First Coast: July/August 2012

Planning

Design

Transportation

Environment

Professional Development

Issue 4, Volume 5 July/August 2012

2011-2013 Board of Directors Chair Tony Robbins, AICP Vice Chair Betty Sue Stepp, AICP Secretary Beth Payne, AICP Treasurer Don Smith, AICP Immediate Past Chair Stephen Tocknell, AICP Alyce Decker, AICP Fred Jones, AICP Steve Lindorff, AICP Ennis Davis Jennifer Hewett-Apperson, AICP Sungman Kim, AICP, Ph.D. Kristen Reed, AICP Duncan Ross, AICP

Tropical Storm Debby

By Beth Payne, AICP Section Secretary

Tropical Storm Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida on the afternoon of June 26, 2012.

Debby’s main impacts were flooding rainfall in Florida and southeast Georgia, and storm surge in the Panhandle as well as tornadoes across the State. The First Coast was specifically impacted by the rainfall.

Jacksonville set an all-time two-day rain record, with 12.56 inches falling June 25-26.

The St. Mary’s and Suwannee Rivers were sent into major flood stages, included Black Creek. The St. Mary’s River crested on June 28th about 1.2 inches above the previous record from the 1964 Hurricane Dora. The rain triggered numerous flooded homes across the Region, infrastructure was impacted and several needed water rescues.

On July 3, 2012, President Obama, at the request of Governor Rick Scott and FEMA Director Craig Fugate, granted Florida a Presidential Disaster Declaration. As a result, money is made available in a number of programs, for both individual and public assistance. On the First Coast, Baker, Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties were deemed affected counties. Disaster Recovery Centers were opened in each of those counties.

More than a month after TS Debby, over $21 million in state and federal aid has been approved to help those affected. Over 4,000 households in Florida have been approved for FEMA grants that assist with housing and personal property loss and over 9,000 homes inspections have been completed. Work with survivors continues as does work towards mitigation projects and funding.

Be prepared! Hurricane season ends November 30th.

First Coast Events First Coast APA Board Meeting Friday, August 3, 2012 8:30 am offices of England, Thims & Miller, Inc.

2012 APA Florida Conference September 12-15, 2012 Waldorf-Astoria, Naples In This Issue

Clay County Transit Study……...2 Scholarships Awarded.…….…....3 CD Training Discontinued……...4 Conference Update…….………5 Announcements….6

1ST COAST PLANNER The Bi-Monthly e-Newsletter of the First Coast APA, Florida Chapter, American Planning Association Issue 4, Volume 5 – Page 2

Ongoing Clay County Transit Study

By Wiatt Bowers, AICP

As Clay County continues to grow and congestion continues to increase, the need for a public transportation system has also grown. Several years ago, the Clay County Council on Aging (COA) expanded their demand response service to include deviated fixed-route service. This service, provided in conjunction with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), includes five routes serving the Orange Park, Middleburg, and Green Cove Springs areas.

Additionally, JTA has several routes that serve northern Clay County and is studying the potential for premium service that would also serve the area.

Atkins has been tasked by the North Florida TPO, on behalf of Clay County, to conduct a study envisioning the future of transit in Clay County.

This study is exploring potential transit system configurations in the near term (2017), mid-term (2025), and long-term (2035).

Similar to a Transit Development Plan (TDP), the study includes a review of transit systems in other peer communities in Florida, development of a vision for public transportation, an assessment of transit needs in the study area, and a staged implementation program to set priorities for improvements.

As with a TDP, public participation is a key component of this study, and multiple engagement opportunities have been afforded. Finally, the study will examine funding options as well as governance of the transit system. The study will be completed in November of 2012.

FDOT Roundtable Discussion

July/August 2012

the Jacksonville MSA – including Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns Counties, is the #3 most dangerous MSA for pedestrians in the United States, behind only Orlando and Tampa Bay. In the Benchmarking Report published by The Alliance for Biking & Walking in 2012, Jacksonville ranks as the second deadliest urban area for pedestrians (ahead of Fort Worth, TX) and as the third most dangerous area for bicyclists (ahead of Arlington, TX and Charlotte, NC).

