision could greatly influence the Commission's effectiveness and inclusivity in the coming years.
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The Planning Commission needs QUALIFIED CITIZEN representation. It currently lacks people who live in the historic districts of Troy. There are folks in these areas who have experience in architecture, live in old structures, understand the demographics, are engineers. Highly qualified individuals have applied for PC appointments who have never had a follow up or been interviewed by city staff. Another person was interviewed but was quickly dismissed when they revealed that they were on the board of a historic group, as that would create a 'conflict of interest' (!!?).
This is probably the most consequential quiet problem in our city governance. The makeup of the commission lacks well-balanced representation and expertise. The sole power to shape the commission rests with a single decision maker, the election of whom is, time after time, determined in one-party primaries that draw the notice of a low number of voters. Not enough people in town care. The ones who do care don't have power. And they are outnumbered by people who care more about trivial things.