Albany is Now Poised to Develop Plan
Panel members named to develop comprehensive development strategy
By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
ALBANY -- The city's effort to develop a comprehensive plan can begin, now that the Common Council has appointed 20 members.
Council member Daniel Herring will lead the Comprehensive Plan Board, and the city's commissioner of planning and economic development, Michael Yevoli, will serve as the vice chairman.
The committee is expected to take a year to 18 months to review what zoning and planning rules should be in the city.
"I'm very pleased with the makeup of the group," Yevoli said. "We worked very hard to make sure we had a diverse board."
That diversity went beyond race and gender to include making sure representatives came from different neighborhoods and jobs.
The city already has done some detailing plans for individual or combined neighborhoods, including Park South, Arbor Hill and the Capital South plan that covers all or parts of the South End, Mansion District, Historic Pastures and midtown.
But Yevoli said this marks the first time a comprehensive plan is being done for the entire city.
The city had set a deadline of last July for people to apply, and Herring said more than 100 people did so. He said applications were accepted past the original date and interviews were then done with some 50 applicants.
"It did take longer than we hoped," he said. "We're really happy with the outcome now. We had in one sense an embarrassment of riches there."
The board will next have to schedule an organizational meeting and begin work to hire an experienced firm to work on the project. A request for proposals will be developed, and the board will review applicants, interview prospective companies and select the firm.
"We're going to have to reach out and find a consultant with experience doing a comprehensive plan," he said.
follow the link for a list of people chosen:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories...date=4/30/2008