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A visit to the Renaissance Center
to Watch the "Code Committee" on their third meeting: I spent a few years as a carpenter, quite a long time ago, and nothing would get me more ticked off than criticism of my work before I was completed a project. "You're not going to have any windows? Isn't the outside going to be painted? Is it just tarpaper on the roof...isn't that kind of cheap and un-durable?" Criticism of work in progress is a cheap shot. With this in mind, I have chosen to avoid the first two meetings, and only visited the third by an express request of the representative from Lafayette Park. My comments from careful observation and listening of this third meeting are as follows: 1. Thank you so much, to whomever selected the committee members, for passing over my application. It was submitted in a weak moment when I felt obligated to step up to the plate after hearing that only six people had applied. Mine is a personality that cannot stand a committee. I would not have survived Thursday's meeting if I was obligated to be there and participate in a one-hour discussion of the tiniest minutae of the minutes of the meeting the month before. I did notice a few participants in what appeared to be a zombie-like trance, and I would probably have gone catatonic, myself, and fallen to the floor. It's not my thing. 2. I've kept up as well as possible, trying to follow things from the very little material posted online. I still very strongly resent the Planning Department's choice to remove all public comment from the planning website: Wayne Tedder, you lied to me, again! I also understand that my 23-page treatise of suggestions that I trusted to Mary Yarbrough did not get given to the committee members, even though I paid for the printing myself so they would all have a copy. I also sent a pdf of this material to Beth Perrine, and apparently it was ignored by whomever is making these choices. If the end result is little value or harmful to the public, I will use the lack of my public comment material as a reason to demand the City set up a new committee and start over. It shows that the committee is not really open to public comment. 3. I still feel that the agenda and plan of action limits the committee to relatively microscopic changes to an entire code section that needs re-writing. Some of the work-in-progress has downright scary language, but it's not finalized and would be unfair to every participant if I were to criticize it. So I will not point out some of the scary things and wonder out loud how we could get to this point. Anybody can check it out : (see: http://www.talgov.com/planning/zoning/historic.cfm) But I'll wonder to myself. And, I'll keep thanking whoever passed me over for doing it. ~MarkD
============================================================= Comments on the Round Table Discussion of March 3, 2011: Yawn...nothing happened. This was not anything close to what is generally accepted as a "round-table discussion". It was a non-event. A famous quote applies: "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there." Well, the TLCPD arrived there, with two city staff attorneys in tow, along with the regular TTHP duo and a few others from Growth Management and their supporting cast. A few tables were set up like an informational open house. If someone arrived with a question, they could ask it informally of any one of the 8-10 people manning the tables. Few showed up. I recommended to the City's staff attorneys that the entire land development code for historic preservation needs to be re-written, not just the few lines relating to neighborhoods or districts. Basically, it was an advertised event with no substance, the fruit of obvious poor planning. Perhaps part of the problem was in the fact that no code-writing committee has been formally selected; no work can begin. Four people that I met there did inform me they were "on the committee", but apparently none of it was officially "official". I was told that only six people signed up to be on the committee. Well, now they have seven.... We did have some of the Lafayette Park neighborhood show up, and I commend them for their willingness to voice comments to the Planning Department. Thank you. Mark S. Daniel For more information visit the city website: http://www.talgov.com/planning/zoning/historic.cfm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Terrible Lie That Started It all: |
Following is an anecdote I had the pleasure of hearing twice. .. Mark D. CONTINUED DOMINATION OF TLCPD BY CITY ATTORNEY OFFICEThere was a recent round of meetings held this Winter and Spring of 2011,
with a citizen's workgroup, to discuss various alternate terms and
conditions of a potential new code for designating neighborhood
historic districts.
