Update: St Lucie County Holds Second Workshop On Western Lands Study
February 10, 2010 by St. Lucie Times Staff · Leave a Comment
UPDATE: St. Lucie County has postponed its Western Lands Study Educational Forum originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11 to Saturday, March 6 from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. because the featured speaker is unable to attend.
Featured speaker Tom Daniels, professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, is unable to attend Thursday’s workshop because of the snowstorms blanketing the northeast. Daniels is slated to attend the March 6 workshop, which will focus on Land Use Planning Tools for Retaining Farmland. The forum will be held at the Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce.
March 6 was originally scheduled to be the date for the Western Lands Assembly, which is now being rescheduled to late March or early April.
Through St. Lucie County’s Western Lands Study Workshops, participants will have an opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with leading experts in planning for agriculture and natural systems conservation. It is intended that the study will result in a sustainable plan for the County’s western lands that will preserve a functioning network of agriculture, open space and natural areas while providing economically viable options for agricultural landowners, now and in the future.
Please RSVP at least two days before each event to Sarah Smith at (772) 462-2380 or smiths@stlucieco.org. For more information about the Western Lands Planning Study and opportunities for public involvement, go to www.stlucieco.gov/growth or contact Kara Wood, Planning Manager, at (772) 462-1589 or woodk@stlucieco.org.
*****************
First Announcement – February 3, 2010
St. Lucie County is scheduled to hold a second public workshop on the County’s Western Lands Study on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center, 2199 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce.
The Western Lands Study is designed to help guide the future of land use and agricultural impacts in those areas. Speakers and topics scheduled for the Feb. 11 workshop include:
- An Overview of Western Lands Study – Marie York, president of York Solutions and associate director of the Center for Building Better Communities at the University of Florida.
- A Review of Land Use Planning Tools for Retaining Farmland, – Dr. Tom Daniels, professor of City and Regional Planning in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of City and Regional Planning
- Attributes of Transfer of Development Right Programs in Florida – Dr. Tim Chapin, associate professor and chair of the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Florida.
- Panel Session to Review Florida TDR Programs – Dr. Tom Daniels, moderator, and Tim Chapin. Panel Members: Michael Houston, principal of the Houston Group; Isaac Hoyos, principal planner from Palm Beach County; Mark Satterlee, director of St. Lucie County’s Growth Management Department.
Participants will have an opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with leading experts in planning for agriculture and natural systems conservation.
These educational forums are a core part of the St. Lucie County Western Lands Study initiated in fall 2009 by the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners to address the future of its western lands – the agriculture core of the County. The options and opportunities and forum feedback will be further assessed at a Western Lands Assembly to be held on March 6. It is intended that the study will result in a sustainable plan for the County’s western lands that will preserve a functioning network of agriculture, open space and natural areas while providing economically viable options for agricultural landowners, now and in the future.
Please RSVP at least two days before the event to Sarah Smith at (772) 462-2380 or smiths@stlucieco.org. For more information about the Western Lands Planning Study and opportunities for public involvement, go to www.stlucieco.gov/growth or contact Kara Wood, Planning Manager, at (772) 462-1589 or woodk@stlucieco.org.
