Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Broward Next: Opportunity to Participate

Join the Conversation on Planning Broward’s Future!
  
-First round of focus groups for #BrowardNEXT set to begin October 16th-
  
CONTACT:  Henry Sniezek, Director, Planning and Redevelopment Division
Barbara Blake Boy, Executive Director Broward County Planning Council
PHONE: 954-357-6670954-357-6670 or 954-357-6982954-357-6982
EMAIL:  
hsniezek@broward.org or bblakeyboy@broward.org


BROWARD COUNTY, FL - As Broward County celebrates its Centennial, we are looking forward to Broward’s future, ensuring it will thrive in the next 100 years! With 1.85 million residents and 12 million visitors annually, there is a lot to plan for. Working with residents, businesses and Broward's 31 municipalities, our goal is to review the County’s Land Use and Comprehensive Plans to make sure they reflect current and anticipated growth and priorities. These priorities include areas such as transit, affordable housing, climate change and economic development.

The goal of #BrowardNext is to review the Broward County Land Use Plan to ensure it is reflective of Broward County’s current and anticipated conditions and priorities. The review will seek more efficient methods and effective policies to facilitate a countywide planning program consistent with the challenges and opportunities of our ever changing community.

An initial round of #BrowardNext focus group meetings is set to begin Thursday, October 16th, covering two areas: Intergovernmental Coordination/Statutory Requirements and Redevelopment. Each topic has been allotted approximately one hour and the sessions will run back-to-back to encourage maximum public participation.



All meetings will be held at the Broward County Governmental Center, 115 S Andrews Ave., in Fort Lauderdale:


Thursday, October 16th, 9AM | Room 430
• Intergovernmental Coordination/Statutory Requirements
• Redevelopment (set to begin at approximately 10:15AM)



Wednesday, October 22nd, 1:30PM | Room 302
• Natural, Recreational and Historic Resources
• Public Facilities (Non-Transportation)
• Disaster Planning and Emergency Management



Wednesday, October 29th, 1:30PM | Room 302
• Housing
• Transportation



Participation in the focus groups is open to the public. Feedback from each session will be presented to the #BrowardNext Steering Committee. For all the latest news, visit Broward.org/BrowardNext and also follow @BrowardPlanning on Twitter and join the conversation using the hashtag #BrowardNEXT.
About Planning and Redevelopment The Planning and Redevelopment Division leads and participates in multiple programs, including managing the County's sustainability and redevelopment planning initiatives; coordinating corridor redevelopment plans that will increase the tax base; preparing and administering elements of the Broward County Comprehensive Plan; participating in municipal and unincorporated area redevelopment; coordinating the implementation of Complete Streets; supporting the County’s renewable energy and climate resiliency initiatives; promoting compliance with community standards in unincorporated areas through enforcement of applicable zoning codes and regulations; administering the Broward County Land Development Code; and overseeing site plan review for the unincorporated area. The Division also evaluates rezoning requests, land use plan amendments and land use compatibility reviews; maintains demographic and economic databases; conducts research and analyses; develops Geographic Information System (GIS) applications; and coordinates the County’s GIS Program. For more information visit Broward.org/Regulation.
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About #BrowardNEXT
The goal of #BROWARDNEXT is to review the Broward County Land Use Plan to ensure it is reflective of Broward County’s current and anticipated conditions and priorities. The review will seek more efficient methods and effective policies to facilitate a countywide planning program consistent with the challenges and opportunities of our ever changing community. This goal includes maintaining a positive and balanced relationship among and between the municipalities and the county with important topics of community-wide significance such as: transit and mobility, affordable housing, climate change mitigation and adaptation, regional economic development, environmental protection, enhancement and protection of recreation and open space areas, and disaster preparedness.