A Community Journey

Getting to Smart Growth in Getting to Smart Growth in Brevard CountyBrevard County

Jim Fletcher

Southern Community Development Conference

May 19, 2003

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Brevard County

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Land Statistics

• Total Land Area 641206 Acres• Agricultural Land (2003) 147057 Acres• Government Owned (2000) 296128 Acres• Development Land 198021 Acres

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Urbanization

• Population– Change 1980-1990 46% (126000)– Change 1990-2000 19.4% (77252)

Current Population

500,000

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What do value most about our County ?

• Natural Resources/Environment

• Educational System/Opportunities

• Economic Diversity

• Cultural Activities

• Public Services

• Sense of Community

• Geography

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What trends or issues are impacting what we value?

• Growth and Development

• Disappearing Natural Resources

• Property Rights

• Regulations

• Invasive Exotic species

• Aging Population

People Care About Their Communities

News media covers topics News media covers topics on a daily basison a daily basis

Land Use and Growth are concerns!!

Land Use and Growth: Coordination & Planning

Goal: Educate and Reach Consensus About

Growth and Conservation Issues

Year One Initiatives

Develop ‘Smart Growth’ principles and implementation strategies for Brevard County

Develop methods to inform and educate primary users and citizens

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Group Education on Smart Growth

Seven Principles Of Smart Growth:

Community IdentityCommunity InvolvementEconomic of Land UseEnvironmental QualityHousingMixed Land UseResponsive Government

C O M M U N I T Y I D E N T I T YC O M M U N I T Y I D E N T I T YGoal: Encourage the types of growth and physical environments that create a

sense of civic pride and reflect the interests of all residents.

Strategies:

1. Encourage preservation or adaptive reuse of historic, architecturally significant, or blighted buildings.

2. Create active and safe open spaces providing opportunities for community interaction.

3. Define communities and neighborhoods with visual cues that reinforce their unique sense of place.

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C O M M U N I T Y I D E N T I T Y C O M M U N I T Y I D E N T I T Y cont.cont.Goal: Encourage the types of growth and physical environments that create a

sense of civic pride and reflect the interests of all residents.

Strategies:

4. Enact clear community design guidelines so that streets, buildings, and public spaces work together to create a sense of place.

5. Plant trees throughout communities and encourage the preservation of existing trees during new construction.

6. Minimize visual blight through appropriate location and camouflage of telecommunication towers and through improved control of billboards.

C O M M U N I T Y I N V O L V E M E N TC O M M U N I T Y I N V O L V E M E N TGoal :Promote the education and motivation of the community to address specific needs and concerns through early, frequent and continuous involvement.

Strategies:

1. Encourage a comprehensive planning process by gathering community input and conducting community visioning exercises to determine how and where neighborhoods will grow.

2. Use creative methods to educate and inform all stakeholders about the development and decision-making process.

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C O M M U N I T Y I N V O L V E M E N T C O M M U N I T Y I N V O L V E M E N T cont.cont.Goal :Promote the education and motivation of the community to address specific needs and concerns through early, frequent and continuous involvement.

Strategies:

3. Seek technical assistance when developing a public participation process.

4. Work with the media to disseminate planning and development information on a regular basis.

5. Cultivate relationships with schools, universities and colleges.

Strategies:

1. Incorporate or include all the up-front development costs at the time of development.

2. Pay for the long-term costs that are needed to maintain the infrastructure required for the development.

3. Encourage a mix of uses that provide or generate long-term revenue sources needed to maintain the communities.

Goal: Promote growth, maintenance and renewal of diverse communities that are self-sustaining and support a quality of life that respects all the attributes of Brevard County.

E C O N O M I C S O F L A N D U S EE C O N O M I C S O F L A N D U S E

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Strategies:

4. Encourage a mix of job types that support the diverse mix of residents within the community to ensure that all levels of skills are employed.

5. Integrate various components, such as residential, commercial and recreational to maximize their economic interactions.

6. Create special improvement districts for focused investment.

7. Implement a program for identification and disposition of vacant or abandoned buildings.

Goal: Promote growth, maintenance and renewal of diverse communities that are self-sustaining and support a quality of life that respects all the attributes of Brevard County.

