Ensuring Georgetown’s Future and the Regulation of its (Potential) Over Development
Introduction
This post is a logical progression to my previous article which highlighted my involvement with the 2021 Comprehensive Plan (CP) task force which, in my opinion was not utilized in way that gave its members a sense of involvement or achievement. The final draft, sent to the Planning Commission in February of 2022 culminated in a plan that was woefully weak. However, as a unified community, it is time to move forward and decide how best to proceed and rectify the past shortcomings.
There is much to discuss, so I intend to make this a multipart series of posts. My plan is to make regular updates available on a weekly basis, delving into broader topics including why the comprehensive plan is so vitally important and the role of the Planning Commission in its development and execution.
My intent here is not to be critical of our City’s Council or the Planning Commission, which had various personnel changes including a new administration; instead, it is to highlight the weaknesses and deficiencies in the current draft plan and to define a path to improve its overall quality. I will outline the importance of the Comprehensive Plan, strategic planning and how it should be linked to the City’s core values / principles and past feasibility studies.
I will attempt to provide fellow citizens with a factual framework about the practice of Municipal Comprehensive Planning that will heighten our awareness of the Comprehensive Plan process and how public input is vital in its development. Essentially the aim is to provide an informational “level-set” which, going forward, should enable the city’s residents to begin constructive discussions about the future direction of our vibrant and beautiful city.
Clearly in recent months there has been a ground-swell of interest and, more importantly, concern expressed about the current state of the Comprehensive Plan. Hopefully my posts in the coming weeks will inform our community and place that anxiety in its correct and appropriate context.
Future posts will address;
Part I – What is a Comprehensive Plan and why is it so important?
Part II – The role of the Planning Commission (visa-vis Municipal Comprehensive Planning)
Part III – What are the key weaknesses in the draft CP, how should these be addressed and what provisions, policies and processes should be put in place to avoid repetitions in the future
Part IV – Observations and best practices from a comparative study of Comprehensive Plans from other SC cities with historical roots
- Nick Robinson