The problem is statewide. The Florida as the pedestrians, and bicyclists.

not just in Jacksonville – it’s 2012 Benchmarking report ranks #1 most dangerous state for the #6 most dangerous state for

As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, Florida DOT Secretary Ananth Prasad has acknowledged that there aren't enough crosswalks, sidewalks, or bike paths in Florida, and that throughout the State of Florida medians too narrow and too far between.

Secretary Prasad has stated that he wants this to change, and that his objective is to reduce pedestrian fatalities in Florida by 20 percent over the next three years. "Pedestrian safety needs to win out," Prasad said.

In support of Secretary Prasad’s commitment to pedestrian safety in Florida, the FDOT Safety Office will conduct a series of “roundtable discussions” that will include a variety of stakeholders with a vested interest in pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The roundtable discussion for Jacksonville will be held on Friday August 10, from 1 PM to 4 PM, at the FDOT District Two Jacksonville Urban Office Training Facility, 2198 Edison Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32204.

By Stephen Tocknell, AICP

As planners making great communities happen in Northeast Florida, it’s time for us to confront one of our most troubling and dangerous problems.

According to the Dangerous by Design report published by Transportation for America in 2011,

If you would like to participate in this discussion, then please RSVP directly by email or phone to: Dee Dee Johnson, deedee.johnson@dot.state.fl.us or call at (904)360-5424/1-800-207-8236.

1ST COAST PLANNER The Bi-Monthly e-Newsletter of the First Coast APA, Florida Chapter, American Planning Association Issue 4, Volume 5 – Page 3

Jeannie Fewell Scholarship Awards

By Don Smith, AICP Treasurer & Scholarship Chair

First Coast APA is pleased to be able to sustain the legacy of former Jacksonville Planning and Development Department Director Jeannie Fewell through the awarding of merit scholarships to graduate students in planning or related fields.

This year’s scholarships from the Jeannie Fewell Annual Scholarship Fund were recently awarded to three very deserving students, from three different schools: Jamie Schindewolf, Stephen Benson and Amanda Douglas. The scholarship recipients have been notified of their award and a presentation is planned either at the State Conference or at their host schools.

The applications were graded by the Scholarship Committee based on seven criteria including: character and commitment to high ideals, persistence in overcoming barriers, and involvement in school and extracurricular activities. The Scholarship Committee was very impressed with the quality of students who submitted applications which reflects very positively on the graduate planning programs.

Jamie Schindewolf is pursuing a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at FSU and has maintained an outstanding GPA. Jamie’s recommendations for the award from her faculty advisors named her as one of the best and brightest students in the past several years.

Jamie has been volunteering with local environmental organizations since an early age and continued through school.

Jamie is considering pursuing a PhD, and ultimately working for a local government.

Stephen Benson graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Geography and is pursuing a master’s at USF in Urban and

July/August 2012

Regional Planning.

One of the reasons that Stephen’s application was impressive was that he founded a student planning chapter at USF that is credited with helping to bring recognition to this relatively new program. Like many of us, Stephen initially thought he would pursue another field but eventually gravitated toward planning as a field he would find rewarding. As a student he has interned with FDOT and a transportation consultant and has developed an interest in livability, transportation safety and urban design.

Amanda Douglas is pursuing a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida, and also received a Bachelor’s in Geography from UF. Amanda has interned with 3 public agencies and one consultant. Amanda has maintained a very high GPA and is concentrating on transportation and sustainable design. Amanda has been active in student associations and volunteer work. Upon graduation, she would like to work for a consulting firm in Florida and focus on livable physical environments and multimodal transportation planning.

