By KEVIN BLANCHARD
Advocate Acadiana bureau
Dec 2, 2006

 
Lafayette has a lot to learn about how to manage growth from Lincoln, Neb., a group of planners said Friday.

The group — including officials and volunteers who sit on various planning committees for Lafayette Parish — made a trip last month to scout one of the cities that has been practicing smart growth principles for the longest time.

In Lincoln, they call it “managed growth” and for decades they’ve been following special land-use rules that coincide with the city’s long-range comprehensive plan, said City-Parish Planning Manager Mike Hollier.

As a result, problems associated with urban sprawl — such as traffic — are almost nonexistent in Nebraska’s second-largest city, as all its rules guard against the problems associated with urban sprawl, Hollier said.

Differences between what the two states’ laws allow to be dictated to developers or what kind of taxes can be levied make it impossible to simply adopt the Lincoln plan for Lafayette — but there are certain principles in Lincoln’s plan that would work well in Lafayette, Hollier said.

The city-parish, school system and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette need to start coordinating together on long-range plans — including where new schools will be located, parking and recreation, Hollier said.

Lafayette’s long-range plan — adopted in 1999 — needs to be reactivated and updated, since very few of those 350 recommendations have actually been implemented, Hollier said.

Lincoln adopted its first long-range plan in 1952 and following that plan is mandatory when it comes to things like where to build roads, allow development and place public infrastructure, Hollier said.

Cities in Nebraska have much more control over levying fees and taxes to pay for their own infrastructure, Hollier said.

Don Bertand, a member of one of the city-parish’s planning committees, said that Louisiana puts too much control of transportation money in the hands of the state.

Lafayette’s Planning Commission should be reorganized and given more authority to come up with programs to follow the long-range plan, Hollier said. Lafayette Parish’s drainage, sewage, recreation and transportation needs would be better served if each was managed through a parishwide service district, Hollier said.

Developers should pay impact fees to help offset the cost to taxpayers to provide roads, drainage and other infrastructure to their development, Hollier said. Lincoln charges, on average, about $4,000 to $5,000 per lot. In Louisiana, St. Tammany Parish charges about $1,500 a lot, Hollier said.

Planning Commission Chairman John Barras — who sparked the idea of the Lincoln trip — said developers need incentive to build closer to city limits, rather than miles outside the city.

Development should be restricted in areas where there is inadequate infrastructure or inadequate funding for that infrastructure, Hollier said. Lafayette also needs to continue to focus on tax-increment financing districts to pay for infrastructure, Hollier said. Lincoln has 25 such districts which both spur economic development and help fill-in blighted urban areas, Hollier said.
 
HOME