There Goes the Neighborhood, Protecting Your Home and Community From Poor Development Choices [Paperback]

Kim Patrick Kobza (Author), Walter Fournier (Author), Constance Packer Buchanan (Editor), Carleton J. Giles (Author), Fred Kameny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 1998

There Goes The Neighborhood is written to help citizens, businesses, neighborhood associations, and community groups, develop strategic approaches for land use challenges. It shares many of the thoughts and motivations of proponents of development choices and provides practical insights into public decision making processes. It examines the art of public presentation and asks the reader to view public participation strategically. It helps the reader develop confidence to participate in processes for which citizens often have no formal guidance.

The book demonstrates to the reader that the choices faced by its community are similar to those confronted by citizens in communities throughout America by drawing upon examples of land use conflicts in all parts of the country. It posits that there is an inherent commonality in non-contextual land use proposals and the decision making processes which govern them.

There Goes the Neighborhood is a long overdue road map for the hundreds of thousands of average American citizens engaged in the explosive arena of land use challenge. The book enjoys a vast audience of community and citizen groups as well as individual Americans committed to opposition of poor development choices. It is highly recommended by municipal officials and planning professionals, and it will enjoy an expanded market as a supplemental text within college curriculums. Most importantly common citizens, business people, and the reading public who are confronted with land use proposals but who are not necessarily members of organized citizens groups will also seek this important reference resource. This market is currently without the most basic direction on how to exercise rights of opposition when poor land use proposals surface.

The timing is right for this book. Land use conflicts have become focal points within virtually all communities throughout the country. They involve the management of growth, the use of scarce public resources, or often, simple zoning issues. They may also involve the construction of public works projects that have significant land use impacts

Few citizens understand how to analyze land development proposals and to effectively organize opposition in a way which will maximize possible success. At the same time there is a rising public awareness that not all development is good development and that land use choices must be sensitive to the context of their surroundings. The subject is topical for any citizen or group confronted by a development proposal which threatens their quality of life or the fabric of their neighborhood or community.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author is Kim Patrick Kobza, a Naples, Florida attorney with extensive experience in the area of land use challenge. The combination of his professional experience as a land use lawyer, extensive background of neighborhood and civic involvement, and experience as a policy maker has honed his unique insights into this important but often misunderstood arena. He knows what it takes to win land use challenges and has shared his knowledge with the reader in an understandable way. Mr. Kobza began his professional career in 1981 in western Michigan where he was a municipal attorney for over fourteen townships and where he served as assistant city attorney for the city of Norton Shores, Michigan.

In 1987, Mr. Kobza relocated to Naples, Florida where he has undertaken, and won, some of the most visible land use battles for prominent clients in one of the highest growth areas in the country, southwest Florida. Mr. Kobza has viewed land use issues as a policy maker, having served as a member and chairman of the Collier County Citizen's Advisory Committee on Growth Management, member and chairman of the Collier County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and member of the Collier County Tourist Development Council. In his neighborhood, Vanderbilt Beach, Mr. Kobza has served as president of a dynamic neighborhood association of over 600 members with a pronounced history of achievement. He was also a cofounder of the Second District Association, a network of over 40 neighborhood associations in north Collier County. In the environmental arena Mr. Kobza serves as president of the Wiggins Pass Conservancy. He also serves as a director of Collier Naplescape, an organization dedicated to median beautification and landscaping. With his extensive experience on all sides of land use conflicts, Mr. Kobza is uniquely qualified to guide opponents of development proposals as they try to protect their homes, businesses, and communities from poor development choices. He also provides guidance in proactively anticipating and resolving problems by helping the reader to recognize when development proposals create opportunities for community improvement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Neighborhood America Press (November 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966710800
• ISBN-13: 978-0966710809
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,565,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book belongs in every community leader's tool box, March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: There Goes the Neighborhood, Protecting Your Home and Community From Poor Development Choices (Paperback)

Having been involved in a politically driven issue that threatened the serenity and security of my neighborhood and having to do battle with a variety of special interests, I can honestly say this book is a "how to" with substance.