JPUUF/CLS/LAN County Comp Plan Input Session

This list takes the ideas and comments from Sunday’s discussion about the Vision for the Future of Union County, consolidates a few of them, and groups them under thematic headings.  Given the large group format of the discussion, and comparing that to small break-out groups, we generated as many ideas as 3 or 4 groups.  I’m going to ask people to pick their top 12.  You can vote for an idea more than once,  but your total votes can’t exceed 12.

As a precursor to all of this, remember again that the plan has already begun to coalesce around the goals of Agricultural and Open Space Preservation; Sustainable Economic Development; Preservation of Small Town and Country Character; Intergovernmental Cooperation; Transportation Enhancement and Rec/Walking Trails. The ideas below were part of our attempt to look at what’s been done and note what’s missing from that vision.

Institutionalized Sustainability

• Pursue green community attributes per County designation
• Sustainability Coordinator as an official position (community? county? region?)
• Move away from financial assessment as final arbiter of program adoption
• Taxes get a bad rap; they are FOR something

        public attitudes are counterproductive

Sustainable Energy

• Plan for an energy-constrained future

• Building Codes

    apps, enforcement, and SALDOs to encourage energy efficiency

• Incentivize innovation for green building, rehab and rennovation

        low-interest loans
        tax incentives/tax breaks
        e.g. Sonoma County toilet replacement incentive

• More solar panels

• More brick buildings (local materials, historic preservation)

Recycling

• Comprehensive Recycling Program

        coordination between municipalities
        ability to recycle electronics, batteries, all plastics, chipboard, etc.

Sustainable Economy

• Financing/planning/expediting of specific economic development projects
• Local agricultural economy

        rural way of life is disappearing
        farmers need alternative to CAFO or selling off lots

Sustainable Land Use

• Articulate views on limiting growth

        consider: Is this sustainable?

• Emphasize New Urbanist concepts

        walkable, human scale, functional communities

• Need for meeting space

• Use existing facilities fully

        share libraries, sports facilities, meeting rooms

Health

• Stream restoration & monitoring

        including fugitive pollutants, personal pharmaceuticals
        water quality

• Air quality (burn barrels)

• Recreation, not just trails and paths – more support, more facilities, more programs

Transportation

• Bike network – not just paths
• Incentivize/facilitate ride sharing

        employer incentive
        parking space bonus

• Library Access

        transportation to libraries from schools - trails/ paths/ buses; away from cars
        branch libraries

• Transportation –

        pool school district funds with public transit (like Hawaii, Philly, Providence)
        regional light rail

        cooperative arrangements with large employers (van pools, car shares,
        public/private partnerships             & incentives)

       multi-county transportation infrastructure
       50 Years ago
            Rt. 45 bus route
            E/W train
            trains in Sunbury – 16 per day

Education

• Public Education on Sustainability (Chicken and Egg problem)

        regarding green building/rehab/renovation to build market and drive supply

• Lead paint awareness

        families in town, street cleaners, existing regulations are only minimally
            observed, raise medical community’s awareness
        Milton inspects home before each tenant change
        enforcement of codes

Public Engagement

• Environmental clean-ups as a community

• Building a sense of community around environmental principals

• Environmental neighborhood watch

Governance

• More power to the county

• Balance need for community & regional goals

• Regional governance infrastructure

        (for trails, rec, transit, energy efficiency)
        clarify formalizing potential

Enforcement

• Across-the-board enforcement of all regulations

        (e.g. DEP, codes, air quality, household lead)

Civic Engagement and Communication

• Increased civic engagement w/ planning commission

• Get direct input from low-income families; not from agencies

• Visual planning exercise

• Fostering Communication

        announcements/ zoning hearings
        high school bulletin board-like to announce county meetings
        community website
        county newsletter/brochure
        improve communications from municipalities

• Engage people where they are as part of the regular public process independent of comp plan

        e.g. “Meeting in a Box” for existing social groups

• Ongoing public participation

        build-in occasion to revisit/revise comp plan

        (e.g. in case gas prices go to $10/gal)

Human Services

• Services for people with intellectual disabilities

        county to spearhead
        housing, employment, beyond the minimum

• Internet access should be shared

Projects

• Traffic light at Reitz & 45

• Crosswalk at 45 & 15th St.