Community growth: Is there really such a thing as successful public private collaboration?

People fear change, especially when it comes to their communities. But as the U.S. population continues to grow, communities will grow and change too, regardless of whether it is desired by residents and their government leaders or not. The challenge is to make smart decisions based on facts, goals and data rather than on emotions like fear.

Unfortunately, some local governments approach these challenges in a manner that allows one party (the governing body or developer) to exercise control of the process in a way that creates win-lose outcomes. This is a “moat mentality” where one party tries to control the entire process by constructing obstacles. Local government officials may allow endless public meetings and require continual adjustments to submittal without a specific end date for agreement. Developers may misrepresent market conditions and be less than forthcoming about financial information or other conditions required to make the project commercially successful. This dynamic can, and often does, result in chaos, taking countless hours of government time and taxpayer dollars and resulting in costly delays for the developer.

How about a “bridge mentality” that links the interests of all parties? Is it possible to include and represent all appropriate voices, and leave the community and government leadership with a roadmap for the future development of the land in question?

The folks in Botetourt County, Virginia think so. County leaders had a clear vision for a planned community and wisely modified their zoning ordinance to include a Traditional Neighborhood Development zoning to accommodate neighborhood mixed-uses. They carefully prepared a set of guidelines for growth, which would provide a basis for Daleville Town Center – a 200-acre residential and commercial development project. The county understood the importance of partnering with the right developer. And the developer knew that success would depend on maintaining the fidelity of the historic feel of the area. DMR Architecture was engaged to assist with the Master Plan Development Guidelines and Controls and Architectural Design Guidelines for historically based residential housing types for Daleville Town Center because of our experience in mixed-use developments and our expertise in building collaborative relationships.

Daleville Town Center would be located among the expansive farms and rolling hills in the scenic Roanoke Valley of Virginia, an area with a strong sense of history and little commercial development. DMR began by gathering information about the vision for the community. Numerous neighborhood and community meetings were held. Goals, strategies, concerns, and needs were discussed.

Emphasis remained on working as a team to resolve differing goals of residents, government and developers to produce feasible solutions for Daleville Town Center. The result was more than a Master Plan and Guideline submittal that was approved by the community and County; the County and the community came away with a higher standard for all future County development – a win-win for all parties.