The next round for scholarship applications will begin in the spring of 2013. If anyone wishes to make a contribution to the Jeannie Fewell Annual Scholarship Fund, please contact Don Smith at smithd@etminc.com or 904-265-3194, or any First Coast APA Board Member.

AICP Prep Course – Date Change The second First Coast Section AICP Exam Prep Course for this year will be held Friday, August 10, 2012.

This is a week later than was previously noticed. The course is offered free of charge by the Section to all active APA members regardless of whether they will take the AICP Exam in November.

Please see the attached flyer for information.

You must RSVP by August 3 to Tony Robbins at 904.739.3655 or trobbins@prosserhallock.com

1ST COAST PLANNER The Bi-Monthly e-Newsletter of the First Coast APA, Florida Chapter, American Planning Association Issue 4, Volume 5 – Page 4

CD-ROM Training Discontinued

By Tony Robbins, Section Chair

Have you in the past or do you in the future plan on earning CM credit by utilizing a CD-ROM produced by APA? If so this news may be of importance to you. APA is in the process of switching the way it delivers these professional development opportunities. APA is switching to web-based streaming technology.

APA stopped producing CD-ROM training packages in the Fall of 2011, replacing old technology with new technology. APA converted approximately 50% of the CD-ROM products to the new streaming format.

The Streaming Education products are offered at substantially lower prices than the old CD-ROM products.

APA will continue to sell some CD-ROM products from existing stock through September, but APA will no longer be selling CD-ROM training packages after September 30, 2012. CD-ROM training packages will not be eligible for CM credit after December 30, 2012. AICP members can access programs for CM credit through Streaming Education online.

The Streaming Education programs for AICP members are available for CM credit by a single individual.

Unfortunately, APA does not offer group viewing for CM credit-eligible streaming products at this time.

While APA Florida supports new technology and process improvement, the Chapter is concerned that the policies being established for this new streaming format may include added expense to members. Many Chapters, including APA Florida have made significant investments in a CD-ROM lending library for our members and we are concerned that the discontinuation of all CDROMs’ eligibility for CM credits after December 30, 2012 is too short of a notice, and does not provide Chapters with sufficient time to implement a replacement program, and/or to budget for the increased expense associated with the new streaming format. Further, the streaming format is not structured similarly to the CD-ROM training package as it does not allow for group viewing.

July/August 2012

The Florida Chapter is working with National APA to provide a smooth transition to this new way of delivering professional development opportunities to membership. If you would like to share your opinion about this change, please direct your comments to APA Florida Professional Development Officer Andre Anderson (aanderson@pdgfla.com).

More information about this new development by APA can be found at: http://www.planning.org/education/elearning/index.htm.

As a result of the recent dialogues related to the discontinuation of the CD-ROM training packages and migration to the web-based streaming video, the Planning Webcast Series (membership co-op comprised of Chapters and Divisions) has developed a YouTube station for past webcasts as well as a CD loan program for distance education credit. Click on http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvqWCr2888S3b oRqcOCc0HA to view and subscribe. These new features will be launched for the 2013 Planning Webcast Series. This should help to alleviate some of the concern with the discontinuation of the CDROM Training package.

Three Local Additions to AICP Congratulations to First Coast Section members Taco Pope (Nassau County), Louise Eiber (Genesis Group) and Dan Sorrow (England Thims & Miller) for passing the May 2012 AICP Exam! The Florida results for the last exam compared to last year are enumerated in the table below.

Total

Number Pass

Number Fail

Percent Pass

All Chapters

508

327

181

64%

Florida (2012)

55

28

27

51%

Florida (2011)

57

37

20

65%

Chapter

1ST COAST PLANNER The Bi-Monthly e-Newsletter of the First Coast APA, Florida Chapter, American Planning Association Issue 4, Volume 5 – Page 5

It is Time!

