Agenda - Planning Commission - 11/05/2009

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sis to ensure that they are up-to-date and work~ ing as intended. Natural hazard and vulner- ability conditions can change over time as new information becomes available from updated analyses and as the result of learning from new disasters. Growth conditions also change as new development trends emerge a'nd new pro- jections are 'made. Safe growth audits should be revised on a regular basis to ensure their continued validity. CONDUCTING.A SAFE GROWTH AUDIT The pfocessofconducting a safe growth audit is sirnilarto that of preparing a comprehensive plan; in that it requires public participation to generate the. overall safe growth vision and to gain consensus on the findings and recommen- dations. However, it differs in the' amount of research and analysis required to identify the key contributors to si;lfe groWth and to deter- mine their strengths and weaknesses. To ensure adequate public involvement, it is useful to create a safe growth steering com- m ittee made. up of representatives of affected interests. This committee can offer guidance throughoutthe process, including the step of cre- ating a safe growth vision for the community. For that purpose, a community safe growth workshop could be held or safe growth visioning could be piggybacked onto a comprehensive plan or strategic plan visioning workshop. Information and reports could be posted on the local govern- ment website. The important thing is to ensure an ongoing community safe growth forum, including disseminating information, receiving feedback, . and developing potential safe growth champio.ns. Research and analysis entail systematic review of public documents llS well as inter~ views of knowledgeable informants. The key documents are the comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and the capital improvement program, along with policy state- ments concerning infrastructure provision. Records and statistics describing development review approva.ls will also be useful to see how the plans, ordinances, and policy statements are actually being impleriiented. Interviews with zoning administrators, building inspectors, and utility officials also will shed light on implemen- tation, as well as Qn the existence of unwritten policies and their impacb;. Questions asked during research and a'naly- sis seek to discoverwhat is in the community growth policies package and how it affects public safety. Each community will have an individual package, depending on its growth and ha~ards situation. However, it is possible to spell out a basic set of safe growth audit questions that should apply in most jurisdictions (see sidebar). ILLUSTRATIVE APPLICATION Tlie safe growth audit is a proposed technique to improve safety from natural hazards during urban growth and developme,nt. There are no actual applications yet. However, it is possible to illustrate how such an audit might work by imagining it being applied in an existing situa- tion where community gro\V!:h faces 'significant hazards, such as a Florida coastal county. A Florida Coastal County lee Courity is a Gulf Coast jurisdiction facing significant flooding and hurricane hazards. It has an extensive shoreline, and much of its land is low-lying and occupied by wetlands. Past development has fragmented aquatic systems, destroyed upland areas, and filled or drained freshwater, saltwater, and tidal wetlands. Fresh- water and estuarine systems have been' listed as "impaired" by the Aorida Department of Envi- ronmental Protection. These natural systems are c_. .,.~!. If.....r i I /1 . , , . Most of Lee County falls in' a storm surge category. L ZONING PRACTICE 10.09. AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 5 69