Anyone who follows the public bodies responsible for land-use planning knows that things have slowed down a lot since the collapse of the real estate market.
But that doesn’t mean the people charged with making sure development moves forward in a prudent manner can sit back and wait for the economy to boom again.
Connie Holland, the state’s planning director, said now is when planners should spend the most time getting ready for the future.
Q What’s the biggest priority for the Office of State Planning Coordination?
A Our major priority in this office is to make sure the state of Delaware has the proper planning tools to make sure the residents have the services and infrastructure they need. We coordinate with the 57 local jurisdictions, three counties and all of our state agencies. As we’ve all found out throughout the years, land use touches every part of our lives — the roads, the services, policemen, firemen, clean water, a first-class education. What I’m proud of for this office is over the years we haven’t tried to be top-down, we’ve tried to get out and work with the public and local jurisdictions. Staying very close to the community, that’s key.
Q What support services do you offer to municipalities, especially those that don’t have their own planning departments?
A We work closely even with a large municipality like Dover. Because the state pays for anywhere from 87% to 97% of the infrastructure, we’re tied pretty closely to those local governments even if they have their own planning office or their own fire marshal, there’s still a lot of state funding involved. For a little town like Leipsic, Dagsboro, even Odessa or Elsmere, they don’t have the planners. To use Leipsic as an example, we helped them with their comprehensive plan, we gave them some sample ordinances to accomplish their goals.
Q How have things changed in the world of planning since the economy has slowed down?
A People have asked me, “Is planning still alive and well in Delaware?” The answer is, very much so. The citizens, the municipalities, the developers, the banks, all these people are realizing everything is cyclical and it’s a great time to plan. All of these towns right now have comprehensive plans, they have their vision or mission statement. We’re getting down to what we call master plans. We’re realizing we have to get some good businesses and we have to get some great parcels sited for these businesses so they will be attracted and so they can buy the houses we have a backlog on. We’re pushing this and the communities are asking for our help to do a master plan so that you know where the sewer is, the water, the land is zoned properly, so you can get permits in 60 to 90 days and start a business. It’s a great planning time. Everybody realizes we won’t stay in this era, that’s a little difficult forever.
