New policy plan affects students

"The what?" "Huh?" Such were the usual responses by IU students when asked if they had heard of Bloomington's Growth Policies Plan.\nIn a community where the city and campus often seem disconnected, this may be nothing new. But the master plan for local growth and development has a lot to do with IU's own growth, parking, traffic and environmental concerns. It will carry more weight than most other public policy that has passed under the nose of the University and its students.\nStudents' concerns range from possible off-campus housing implications, but also high on the list are preservation of local environmental sanctuaries such as Yellowwood State Forest, preservation of locally owned downtown businesses and an increase in the competitive nature of the local retail market.\nMoreover, roughly three-fourths of the students interviewed said they were interested in learning more about the GPP.\n"We have a wonderful environment in Bloomington -- a balance between a small town and incredible nature," Common Council President Patricia Cole said.\nCole said it is just this balance that the GPP seeks to protect. \n"We need to maintain this nurturing environment," she said.\nA graduate of IU, Cole said students should know about the GPP because it will affect everything from where they can park, shop and eat to where they can live.\nBrian Oppmann, an official with Bloomington's Planning Department, said students should pay special attention to the third and the last of the Guiding Principles because these guidelines describe plans to improve public transit and strengthen communication between IU and the city.\n"We'd like to pursue an integrated mass transit system that involves Bloomington and IU," Oppmann said.\nHe went on to say this goal would be attained either by creating a universal bus pass system that would work for both students and year-round citizens of Bloomington or merging the Bloomington transit with IU transit.\nSpeaking from her experience as a student, Cole said she knew "a student's life is typically limited (to campus-related activities), but it is always wise to have an awareness of what is going on in local governmental bodies."\nThe lack of awareness about the GPP is unsettling for Paul Schneller, School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty member. He said he believes students, especially those who work in special interest groups -- like student-run environmental organizations -- could benefit from having a hand in policy making procedures, such as those undertaken by the Planning Commission currently involving the GPP.\nYet, many students and even some faculty remain largely unaware and uninvolved in the GPP building process.\nSchneller said students should be involved in the local community. "They're living here… it's their community for four years," he said.\nStill, Schneller said he remains unconvinced and feels no vision statement is readily available for citizens who want to know more about the general intentions of the GPP.\nThis confusion, set against the backdrop of an already unknowing student body, probably won't make it easier for IU students to get involved. But local political leaders urge students to take an active role in public policy.\n"Any student that's going to travel about Bloomington might be impacted by the end product of the GPP," city council member Michael Diekoff said.\nHe cited a section in the GPP on traffic mitigation as one such example of areas of the GPP that could affect students. Overall, though, Diekoff contended it is difficult to fully know what provisions in the GPP would directly affect IU and its students, as the GPP is only a backbone to more concrete zoning laws that will be created based on the passing of the GPP in May and its interpretation by lawmakers.\nAs the final trees fell in Brown's Woods to make way for new apartments, as a local church looks for city help when another apartment's residents start looking for parking spots in their lot and as traffic slows because more businesses sprout up, the residents -- including those students only stopping in for four years -- have an opportunity to see firsthand how a city's future is planned.\n"We benefit from what businesses come in and out (of Bloomington)," junior James Tabron said.\nHe said local developmental policies affect him as a student and consumer.\nFor students concerned about off-campus housing, provisions in the plan probably won't affect most existing apartment complexes.