Submitted by Roberta Revers
America Planning Institute
Contact: Kelly N. Gibson, AICP
Sr. Planner City of Fernandina Beach
[email protected]
April 11, 2017 10:33 a.m.
CHICAGO (April 11, 2017) Fernandina Beach, Florida, has received Bronze Level recognition from the American Planning Association’s (APA) Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places Recognition Program Pilot for its Fernandina Beach 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
APA’s pilot program recognizes plans that advance the principles, processes and attributes of sustainability as detailed in the Comprehensive Plan Standards. The program aims to increase awareness about the importance and value of a comprehensive plan that also addresses a community’s overall sustainability.
Submitted plans produced within the last five years were eligible for review and recognition. A team of professional planners scored plans based upon the principles of a livable built environment; harmony with nature; resilient economy; interwoven equity; healthy community; and responsible regionalism. The reviewers also looked at the community engagement and implementation efforts, and the attributes that shape the content and characteristics of a comprehensive plan.
“Comprehensive plans are vital for shaping a community and meeting the needs of its residents – today and tomorrow,” said David Rouse, FAICP, ASLA, director of APA’s Research and Advisory Services. “The plans recognized through this program are guiding communities toward a more sustainable, enduring and equitable future.”
The Fernandina Beach Comprehensive Plan focuses on creating distinctive and appealing communities with compact development and multi-modal transportation. The plan also emphasizes environmental sustainability with particular focus on land use, energy and the natural environment while addressing issues related to resiliency and hazards.
Policies call for denser development and improved infrastructure for more accessible transportation which will help reduce pollution and waste. Development plans call for the construction of green-certified buildings and better access to natural resources.
Fernandina Beach is one of five comprehensive plans that received either gold, silver or bronze recognition. Other winners include:
Gold Level
- Imagine 2040: Temple Terrace Comprehensive Plan – Temple Terrace, Florida
Silver Level:
- Imagine 2040: Plant City Comprehensive Plan – Plant City, Florida
Bronze Level:
- PlaNorfolk 2030 – Norfolk, Virginia
- Plan 2035 Prince George’s Approved General Plan – Prince George’s County, Maryland
“The City of Fernandina Beach is pleased to be recognized for its outstanding Comprehensive Plan,” said Fernandina Beach City Manager Dale Martin. “We are committed to building a sustainable future which is reflective of this community’s goals and standards. Through sound planning practices and an engaged citizenry, we intend to maintain an exemplary blueprint for our future.”
This is the second round of recognition generated through the pilot program. Plans reviewed in the first round were recognized in Fall 2016. All plans will be honored at APA’s National Planning Conference in New York City, May 6 – 9, 2017.
The Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places Recognition Program Pilot is a result of APA’s Sustaining Places Initiative that examined how places can be sustained and how places can sustain life and civilizations.
Planning’s comprehensive focus is not limited to a building or a site, but encompasses all scales and all forms of organization of human settlements, from rural areas and small towns to cities and metropolitan regions. The program is operated through APA’s National Centers for Planning.
The American Planning Association is an independent, not- for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning — physical, economic and social — so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people’s lives. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. For more information, visit www.planning.org.
Congratulations!