Select Projects: Environment, Planning, and Community Development

Developing Green Building Ordinance in the District of Columbia: Facilitated a Green Building Task Force co-convened by the Director of the Office of Planning and the Office of Councilmember Jim Graham. Consensus was reached and led to unanimous passage of Green Building ordinance, considered one of the most progressive in the country.

Assist with Launch of Climate Change Initiative in Arlington County: Assisted Council Chair Paul Ferguson and county staff launch a community climate change initiative, Fresh AIRE. Efforts included facilitating informal advisory groups, staff workshop, and design of the community engagement. Work is continuing.

Fairfax County Strengthening Neighborhoods Building Community Initiative: Served as principal architect, consultant and facilitator for multi-faceted initiative to more effectively focus County’s efforts in changing neighborhoods. Assisted with construction of senior management team, designed place-based initiative in Springfield, VA, facilitated efforts to address day laborer issues, and facilitated efforts to build a new community school. Also evaluating public involvement processes for watershed planning.

Strengthening Planning in the District of Columbia: Served as member of consulting teams leading a multi-year effort for the District of Columbia that included the creation of a two-year performance management cycle that includes biennial 3,000 person Citizen Summits, neighborhood plans in each of 39 neighborhood clusters, and significant team-building and reinvention work with participating departments. Potapchuk’s focus was on the design and conduct of the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, the linkage of neighborhood planning to citywide activities, and the Comprehensive Plan. Comprehensive Plan work included supporting assessment of existing Comprehensive Plan, facilitating meetings in support of new vision, and supporting interagency work in the development of a new Comprehensive Plan.

Affordable Housing Roundtable, Arlington, VA: Arlington County developed affordable housing regulations which were stricken down in court. A Roundtable among developers and affordable housing advocates was constituted to develop consensus on an alternative approach. Consensus was reached, the agreement was legislated by County Council and
ultimately, supported by the State Legislature.

Multi-faceted assistance to Hampton, Virginia: Led and assisted numerous projects over a nine-year period in the City of Hampton. Efforts included leading an innovative training program for local government staff and citizen stakeholders involved in resolving conflict over building a new road and updating the comprehensive plan. Process included training for an initiating committee and was followed with conflict resolution and collaboration training for the working committee. Following successful resolution of the conflict, training was provided for the entire senior staff in facilitation and conflict resolution skills. Helped the Annie E. Casey Foundation become aware of the exemplary work in Hampton and provided support and technical advice to a “learning community” of senior local government staff who are leading efforts to develop neighborhood-based, family-oriented, reinvented local government.

Zoning Ordinance Development in Loudoun County: Served as facilitator for an intensive effort to build consensus on a new zoning ordinance for Loudoun County. Effort occurred in the late 1980s when there were intense growth pressures and significant citizen activity both for and against additional growth. Effort was initiated after a three-night public hearing with over 1,000 citizens and concluded with consensus of a citizen committee on a 500+ page new zoning ordinance that included overlay zones to protect the environment, streamlined procedures for developers, improved citizen notification procedures, and new “neo-traditional” zones to encourage compact development in hamlets and villages. Work included facilitation of a weekly task force meeting for one year, management of agenda, preparation of meeting summaries, conduct of over 30 public participation sessions, and review of draft legislative language.

Select Publications

Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes through Good Process. Palo Alto: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2005. With Malka Kopell.

“Growing Governance Deliberatively: Lessons and Inspiration from Hampton, Virginia,” The Deliberative Democracy Handbook: Strategies for Effective Citizen Engagement in the 21st Century, Peter Levine and John Gastil, eds., San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2005.

“Neighborhood Action Initiative: Engaging Citizens in Real Change,” The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, David Chrislip, ed. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2002.

Hampton Neighborhood Initiative: Lessons Learned for Other Communities, Hampton, VA: City of Hampton, 2003.

Learning from Neighborhoods: The Story of the Hampton Neighborhood Initiative 1993-2003, Hampton, VA: City of Hampton, 2003. Co-author.

Building Communities Together: Strategic Planning Guide, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1998, Co-author.

Collaborative Planning. Chicago: American Planning Association, 1996. Co-faculty. (Four hour video training session.)

Pulling Together: A Planning and Development Consensus-Building Manual, Washington, DC: Urban Land Institute and Program for Community Problem Solving, 1994. Co-author.