By Wiatt Bowers, AICP

Final preparations are underway for the 2012 APA Florida Conference, Charting a New Course. Here are a few thoughts on charting your own course for the conference: • • • • •

•

Over 200 people had registered as of Sunday July 29th We expect to double that number by the time early registration ends on August 3rd The hotel block is filling up quick, so don’t delay in making your reservations Mobile workshops are also filling up (the kayak tour is already maxed out) I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from Robin Rather and Jason Jordan during the Communications workshop on Wednesday Another great opportunity occurs at the end of the conference, where you can participate in a community charrette with Jeff Speck

Finally, while this year’s conference is focusing on technology in planning more than any conference before it, next year promises to take things to the next level. The Orlando host committee is putting ideas together around the theme “Planners have an App for that”. Mark your calendars for September 10-13, 2013. And don’t look now….it is almost time to start thinking about the 2014 conference, to be held here in Jacksonville!

Help Wanted: First Coast Planning Officials Training APA believes informed planning officials simply make better decisions. The Board of Directors is seeking Section members who would like to help create a workshop tailored to First Coast elected and appointed officials who make planning and zoning recommendations and decisions. The workshop would cover basic laws and planning principles that have shaped the development and approval process in Florida. The initial framework is being drafted now with hope of forming a working

July/August 2012

group in August and offering the first workshop at the beginning of next year. This effort will benefit from the participation of several different members who can offer planning officials an effective and useful perspective about Florida’s planning and growth management system, their role and how to do the job more effectively. The Board is committed to making this workshop informative and fun at the same time. If you would like to learn more, please contact Betty Sue Stepp (bsstepp@sjcfl.us). We promise to respect your time and opinions and would love you help us provide basic instruction about the job required of these important decision-makers.

Neighborhood Inventory of Visual Pollution Visual pollution can come in many forms: graffiti, dead trees, rotting stumps, broken sidewalks, defaced traffic signs, vanadalized utility boxes, and the list could go on. By inventorying these problems in public spaces, they can be effectively addressed and resolved. It is recognized that there is no single entity responsible for addressing community blight.

According to City Beautiful Jax, the NIVP Program represents a method by which community groups and interested citizens can come together for a purpose: to become better educated on souces of blight and then canvas a neighborhood and collect at one time a single list of the sources of visual pollution that should be redressed by appropriate authorities.

Riverside Avondale Preservation and City Beautiful Jax teamed up on Saturday, July 21st to support the beautification of the Riverside Avondale neighborhood. Volunteers canvassed neighborhood zones to document the all instances of visual pollution that need to be addressed.

This program can be performed in various areas across the City and the Region. The same program was completed in Springfield earlier this year, with over 600 issues cited. Contact City Beautiful Jax for more information. info@citybeautifuljax.org or 904-673-1652

1ST COAST PLANNER The Bi-monthly e-Newsletter of the First Coast APA, Florida Chapter, American Planning Association Issue 4, Volume 5 – Page 6

July/August 2012

APA Florida is one of the sponsors of the Planning Webcast Series, free professional development webcasts aimed at urban planners and other interested in urban and regional planning.

These events offer Certification Maintenance (CM) credit for members of AICP. Some upcoming webcasts and their links are listed below.

Aug 10

Highway Bus Rapid Transit, Transportation Division https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/313044938

Aug 17

Senior Mobility, Transportation Division https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/690519002

Aug 23

Green Building and Environmental Sustainability Element Tool, New Jersey Chapter https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/707381418

Aug 24

Communications Towers and the Role of the Federal Communications Commission: An Introduction to the FCC Regulatory Process, Maryland Chapter https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/944707690

Sep 7

Cars, Streets and Policy in 2035, Transportation Division https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/519664362

Sep 14

Re-stitching the Urban Environment: The Columbus Urban Commercial Overlay https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/227777386

Sep 28

Housing and Transportation for the Boomers and Beyond, Virginia Chapter https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/890800882

Oct 5

Hazard Mitigation Planning in Nebraska, Nebraska Chapter https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/661502978

