Proper planning will give Warren a pathway to future

Some members of Warren City Council want to hear from a group of consultants before signing on to hiring the Bowling Green firm to write a comprehensive plan for the city’s planning and redevelopment.

Fair enough. Council obviously has an interest in the city’s redevelopment and it should be able to do a little tire-kicking before it buys the vehicle that will transport the city into the future.

But from what we’ve seen, council will be satisfied with what it hears when the Poggemeyer Design Group makes its presentation. And suggesting that a public hearing be held to decide whether to have a plan or to help decide which planners should be hired is over the top. It’s council’s job to make decisions that are in the best interest of the citizens and its residents.

It is not as if Poggemeyer just showed up on the city’s doorstep. The firm was chosen by a group of five city officials, including the chairman of council’s strategic planning committee, and representatives of the Regional Chamber, Congressman Tim Ryan’s office, a local bank president and the head of a local hospital.

The group narrowed down nine applicants to three, and of the three, the committee agreed that Poggemeyer was not only the least expensive, at $182,000, it was the most impressive.

The city’s last comprehensive plan is almost a half-century old, and as Mayor Michael O’Brien points out, it hasn’t been of practical use for a generation.

It takes time

Cities do not deteriorate or fall into haphazard land use through planning, they simply do so over time. But the only way to reverse deterioration or land misuse is through planning — and follow through.

The planning group will use a combination of focus groups and public meetings that involve neighborhoods and stakeholders.

The list of areas that will be considered is broad-base. It includes existing natural and historic features and land uses; current and projected land uses; infrastructure and public facilities; socioeconomic trends and projections and general market conditions; recreation areas and greenspaces; development obstacles and market potential. Also, identification of redevelopment strategies and market opportunities, and capital improvement programs.

The planning process will take about a year and a half, so time shouldn’t be wasted in getting started.

And once the planning process is completed, the real work will begin. As some council members have mentioned, too often strategic plans of one kind or another are written, printed and then left to gather dust on a shelf.

O’Brien says that won’t happen on his watch, and we believe him. If it were to happen, though, we would think council would be more than able to remind him of his commitment.