Planning Director, Mr. Wayne Tedder was the "official leader"--chairman and moderator, of the group. He had staff support, which included Ms. Hudson. During one meeting, one of the citizen-members of the group asked Mr. Tedder what his thoughts were as a Planning Director in regard to implementation of a complex topic. Before Mr. Tedder could reply, the true puppet-master of this workgroup spoke up sharply, "Mr. Tedder has no opinions on this matter." Thus, Ms. Hudson made sure no one would ever doubt who was running those meetings again; and, Mr. Tedder never offered another opinion. --------------------- | May 5, 2011 Deliberate Ethical Lapse on Part of City Attorney? A planned subterfuge? Deception tarnishes the LRTI committee! Deception Further Tarnishes Architectural Review Board A CALL FOR RESIGNATION ------------ Private Property Rights at Risk In attachment #7, for the first meeting of the code-recommendation committee, the list of the committee members is provided. Mr. Fred Gaske is listed as the representative for the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation. When a contractor for the city gets to have a representative sit in on code revisions which will ultimately benefit that contractor, it's a suspect situation. (see: http://www.talgov.com/planning/zoning/historic.cfm) When that same contractor, Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, gets a second representative on the committee, and one which is a former Chairman of the Board of the contractor and is still serving as a board member, then we know the soup is contaminated and likely poisoned. This Board member of TTHP is on the committee as a member of "Myers Park HOA". Somehow her overriding role as a contractor just sort of didn't get mentioned. This member, Valerie Jean Conner, is also playing another "undercover" role in our City's crooked Historic Preservation Process: Read more on the "packing" of the ARB with TTHP members: http://www.historiclafayettepark.com/archive-aug-6-09.html April 26, 2011 City's code committee continues work on Neighborhood Historic Designation process! The agenda for the second meeting is now posted on the planning website, along with a narrative description of the first meeting. When one reviews the agenda attachments, the narrow garden path is ever more tightly defined. Folks, this is a pre-written code make-over, with public input so tightly controlled as to be a joke. It's time to throw out the City Attorney and Planning departments and start over with people who respect the citizens of Tallahassee. We need a new code, top to bottom! 3-28-2011: City Planning site (for historic preservation) updated. "Our hands are tied" is the obvious theme of the agenda specified for the upcoming first meeting of the new code-writing committee (April 6, 2011). City has re-posted partial public comments, the committee list (attachment 7), and all the reasons why the garden path they will be leading us down has barbed-wire fencing to keep everyone in line. If Tallahassee is to have successful, relevant historic preservation, we need to cut that fence and cut the state and national ties. The current system has a threshold too high --regular people cannot jump through major hoops for everything they do for their home. 3-22-2011: A brief editorial comment: During the Open House meeting on January 20, 2011, TLCPD Director Wayne Tedder made a firm commitment to keep posting all public comment online related to this issue. It is now all removed, and no method of viewing past, current or new comments is available. We sincerely regret this action by TLCPD. It speaks volumes about what kind of agency we are dealing with in this effort. ---------------------------- 3-17-2011: NEWS ITEM OF NOTE: All Public Comments removed (!) from Planning Dept site: http://www.talgov.com/planning/zoning/historic.cfm They have been replaced with a blank form for submittal of new comments, but no way to see any comments has been provided. 3-16-2011: NEWS ITEM OF NOTE: City Commissioner Nancy Miller has replaced Mayor John Marks on the Long Range Target Issues committee. We welcome her experience and knowledge that she brings to the position as a former Planning Commissioner. City of Tallahassee website for long-range planning lists several topics for the LRTI committee's agendas. Historic Preservation of Neighborhoods IS NOT listed as a study topic for LRTI. Check it out: http://www.talgov.com/commission/target.cfm  |
| We
sincerely wish the volunteer code committee members the very best of
luck and inspiration as they tackle both the land development code as
well as the entrenched positions of the City bureaucracy.
