dca office of planning and environmental management planning and sustaining great communities
TRANSCRIPT
DCAOffice of
Planning and Environmental Management
Planning and SustainingGreat Communities
What Makes a Place Great?
Successful Communities Are Not Accidents
• Leadership• Dedicated staff and
elected officials• Involved citizens• Commitment to a
common vision
Your Government’s Comprehensive Plan = The Vision to Which You’ve Committed
• Should Guide Local Decisions
• Your Community’s Roadmap to A Great Place
• Can’t help you get THERE if you don’t use it
But How Can a Plan for a Great Place Affect Economic Development?
• Financial Impact:– Relocating businesses are
searching for “Quality of Life” – Reduces financial strain on
local governments by concentrating development in pre-determined areas
What’s In the Community’s Plan that Will Help
with Decision-Making?
– 3 parts- Assessment, Participation and Agenda– Issues and Opportunities facing the community– Defined Character Areas– Implementation Measures– Work Program
Issues and Opportunities
• How will the community address the big issues and opportunities in the next five years?–What differences do you want to see?–What change can you affect in this
timeframe?
City of Covington
• Community Facilities and Services Issues• 1. Meeting the Service Demands of Explosive
Population Growth. Recently, the City has experienced rapid population growth, and this growth is expected to continue throughout the planning horizon. With that growth has come increasing demands for public services. Careful planning is required to ensure that adequate services are available over the next 20 years.
• 2. Diminishing Supply of Regional Water. Septic and land application systems are consumptive uses of water. As a result, there may be future political pressure to develop sewer systems with surface water discharges, as opposed to continued use of septic systems or land application systems.
• 3. Solid Waste Planning. Both the City and County currently are operating under a 1993 Solid Waste Master Plan. Under state law, the Solid Waste Master Plan will need to be updated by 2008.
Future Development Map and Defining Narrative for Character Areas
• Describes what type of development you want, and where you want it
• Delineates what’s on the ground now• Includes appropriate land uses for each
character area
Vision:Historic Downtown
• Preserve its fundamental role as the focal point for the community: historically the center of commercial, social, and political life of its residents. All structures should have no setback and share a common façade when possible.
Implementation Measures
• WHAT is the community willing to do to make the vision a reality?– Regulate– Invest– Form Partnerships– Offer Incentives
Implementation Strategies(Historic Downtown)
• New development is required to be compatible with existing architecture (scale, ornamentation, roof pitch, footprint, etc.).
• Improve and widen sidewalks; create an area that is pleasant, safe and walkable.
• Street-front parking lots are not allowed. • If necessary, make arrangements for parking (such as on-street parking,
nearby parking lots, parking deck, shared parking, etc.). • Encourage reuse of old and/or historic buildings. • Persuade institutions and government offices (schools, post offices, etc.)
to locate in the CBD, rather than out in strip commercial corridors. • Encourage businesses to use sidewalk for outdoor dining to promote an
active street. • Actively recruit appropriate businesses.
In this picture, can you find…
• Public investment (at least three examples)
• Private investment• Regulation• Incentive
Georgia’s Quality Community Objectives
• Identify and care for the unique qualities of each community
• Provide options for each community to develop to its fullest potential
• Promote preservation of natural, historic, cultural, industrial and human resources
• Adopted by the DCA board in 2011
Georgia’s Quality Community Objectives
• Economic Prosperity• Resource
Management• Efficient Land Use• Local Preparedness• Sense of Place
• Regional Cooperation• Housing Options• Transportation Options• Educational
Opportunities• Community Health
Economic Prosperity
• Business recruitment based on community strengths and assets
• Economic development to enhance existing industry and community
• Support of entrepreneurs and existing business/industry
Need More Proof?
•Richmond, Virginia — a Tier II metro — wins headquarters projects against much larger Tier I competitors, such as Charlotte and Atlanta. In headquarters site selection, quality of life plays a larger role in the ultimate decision than in most industrial projects, since many employees will relocate from outside the region. To beat Atlanta for MeadWestvaco’s headquarters, Richmond officials convinced the company that the area could offer all the cultural and educational amenities employees could want, with shorter commutes and lower housing costs. The area offers 10 colleges and universities, a fine arts museum, a science museum, and 400 years of history and architecture. – “Does Community Size Matter in Business Success?” Michelle
Cammarata, Area Development Online, October 2009
Resource Management• Efficient use of all resources• Protect sensitive areas from
negative impacts of development• Maintain natural terrain, drainage
and vegetation where possible
Efficient Land Use• Encourage minimizing land
consumption• Encourage development or
redevelopment of a community core.
• Map the parcels in the community that are available for redevelopment (even if they’re not currently for sale)
• Maximize the current public and private investment (roads, water, sewer, power, telecommunications)
Between 1982 and 1997, the amount of urbanized land used for
development in the United States increased by 45% (from 51 million
acres to 76 million acres.)The population grew by 17%.
(William Fulton, et al.)
Local Preparedness
• Adequate infrastructure to support projected growth
• Planned Infrastructure investments to direct growth
• Ordinances and other land use measures to promote desired development
• Predetermined incentives for a variety of businesses and development types
Sense of Place
• Preserving and enhancing the unique elements of a community can:
– Increase property values
– Increase tourism
– Increase civic involvement(consider popularity and property values of places like Savannah,
Decatur, Athens, Charleston, Chattanooga)
Where am I now?
Regional Cooperation• Cooperate regionally to address
shared needs• Common economic linkages• Manage Shared natural
characteristics and resources
Housing Options
Where we live determines:
• Transportation options• Commuting patterns• Access to goods and services• Educational opportunities• Career opportunities• Cash flow and discretionary income (which
can then be spent in the community)
Transportation Options
• Increase citizen mobility• Increase economic opportunities for citizens and
community• Reduce automobile dependency• Walking can be an option in our communities• Decrease fuel costs• Improve air quality• Improve Public Health
Where Would You Rather Walk?
Policy Options to Increase Pedestrian Activity
• Consider alternatives to “traditional” zoning, which was meant to polarize activities
• Encourage closer location of schools, residences and businesses
• Examine current parking requirements• Encourage redevelopment and infill options
Educational Opportunities
• Advanced education• Job Training• Region-specific
opportunities• Online opportunities• Educational
Partnerships
Community Health
• All citizens have access to community goods and services
• Support disadvantaged citizens• Provide options for good health and healthy
living• Provide citizens an opportunity to participate
in the community
First and Foremost:
• Plan for your community for YOUR citizens – you are the ones who call it home– Economic Development is a STRATEGY of
community building – not the end game– No one person or single organization can do it all
alone
We’re All in this Together:Other Community Players to Involve
• Education professionals• Elected officials• Existing business community• City and county community
development/zoning/building inspection staff• Conservation organizations• Housing advocates
Office of Planning and Environmental Management
Resources
• Community Planning Institute• Resource Team technical assistance• Water First• Best Practices and Georgia Examples• Comprehensive Planning • Solid Waste Planning
