Remarks on Whitewater’s Planning Commission, and planning generally –
Planning for Competion, or Planning against Competition? There’s an easy difference: one sets rules of the road, the other decides which cars get to use the road, or get built. It’s clear that some on Whitewater’s Planning Commission don’t see a distinction, and some others don’t care.
If a commissioner’s telling people that Whitewater already has an after-hours restaurant, he’s implying that he — and not consumers — should decide how many Whitewater will have. That’s sheltering an incumbent business against a new entrant who might offer more and better to patrons in Whitewater. (The new entrant might also spur the incumbent business to offer more, of fare, value, or ambiance.)
It’s as though someone said that because there’s Crest toothpaste, no one needs Colgate. Isn’t one brand for everyone enough?
Whitewater’s planners either don’t see, or don’t care, about a limited role — they are deciding market outcomes that only consumers (thousands upon thousands in the city) should be deciding.
Reform of Business Zoning Regulations. Liberalization of business zoning is for naught if commissioners act as a bottleneck or barrier to marketplace decisions. The Planning Commission’s over-reaching calls Whitewater’s liberalization effort into question.
Misunderstanding Impressions. Those advocating an interventionist approach have been doing it so long they don’t see how odd it looks to those not part of their small circle.
Misunderstanding the Spread of News. Some others in city government — and beyond — most definitely understand that denials and picayune requirements look bad and inhibit economic revival.
Oddly, I think some really think that if they control a few sources of information (an insider’s website and an obliging afternoon daily) they’ll limit the harm from over-reaching administrative decisions.
There’s not a chance of that, and that’s not because of blogging — it’s because of email, text messages, Facebook posts, etc. – people in and outside of town hear about these decisions even if insiders try to limit the damaging revelations.
This is especially true for business people beyond the city — they know about restrictive decisions from their own contacts. There is no way to combat that impression with a few puff pieces in a town website, little-ready afternoon daily, or even the occasional soft story from farther away.
Those who might come here make their own inquiries of existing merchants, and either ignore or politely nod in reply to the standard sales pitch that so-called development gurus offer.
There’s getting it right at the point of decision, and there’s the mess that’s everything else.