Oct 19

A Tale of Three City Pairs: Regional Economic Growth and Rail Transit Investments, Economic Development Division https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/717566602

Oct 26

Planning for Fracking: Booms, Busts and Beyond, NY Metro Chapter (LAW CM)

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/769403026

PREPARE First Coast Section AICP Exam Prep Course

D

Friday, August 10, 2012 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM 13901 Sutton Park Drive South, Building A, Suite 200 Jacksonville, FL 32224 Certified planners use their skills to find solutions to community problems and carry the community toward its desired long-term goals. The American Institute of Certified Planners (“AICP”) is the American Planning Association’s professional institute, providing recognized leadership nationwide in the certification of professional planners, ethics, professional development, planning education, and the standards of planning practice. The First Coast Section of APA Florida is pleased to offer its 12th Annual AICP Exam Prep Course.

Session One: Functional Topics Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

Historic Preservation

Land Use

Urban Design

Infrastructure

Housing

Transportation

Community Development

Parks and Recreation

Rural and Small Town Planning

Economic Development

Spatial Areas of Practice

Session Two: Planning Processes Plan Making

Maps and Graphs

Data Analysis

Management

Census and Other Data

Ethics

Program Implementation and Evaluation

PREP COURSE REGISTERATION DEADLINE JULY 20, 2012 The course is offered free of charge to all active members of APA. To register or for more information, please contact Tony Robbins at either trobbins@prosserhallock.com or 904.739.3655.

NOVEMBER 2012 EXAM Early Bird Application Deadline

June 14, 2012

Final Application Deadline

July 12, 2012

Early Bird Notification Date

August 2, 2012

Final Notification Date

September 24, 2012

Testing Window

November 5-19, 2012

For more information, go to www.planning.org/certification

INNOVATE

Vilano Beach Main Street and Jacksonville Beach Community Redevelopment Areas

Mobile Workshop Thursday, August 30, 2012 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM Pre-registration required by August 13 $20 for APA Members / $30 for all others

The success of Vilano Beach Town Center is the result of a ten-year vision, planning and implementation process between St. Johns County and the North Shores Improvement Association. Millions of dollars of grant funding have been received from federal, state, regional and local sources for planning and public improvements. The partnership receives technical assistance as a designated Waterfronts Florida Community and a Florida Main Street Community. Honored with a Sustainable Florida Award, as well as regional awards for the Town Center Master Plan and Design, Vilano Beach Town Center is a unique waterfront business destination.

Building on the progress made during the 1980’s and 1990’s, the City of Jacksonville Beach and its CRA undertook a “visioning” process to provide a guide for the Downtown redevelopment program in the coming years. This citizen-driven planning exercise led to the identification of eight community core values – safety, family-friendly, walkability, small community feeling, open space/ocean views/beach access, entertainment, gathering place, and a mix of uses – that provide the watchwords for the continued development and redevelopment of the central core of the Downtown district.

Participants will board a chartered motorcoach at Jacksonville Beach City Hall. Traveling to Vilano Beach, Sallie O’Hara, A1A Byway Program Administrator will offer a guided tour of A1A communities and improvements including overlay district themes and issues. She will lead a guided walk with discussion of infrastructure, past planning and current planning directions. Lunch will be on your own with open door access to all area restaurants and businesses. Afterwards, the group will head back to Jacksonville Beach. Steve Lindorff, AICP, CRA Administrator will offer a discussion on vision planning and implementation of the City’s Downtown Master Plan. Next, he will lead a guided tour of the initial improvements implementing the first phases of Downtown Master Plan. Afterwards, the group has the option of enjoying a Happy Hour at the beach.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today by providing payment to: Betty Sue Stepp, AICP Section Program Chair 4040 Lewis Speedway St. Augustine, FL 32084 For more information, you can reach Betty Sue at bsstepp@sjcfl.us or 904.209.0583.

4.0 hours of AICP Certification Maintenance credit pending approval