COMMITTEE UPDATE: In May 2010, the public members of the Regional Mission Strategy Team asked that the committee refocus its efforts to smaller service areas and split into subcommittees. To do this, a survey was sent to all members requesting their input on what specific service areas should be targeted.
Once collected, the survey showed an overwhelming preference to discuss issues relating to transportation and land use with additional interest in exploring issues related to assessing and inspections. The chairs used this input to create the transportation subcommittee and a land use subcommittee that will also focus on assessing and inspections.
SUBCOMMITTEES: Co-chairs were selected for each subcommittee – one from the private sector, one from the public. The co-chairs of the transportation subcommittee are Mayor Vic Loomis of East Lansing and Kevin Schoen of ACD.NET. The co-chairs of the land use subcommittee are Jerry Ambrose of the City of Lansing, and Mark Hooper of Andrews, Hooper, & Pavlik PLC.
Each subcommittee has chosen subject-matter experts within their realm of focus to serve as members. Members include people serving various roles in the public and private sector, with an emphasis on representation of policy-level officials from each organization. Subject-matter experts also serve on the subcommittee, and others may be called in as needs arise.
Regional Mission Strategy Team
|
Transportation:
Kevin Schoen
Mayor Loomis
|
Land Use Subcommittee:
Jerry Ambrose
Mark Hooper
|
AREAS OF FOCUS: The Transportation Subcommittee has elected to work with policymakers to explore the reasons for – and reasons for continuing – the practice of multiple public transit operators operating within the same area. The guiding principle is to identify whether changes will improve service delivery, cut costs, and if it is found that they sufficiently do so, identify a process and stakeholders needed to make changes.
The Land Use Subcommittee will explore the following:
· Opportunity 1: Enhance the effectiveness of the region’s processes for new or re- development. They will explore whether dissimilar processes among neighboring jurisdictions is an issue, and if so, how to resolve it.
· Opportunity 2: The region needs more support and involvement from the private sector in the regional planning process to encourage land policies adhere to the strategies in Greater Lansing Next.
· Opportunity 3: The region needs a continual education process for new policy makers, or to improve on existing processes, to ensure understanding of existing plans and policies.
· Opportunity 4: Work to improve coordination of activities such as planning, economic development and site-selection support activities across jurisdictions and departments.
Next Steps:
These subcommittees have been formed and are working to schedule meetings. They are tasked with narrowing the preceding broad concepts into specific projects and guiding the broader group toward tackling them.