Planning Chair Frowns on Whining

The Gazette >tells us that Steven Johnson, Rockville Planning Commission chair, is irked at the “tiresome” complaints about the a-borning Twinbrook Neighborhood Plan lodged by Twinbrook Citizens Association President Christina Ginsberg, Saying of them that they are “a bit of a whine.”

Comments such as that by city officials (even volunteers) about citizens are unfortunate. But there is a larger issue at work here, too.

At issue appears to be a classic staff/citizen rift. The Planning Commisssion, says Ginsberg, does not provide information timely and slants its questionnaires so that they will result in positive assessments of the current draft plans. Meanwhile, the Commission seems to believe, citizens are not giving them enough room and flexibility in which to make plans — demanding answers about zoning that would come out later in the process.

Each side has an understandable interest: planning in a way that is most beneficial to Rockville as a whole (on the one hand); and really knowing what is going to happen in the neighborhood moving forward (on the other).

It’s too bad that the very mechansim that is supposed to minimize such friction — commuity outreach , that is — appears to be the very thing that is causing it.

Who knows how this process will move forward. But, in the future, people who are designing such mechanisms would do well to really ask, as they go about this important work, just what is it we are after? “Input” that we will then do with as we will? Or a real understanding of the concerns and aspirations of the community?

While we all might quickly say it’s the latter we are after, we need to make sure our plans and actions don’t send the message that we really just want the former (and that only grudgingly).

One way to approach this is to ask: What would it really look like if we went about planning in partnership with the community, rather than just seeking “input?”

What do you think?

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