REBIC – “Be a Pro!” Mitchell Town Hall Successfully Merges Developers and Neighborhood Leaders, Solutions Shared

On Saturday, June 27, from 11 am to 2:30 pm, nearly one hundred development professionals and neighborhood leaders from across Charlotte did something rare and important. They sat together for three and a half hours at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center and talked about how to find a way to create a better, direct, and more open dialog about issues related to growth and development. Each group approached the issues at hand with thoughtfulness and consideration. It really was an atmosphere of solution-seeking.

Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell organized the event, entitled “C’mon, Be A Pro!” with a direct reference to a shared focused on what prosperity means and how to go about preserving it. Emphasizing that good growth, good decisions, and good neighbors can all add up to a good future, this event put into action the concepts that are the backbone of our Prosperity Initiative. And that is finding ways to educate, collaborate, and cooperate.

As each panel took their place and began to share their thoughts, the sense of being on guard began to dissipate with each side doing their best to listen and speak honestly. Sensitive subjects were Open Season: Land use, product type, roads, infrastructure, property rights, profit models, NIMBYism, traffic, zoning, and the biggest enemy, lack of a common frame of reference. But logic, for the most part, prevailed.

Here are the panel members who represented the neighborhood groups: Moderator: Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell, Jr.
Panelists: Karen Sullivan, Erin Oliverio, Javier Lopez, Juan Euvin, Vernetta Mitchell, Derek Dittner and Tom Scarfato.

Here are the panel members who represented the development professionals with Rob Nanfelt as Moderator: Tim Sittema, John Barton, Chris Dennis, Shawn Kennedy, Peter Pappas, Laura Belcher, and Bridget Grant.

In the end, this event is something REBIC would like to replicate on an ongoing basis. Being in such close proximity to each other dropped so many defenses and produced a spirit of cooperation. Elected officials should take note of this as a logical and accessible way to create solutions to NIMBY push back and not demure to our problems as impassable. We think Saturday’s success is attributable to two things: a human connection and a yearning for cooperation.

Our final thoughts consist of some high level thinking. And that is, we forget that policy and planning documents should be fluid. Too often we consider current regulations as something that was established in some divine vacuum, never to be criticized or changed. But given the open forum we experienced Saturday, we think it’s a good idea to start defining exactly what’s holding us back instead of experiencing the constant brain damage of throwing up the perils caused by existing policy. There are answers out there, but we will have

As Thomas Edison said while being criticized for not following the strict protocols for research, “There are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something.”to push against the status-quo, and define clearly what innovation could bring to bear.

Rob’s Take: What a great turnout for this event! And it led to an even better discussion with engaged community members talking through issues and figuring out better ways to communicate. When Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell approached me about collaborating on a Town Hall meeting between neighborhood leaders and members of the industry I thought it was a fantastic idea. It could have taken a different turn, and become explosive, but for the most part, those who participated were respectful of others’ perspectives and the report outs at the conclusion of the meeting indicated just that. Many had gained a better understanding of others views during the three and a half hour session. Contact information was exchanged and handshakes and hugs were easily given and received. Our plan is to follow up on the progress made and the suggestions made. We will share those with you when available. If you want to see the televised event, it’s available here. It’s clear we need to do more of this and on a more regular basis. I’m game.