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<br />ing allowable densities for undeveloped areas, <br />within coastal high-hazard areas:' <br />This brief overview of documents and <br />policies indicates that lee County has made a <br />solid start toward safe growth. Future growth <br />prop6sals are carefully scrutinized to ensure <br />,conformity with extensive goals and policies. <br />An in-depth audit would reveal the extent to <br />which the lee Plan and related government <br />actions are effective over time in guiding de- <br />velopmenttoward safe growth standards. <br /> <br />Conclusions and R.ecommendations <br />A safe growth audit can provide an important <br />bridge between plans and actions. By highlighting <br />the overall impacts of the complete set of com- <br />, munity plans and policies, the audit can point out <br />gaps and counterproductive relationships. <br />Preparing such an audit requires a sub-' <br />stantial commitment. Before starting, jurisdic- <br />tions should consider whether they have the <br />necessary interest in critically evaluating their <br />existing tools and if they have the nece?sary <br />resource:; to complete the task. Smaller places <br />may be able to do the work with their planning <br />staffs; larger places may need to consider hiring <br />a tonsultant with expertise. <br />It is important to realize that the audit is <br />a means to an end. Achieving true safe growth <br /> <br />requires that the audit findings be acted upon. <br />This has implications for the audit process <br />aT]d for the tone of its recommendations. The <br />process should be inclusive, using a steering <br />committee to bring stakeholders and decision <br />makers to the table. The recommendations <br />should be positive and diplomatic, crediting <br />existing contributions and suggesting changes <br /> <br />RESOURCES <br /> <br />Beatley, Timothy. 2009. Planning for <br />Coastal Resilience: Best Practices for <br />Calamitous TImes. Washington, D.C., <br />Island Press. <br /> <br />Godschalk, David R. 2003. "Urban Hazard <br />Mitigation: Creating Resilient Cities." <br />Natural Hazards Review 4(3): 136-143. <br /> <br />lee County (Florida) Department of <br />Community Development. 2009. The Lee <br />Plan. Available at http://www.3Ieegov. <br />com/ dcd/leeplan/leeplan. pdf. <br /> <br />in a fashion that does not create opposition. <br />They should include both short- and long- <br />range actions. <br /> <br /> <br />Linking public safety and growth empowers_ <br />advocates of hazard mitigation and helps to cre- <br />ate new champions for safe growth. Once a com- , <br />muriity grasps the growth/safety connections and <br />how they play out in myriad ways, it can make <br />great progress in promoting development that <br />protects people and property at the same time as <br />it bolsters the economic bottom line. <br /> <br />lee County (Ronda) Department of Community <br />Development. 2009. Future Land Use <br />Map, the Lee Plan. Available at http:// <br />www.31eegov.com/dcd/leeplan/leeplan.pdf. <br /> <br />lee County (Florida). Land Development Code. <br />Available at http://www.municode.comj <br />resourcesj gateway. asp ?pid=12625&sid=9. <br /> <br />local Mitigation Strategy Work Group. 2007. <br />joint Unified Loca! Mitigation Strategy for Lee <br />County, Aorida. Available at http://ecape. <br />capecoral.netjsirepub/cache/2. ' <br /> <br />Cover photo: Hurricane route marker <br />in Florida. @ iStockphoto.comjPaul . <br />Giamou; design concept by Lisa Barton. <br /> <br />VOL 26, NO. 10 <br />Zoning Practice is a monthly publication of the <br />American Planning Association. Subscriptions are <br />available for $85 (U.S.) and $110 (foreign). W. Paul <br />Farmer, FAlCP, Executive Director; William R. Klein, <br />AICP, Director of Research <br /> <br />Zoning Practice (ISSN 1548-0135) is produced <br />at APA. Jim Schwab, AICP, and David Morley,AlcP, <br />Editors; Julie Van Bergen, Assistant Editor; liSa <br />Barton, Design and Production. <br /> <br />Copyright@2oo9 by American,Planning <br />Association, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite <br />1600, Chicago, IL 60603. The American <br />Planning Association also has offices at 1776 <br />Massac~usettsAve., N.W., Washington, D.C. <br />20036; www.planning.org. <br /> <br />All rights reserved. No part of this publication <br />may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by <br />any means, electronic or niechankal, including <br />photocopying, recording. or by any information <br />storage and retrieval system. without permission <br />in writin'g from the American Planning Association. <br /> <br />Printed on recycled paper, including 50-70% <br />recycled fiber'and 10% postconsLimer waste. <br /> <br />ZONINGPRACTICE 10,09 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 7 <br /> <br />71 <br />