From The County Insider
Office of the Nassau County Manager
December 12, 2019
In the fall of 2017, Nassau County invited the Urban Land Institute to conduct a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) regarding potential future growth and development pressures in western Nassau County. The report found that western Nassau County is subject to significant development pressures based a variety of factors including growth through internal and external employment centers and the desirability of quality of life in Nassau County. The ultimate conclusion was that “while development is knocking at Western Nassau’s door, there is time to get ahead of the curve and follow a plan that contains development to appropriate areas, while maintaining the rural character in other areas. Doing nothing, however, will assure that development comes without restraint”.
In response to this report, the Nassau County Planning & Zoning Board created a subcommittee comprised of Planning Board members who reside in Western Nassau County. They were named the “Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee” (WNHPC). They held their first meeting in March 2018 and began a nearly two year initiative to develop a vision plan specific to western Nassau.
The first year consisted of solely community outreach events in western Nassau including public meetings, open houses, surveys, one-on-one stake holder meetings, roundtables and attendance at other community events to gauge citizen concerns and to learn what they desire to protect in western Nassau. The community feedback drove the creation of the following goals for the Committee to address: history, natural resources, health, quality of life, recreation, jobs and education, and public spaces and infrastructure.
During the second year of the initiative, the Committee began working on the objectives and strategies to the community identified goals, creating the Western Nassau Vision Book. The Vision Book was adopted at the Planning & Zoning Board meeting held on October 22, 2019 and was discussed by the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting, December 9, 2019.
At the December 18, 2019 meeting commencing at 9:00 a.m., Planning Director, Adrienne Burke, will provide a presentation regarding the initiative and will ask the Board to approve a Resolution accepting the findings of the Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee.
To view the Vision Book, please click here.