Create an office to coordinate growth issues
Action
The Governor should form an independent office to coordinate issues related to growth and development. This office, whether an Office of State Planning or an Office of Smart Growth, should be a direct arm of the Governor's office. Such an office would answer directly to the Governor and be responsible for looking at the "big picture" of land use, development, and preservation in the state. The office would be expected to assure that all state agencies are aligned behind the state's common development vision (see Policies #2, Articulate a vision for how the state should grow; #3, Establish a set of state development principles; and #4, Establish a set of measurable state development goals, in this section). The office could also be tasked with coordinating outreach and message development around the Governor's growth agenda, as well as overseeing the formation and implementation of growth-related policies and programs across state agencies. It is imperative that this office have the authority to speak on behalf of the Governor and to work not only with individual state agencies, but also with the private sector.
Process
In some states, the Governor can create an Office of State Planning, Office of Growth Coordination, or Office of Smart Growth administratively or by executive order, while legislation may be required in other states. Even if legislation is unnecessary, it may be the preferred method of creating the office because it would then be institutionalized within state statute and less subject to the whims of future administrations. This office should be staffed with employees with substantive knowledge of agency programs and with the ability to form direct links to various state agencies. This can be accomplished by requiring that each state agency detail experienced employees to the growth coordination office, possibly on a rotating basis.
Among its potential duties, the office could lead an interagency process to develop a set of principles that articulate the Governor's growth vision (see Policy #3, Establish a set of state development principles, in this section). This vision should be the foundation for the administration's education and communications strategy (see Policy #5, Develop a communications campaign to achieve the state's growth vision, in this section), and be used to evaluate all state programs for consistency with growth management goals. The office should task each agency with inventorying all of its programs and proposing changes that would align the programs with state smart growth goals. The office should coordinate this effort and use the results of the inventory and analysis to develop a plan for growth and development that prioritizes state actions to support a more sustainable pattern of growth. This plan could be released publicly or used for internal purposes only.
The growth office could also establish subcommittees that are responsible for coordinating agency actions. These subcommittees should consist of senior agency officials and could be organized by topic, such as technical assistance, GIS, and communications. These subcommittees should meet at least monthly. In addition to these subcommittees, the office could also establish cross-departmental "swat teams" to provide coordinated assistance to developers and local governments who are attempting to get quality growth projects built but are running into regulatory, policy, or financial obstacles. Demonstrated results on the ground can create early successes and help build support for the state's growth agenda.
Example
- Maryland Office of Smart Growth
The Maryland Office of Smart Growth was created in 2001 as an arm of the Governor's Office. It was responsible for encouraging cooperation among departments and providing technical advice on specific development projects to builders, developers, and local governments. The Office also coordinated the state's overall communications strategy for smart growth, drafting speeches and publications, updating websites, and hosting events with smart growth speakers. The Office of Smart Growth was staffed with personnel from various state agencies who were expert in how the actions of their home agencies affected the state's broader smart growth goals. Recent administrations have shifted the functions of the Office of Smart Growth to within the Maryland Department of Planning, a change that has made it more difficult for the office to influence the activities of other departments.
— Maryland Office of Smart Growth
— Maryland Department of Planning
