EDITORIAL: Having a plan is always a good idea

Mayor Robert Reichert is trying his best to avoid a train wreck. The city has about $10 million to start a war against blight— a war and a process that will cost much more money and take a long time. The nine commissioners have approved a plan to split the money nine ways, with each commissioner attempting to address blight in his or her own district. The mayor wanted to direct the money into four specific projects. The additional $1 million will go toward waste disposal and community engagement.

Now comes the mayor with another proposal to allow the process to be data driven by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission and for the results to be incorporated into the Urban Redevelopment Plan that would have to be approved by the commission. The Urban Redevelopment Act gives communities some pretty powerful tools to fight blight. According to a summary of O.C.G.A. 36-61-1, the act:

Allows communities to use eminent domain to buy and assemble property for revitalization and resale.

Encourages involvement of private enterprise/public-private partnerships to redevelop neglected areas of the community.

Permits use of tax exempt bonds for redevelopment purposes. These may be secured by loans and grants.

Lets the public know what is being planned for the redevelopment area.

Allows the city to negotiate variances and wave many requirements of its existing zoning and development requirements.

These tools, particularly those of eminent domain and suspending existing zoning and development requirements, need to be used very judiciously. And it is important that “public input” is more than a catchphrase. The mayor’s proposal, if approved, directs the Regional Commission to formulate a plan to address blight “with the assistance and input of the commission and other interested community stakeholders.” It is important to note that public hearings and stakeholders’ input come before the commission votes to adopt any plan.

Commissioner Elaine Lucas said, “It’s the mayor’s attempt to get his way when he could not force commissioners to turn over all the money and have him designate the blight projects.” She’s probably right; however, having a real plan before moving forward is a good idea. The commission can take credit for forcing the mayor to come up with this proposal that creates a real independent, data-driven plan. It is not, however, a good idea to leave identifying the projects up to the blight commission and commissioners. Our community has the most virulent form of blight, and we need experienced people who have fought— and won— this kind of long-term battle.

The commission also has to realize that government cannot fix the blight problem by itself. The Urban Redevelopment Plan requires “A workable plan for leveraging private resources to redevelop the area.” It can be done. The Macon Housing Authority has been very successful at leveraging its funding with other sources to redevelop areas of the city. It all starts with a plan, and this resolution, compared with the other ideas, is a good place to begin.

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 10:32 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Having a plan is always a good idea ."