Name: John O’Brien
Occupation: Chief of Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program
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Background: Working for the statewide planning
program for 27 years
Education: Providence College (1971)
Age: 52
Family: Married, two daughters
Residence: Tiverton
PBN: Tell us about the statewide planning program.
O’BRIEN: We have been in existence since 1964. We were created by legislation and we are the central long-range planning agency for Rhode Island. In essence, that means we have a number of mandated functions. Our main function is to produce what is called the State Guide Plan. In its simplest terms, it is a long-range comprehensive plan for the state. It is not one document, or one element. It is really a composition of 30 separate elements We are also charged by a number of federal programs to do certain types of state level planning. We are charged to develop certain land-use programs in line with federal regulations. An example is the ground transportation plan that we just prepared. The third mandate that we address is the local comprehensive planning program in the state.
Does every city and town have its own comprehensive plan?
The good news is that all 39 cities and towns have comprehensive plans that they have adopted. In the 1970s and 1980s, we determined that the state enabling acts we had on the books were not up to speed in terms of allowing the local communities to manage their land usage. As a result of that, in the late 1980s the state passed the Comprehensive Land Use Planning and Regulation Act – the foundation for the comprehensive plans at the local level. The state followed that up by passing new zoning enabling legislation and subdivision enabling legislation. We have to implement both of them. They are very specific. The state has not approved all of the local plans. Some communities have a long way to go. In the last couple of years we have sat down with every community and gone over each plan’s shortcomings. We aren’t looking for someone to score 100 out of 100 on their first go around.
How does Rhode Island’s statewide planning program differ from other states?
The difference between Rhode Island and other states is that because of our size we don’t have any regional planning bodies. Planning is done at the state, as well as at the local level. There are no regional agencies. What you will find in Massachusetts, for instance, is that they don’t have a strong state planning office. Most of their planning is done through these regional bodies. With only 39 cities and towns, we don’t have that.
What kind of development is going on in Rhode Island?
Most of the development is residential. In terms of the land-use trends we have seen, we have increased our use of land nine times faster than our population has grown over the last 25 years. And virtually all of that has been in residential development. Some of that is a factor of demographics. We have more households relative to our population increase because the household size has diminished and housing units are getting bigger. That’s using up more land and unfortunately, a lot of community response to this has not been encouraging compact development, but it’s been putting on building cap permits. It has had some effect, but no long-term effects. Some have also tried to increase the size of buildable lots – going from one acre to two acres and so forth. What that contributes to is a sprawling pattern – and increased expenses. What cities and towns are finding is this kind of development isn’t paying for itself – the property taxes aren’t supporting the two children that have to go the school and the additional fire and police. The response has been quick, but not necessarily the most effective.
We hear the word “sprawl” often in reference to land development – does it have a universal meaning for both urban and suburban development?
No. Sprawl in South County means residential development, which translates into higher tax rates – sprawl in term of urban centers means out-migration. It has meant that cities have lost a lot of the population base that maintains the cities and what they are left with in many cases is a population base that is more dependent on government services, and can’t afford to maintain the tax base. So it’s been a double edge sword. The definition is all from where you sit.
What are the state’s top three planning issues?
I think it’s still quality of life — maintaining that quality of life and still having an economy and support services to support the growth that we project. We fully expect that what we saw in the last decade in terms of growth, will continue over the next decade. As a result of that, affordable housing will become more of an issue. The housing crisis continues to rise, and continues to outpace income. It’s becoming more of a challenge. Ultimately, the third thing, will be the state’s property tax system. That’s some of the work the governor’s growth planning council started on – the relationship of property taxes to land use decisions and growth decision. They are all very much related, but the system is very inbred. In local government, the major source of revenue is the property tax. So if we are going to have land-use policies that are effective, somewhere we are going to have to address property tax and the huge amount of pressure it puts on communities.
There are some that would say the state is very good at planning, but slow at implementing. How would you respond to that?
I think, in some cases that is a valid criticism. What I have seen in my experience is that developing long-range plans requires long-term investment. The difficult part is getting long-term investments. More recently I think that we have seen a lot of progress in that area, particularly in the economic development area. Where the state has made some changes creating new tax policies, and investment in other areas such as the Slater Centers – those are classic examples of long-term investment. The pay-off is not going to be tomorrow, it’s probably not going to be in the immediate term of the legislator or the governor, and it’s going to take years. That’s been the difficulty–getting people to look beyond the election cycle to the long term.
There seems to be a growing interest in land use, both in the private and public sectors – does that make your job easier?
There is definitely a heightened awareness to the issues. Rhode Islanders cherish what we have here and there is a good quality of life here. I think that business and industry see that – it’s one of our top selling points. We have gotten so there is a better recognition at the local level, the private sector recognizes it, and again from an economic development standpoint, people want to invest in Rhode Island as a great place to grow their business. It’s a matter of who you maintain that quality of life and invest in your business to preserve that kind of life.
Is there a magic formula to balance the two – quality and growth?
Maybe, I think the recognition is there. The balance is getting easier. An example is the governor’s growth council. The co-chairs of the council are the directors of Economic Development and Department of Environmental Management. Unfortunately, a decade ago, to have the two directors in the same room would have made people feel uncomfortable because they saw them coming from two different directions. I think there is a much better recognition now that those two entities compliment each other. In the sense of actually getting out there and doing it, I think it’s getting tougher. Recently in discussions with planners from around the state, we are hearing from the people on the front lines that they need help – the development pressures are such that in many cases they are just treading water. They are looking for more technical assistance and training.
How does the Governor’s Council on Growth fit in with your plans?
One of the first tasks that the council took on, under the governor’s direction was to inventory the types of programs that we have in the state — to see what their impact was on growth, and then to report back. We found that there are areas where we could do a better job for instance, enterprise zones programs where we try and tie in state assistance to distressed urban areas. That’s had some success. But there are areas of that program that need improvement and we have made this recommendation to the governor. We have uncovered things like this in the inventory.
What are the key elements to a successful planning program?
We start off all of our planning by doing an in-depth inventory. You have to know what you are working with – land inventory, housing inventory or economic development. The next is being able to do some projections, long range – determining here is where we think we are going, and deciding that it’s where we want to be. Once you determine where you want to go, then you apply your resources. That’s the rough stuff. It’s hard to apply those resources and get them elevated on the priority list. There is never enough money, and there are priorities all over the place. This is the most difficult process.
