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 Serving
Colorado Since 1994
Thinking
outside the box,
creating public/private partnerships
and healthier, more sustainable communities
"In
many ways, we have outgrown our governments. The building blocks of our
economy today are regional economies, which radiate out from a city or
group of cities... Each region has integrated needs -- for public transit,
for water and sewer systems, for solid waste treatment, for economic development.
But few have integrated governments."
-David Osborne
and Ted Gaebler, Reinventing Government, at 246.
 WHAT
ARE THE CHALLENGES?
- Colorado is growing,
and will continue to grow, but the politics of "growth" have
changed.
- Many local residents
in Colorado, particularly in mountain resort towns, are opposed to growth.
- Developers are
frustrated by costly, time-consuming, and unpredictable land use review
procedures.
- Local government
officials, whether they favor or oppose growth, are struggling to help
their communities meet many complex challenges:
air quality
... water quality ... wetlands ... sustainable economic development
... tourism promotion ... natural resource conservation ... open
space ... water rights ... affordable housing ... NIMBY ... jobs/housing
balance ... alternative transit modes ... NIMTO ... recreation facilities
... energy conservation ... waste water treatment ... solid waste
disposal ... recycling ... modem cowboys ... property rights ...
traffic congestion ... BANANA . . . transit-oriented development
. . .
ONLY REGIONAL SOLUTIONS
CAN MEET THESE CHALLENGES BECAUSE:
- The challenges
are too big for individual communities to solve them alone
- Tax and spending
limits have tied the hands of communities willing to try
- Tax revenues and
spending needs often arise in different communities because employees
work in one town and live in another
- Federal ecosystem
and integrated watershed management policies apply to habitats and drainage
basins, which often surround several independent communities
HOW CAN RPS HELP
YOU?
Regional Planning
Services can:
- help restore hope
for the future in local residents
- help clear away
the obstacles frustrating developers
- help community
leaders work together to resolve the challenges they face
HOW DOES RPS DO IT?
RPS will provide the
skills and techniques needed to create a long-range regional strategic
plan:
VISION
You will be able to
see beyond current disputes in order to address fundamental community
challenges in creative new ways
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Avoid making decisions
now which could foreclose options you may need in the future to meet challenges
or to take advantage of opportunities
REGIONAL COOPERATION
Concerned citizens,
civic-minded business people, and political leaders will learn how to
dissolve institutional barriers to regional cooperation
PUBLIC/PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS
Governmental resources
and entrepreneurial expertise will join together to more effectively address
challenges we will all face in the future
WHY SHOULD YOU
CALL RPS?
You know regional
planning is the only real answer, but you already have a full plate, right?
CALL RPS. Here's what we can do:
- RPS can analyze
existing planning policies to identify common elements and possible
conflicts;
- RPS can develop
a draft plan which can serve as a starting point for intergovernmental
discussion and community consensus-building;
- RPS can facilitate
meetings, suggest creative solutions, and draft interim consensus statements
- RPS can recruit,
manage, and assist consultants to ensure that needed expertise will
be available for a reasonable price;
- RPS can serve as
an independent negotiator capable of working with different sectors
of the region to develop consensus on difficult issues;
- RPS can mediate
disputes, coordinate follow-up, and monitor implementation of the regional
plan;
- RPS can prepare
and implement a grassroots political strategy to build regional and
community consensus in support of the regional plan.
--
CALL US ... RPS CAN HELP --
"To simply be
against growth means nothing. We must learn to distinguish between healthy
growth and that which signifies disease: there is no other choice. The
'no-growth' quest is a dangerous diversion: a search for something that
does not exist."
- Vernon Swaback,
Designing the Future, at 15.
QUALIFICATIONS
& EXPERIENCE
- Regional Planning
Services, Inc., is a consulting firm specializing in facilitating inter-jurisdictional
long-range regional planning projects for private and public sector
clients. RPS president, Ed Byrne, and his associates have the expertise
required to manage every aspect of a regional planning project. He also
maintains a land use and zoning law practice. He has been appointed
to serve on the following committees:
- Regional Transportation
Task Force (Boulder County, 1996-98); U.S. 36 Task Force (1995-97);
Chair, Community Development Council (1996); Chair, Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (1995-96); facilitator, Smart
Growth Summit (1995); Colorado Environment 2000 Citizen Advisory
Committee (1989), Colorado Outdoor Recreation Resource Partnership
(1989-94);
- Mr. Byrne was the
Government Relations Consultant for Boulder's Chamber of Commerce (1996-97).
He was the Director of Operations for Colorado Ski Country USA (1988-94).
He was an attorney for the City of Boulder from 1982 through 1988. (code
enforcement, land use planning, zoning and open space).
Related Public
Service:
- Co-Chair, North
Boulder Subcommunity Plan Steering Committee (1994); Chair, Foothill
Elementary School Strategic Planning Committee (1994); Co-Chair, Boulder
County Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (1987)
Experience with
government and other organizations:
- City of Boulder
(Departments: Planning and Zoning, Open Space, Parks & Recreation,
Housing); State of Colorado (Departments: Natural Resources, Transportation,
Local Government, Social Services); U.S. Government (Forest Service,
National Parks, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation); Colorado
Municipal League; Colorado Counties, Inc.; Colorado Association of Ski
Towns; Colorado Tourism Board
Joint projects
with law firms and consultants:
- Arnold & Poter,
Arthur Andersen & Co.; Browne, Bortz & Coddington, Inc.; Brownstein,
Hyatt, Farber & Strickland; Calthorpe & Associates; Greenberg,
Baron, Simon & Miller; Fairfield & Woods; Wilderness Society;
Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council; White & Steele; Wright Water
Engineers
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