Towards
that end, we offer some suggestions, based on careful evaluation and
experience over the past two years of dealing with what went wrong in
the Lafayette Park Historic district process: (Tallahassee, FL: March 2, 2011) Some suggested topics and discussions for code revisions for the Historic Preservation Process in Tallahaseee: Prepared for the Code Committee, and including such topics as: Who can apply... Lessons learned from the Lafayette Park HPO war of 2008-2009 Requiring the ARB meetings to be on video, with minutes accessible online. Redefining regulated work items to exclude removable building elements. Provisions for an "OPT OUT" at any time by a property owner. Requirements for complete applications instead of TTHP-style sham forms Dumping the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation from City affairs. Putting ethics and accountability into the structure of the ARB. (READ MORE) (or, download a 19-page pdf file of the article by clicking here.) |
Lafayette
Park HPO May Resume Soon:
This is a reminder that the city is beginning to rewrite the land development code for neighborhood HPO applications. This will immediately affect our Lafayette Park within the year. This code-writing effort will be managed by Wayne Tedder of TLCPD, with advice from the Senior Assistant City Attorney Linda Hudson, Michael Wing of the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, and Assistant city Attorney Hetal Desai. No group more inimical to our best interests in Lafayette Park could be selected. Please Note: On, Wednesday, March 2, on the second floor of the Renaissance Center in Frenchtown, from 6PM to 8PM, there is a public "Round Table" discussion. (READ MORE...) |
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January 23, 2011 City Commissioner Mark Mustian and
Mayor John Marks,
Let's Try Starting With Some Truth in the Process The following is a cut from the agenda document for the process to initiate revisions to the historic preservation designations for neighborhoods, with a portion highlighted:
Your real job as members of this committee, is to continue this fraud, justify it, and legitimize it, in order to continue to do as much harm as possible to the property owners and citizens of Tallahassee. However, you have the right to re-define your committee's purpose: (Read More...) |
INFO UPDATE 1-20-2011: City's Public Open House for Historic Preservation Districts Marred by Poor Attendance Last night's open house for the Long Range Target Issue topic of Historic Neighborhood Districts was somewhat disappointing. Due to lack of attendance, the much-anticipated lively discourse and exchange of ideas fell a bit flat, and the meeting ended early with most of only two dozen attendees leaving disillusioned or disappointed. The City Commission chambers were booked for the event, in anticipation of hundreds. (Read More...) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ January 20, 2011 An open letter to City Commissioner Mark Mustian and Mayor John Marks, members of the Long Range Target Issue Committee What is Neighborhood Historic Preservation? It appears to be a legal short-circuit path for taking private property rights away from innocent people and property owners without their permission, consent or desire. Why are we doing this? We already have individual historic property designations. Why, exactly, are we designing a system to literally take someone's rights away with no compensation to them just because they happen to own property near someone who does want to give up their rights and is so pushy about it they want their neighbors to give up rights, also? (Read More...) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mr.
Michael Hines sent the City Planning notice with this email to several
interested neighborhood residents:
(January
19, 2011)
Excerpt: "The input that I provide will be to insure that the end result of this process will be acceptable to the vast majority of the citizens and property owners of this community and that any lingering doubts about the fairness, integrity and transparency ot the City's previous handling of these matters can be laid to rest." (Read More...) |
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RESPONSE FROM CITY TO REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INVESTIGATION Following is my email to the LRTI commission members, Assistant City Attorney Jay Townsend, and Planning Director Wayne Tedder: October 14, 2010: Mr. Jay Townsend, Mr. Wayne Tedder, LRTI Commissions Mark Mustian and Mayor John Marks..... I understand that an LRTI agenda item is being proposed for the discussion of procedure for designating Historic Preservation Districts. I would like to make a few pertinent comments, if I might, regarding this issue: 1. The Lafayette Park HPO process of 2008-2009 exploded into a neighborhood war of words, with the Tallahassee City officials right in the middle of it. Until the City of Tallahassee makes a formal effort to review this application's defects and the process defects and discover what went wrong with it, there will be an underlying hostility towards historic preservation in the community that will be insurmountable. Quite simply, there are process defects that must be publicly acknowledged and corrected prior to any new effort being made. Otherwise that effort will meet such overwhelming resistance, it will be doomed from the start. (Read More...) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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