E C O N O M I C S O F L A N D U S E E C O N O M I C S O F L A N D U S E contcont

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E N V I R O N M E N T A L Q U A L I T YE N V I R O N M E N T A L Q U A L I T YGoal :: Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental

areas.

Strategies:

1. Encourage development/redevelopment within existing urban areas, where infrastructure is available, by providing incentives

2. Create a harmonious, interconnected system of Greenways, Blueways, and trails that encourages protection and conservation of our natural habitat and open spaces.

3. Find ways to acquire property when a community has environmental concerns.

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E N V I R O N M E N T A L Q U A L I T YE N V I R O N M E N T A L Q U A L I T YGoal :: Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental

areas.

Strategies:

3. Expand use of innovative financing tools to facilitate open space acquisition and conservation.

4. Design and implement zoning tools that preserve open space. Conserve natural resources throughout the region.

5. Coordinate and link local, state, and federal planning on land conservation and development.

H O U S I N GH O U S I N GGoal :: Improve quality of life by providing a broad range of housing for all

demographic groups that is consistent with smart growth goals.

Strategies:

1. Integrate S.M.A.R.T. (Safe, Mixed-income, Accessible, Reasonably-priced, Transit- oriented) principles into housing programs.

2. Provide for affordable housing through effective use of inclusionary zoning.

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H O U S I N G H O U S I N G cont.cont.Goal :: Improve quality of life by providing a broad range of housing for all

demographic groups that is consistent with smart growth goals.

Strategies:

4. Provide for a mix of housing that generates the taxes to pay for the services it uses.

5. Encourage housing in the areas of employment and industry.

6. Implement a program for identification and disposition of vacant or abandoned housing.

M I X E D L A N D U S E SM I X E D L A N D U S E SGoal :Create an atmosphere that allows people to work, live, and playin pedestrian oriented neighborhoods that are distinctive in character, vibrant, sustainable and an integral part of the Brevard community.

Strategies:

1. Identify locations or land use relationships that would be conducive to mixed use development.

2. Identify and modify development codes that encourage the construction of a variety of housing types in close proximity to goods and services.

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M I X E D L A N D U S E S M I X E D L A N D U S E S contcontGoal :Create an atmosphere that allows people to work, live, and playin pedestrian oriented neighborhoods that are distinctive in character, vibrant, sustainable and an integral part of the Brevard community.

Strategies:

3. Support subdivision regulations that encourageinter-subdivision connectivity (both vehicular and pedestrian) or allow for sole use of arterial roadways for subdivision travel.

4. Identify opportunities to plan for neighborhood schools.

5. Identify grayfields as future mixed use development areas and provide incentives for redevelopment.

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R E S P O N S I V E G O V E R N M E N TR E S P O N S I V E G O V E R N M E N TGoal ::

To promote Smart Growth policies, county and city governments need to have systematic, coordinated development procedures that give priority to developments that have adhered to Smart Growth principles.

Strategies:

1. Amend development regulations throughout the county to remove barriers that inhibit smart growth such as: setbacks, parking requirements, height and density.

2. Create a higher level of certainty and speed the approval process for smart growth developments.

R E S P O N S I V E G O V E R N M E N T R E S P O N S I V E G O V E R N M E N T cont.cont.Goal ::

To promote Smart Growth policies, county and city governments need to have systematic, coordinated development procedures that give priority to developments that have adhered to Smart Growth principles.

Strategies:

3. Ensure that community plans are economically feasible and attract active private sector participation.

4. Encourage interagency cooperation to facilitate one-stop-shop (permitting) process.

5. Give priority to smart growth projects and programs that foster Smart Growth in the allocation of federal housing and community development block grant funds.

Questions To Answer:

• Are there any gaps?

• Is there anything that you find unacceptable?

• Will you advocate for these goals?

SMART GROWTH Goals and SMART GROWTH Goals and StrategiesStrategies

Document Discussion

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Public Forum

• 6 Public Forums

• Used SGTV

• Break out Sessions

• Incorporate into document

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End Result

• Published Document• Given to Policy makers (County and City)• Adopted into Growth Management plan