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Listen to Beth Alden and Whit Blanton talk It’s TIME Tampa Bay with Roxanne Wilder on Q105
More than seven thousand citizens have already shared their thoughts on three very different transportation and growth scenarios in the #ItsTIMETampaBay survey. Survey results will help the three Metropolitan Planning Organizations create the very first tri-county Long-Range Transportation Plan for Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. By completing the survey and leaving your email address, you’ll be eligible for prize drawings. Seven drawings will be held during the October 2 Hillsborough MPO Board Meeting for pairs of tickets to the following:
Tampa Bay Lightning (five single games in the 2018/19 season, one game per winner drawn)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints game (12/9/2018 – 2nd row seats!)
The Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College (choice of five shows)
Please take and share this important survey with your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers through September 30 at: itstimetampabay.org
Eight sessions at American Planning Association Florida conference to feature Plan Hillsborough speakers
Palm Beach September 11-14, 2018 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Hundreds of planners from across the state will be honing their planning craft through a variety of interactive tours, lectures, panel discussions, training, and networking. We are proud to announce that Plan Hillsborough will be well represented with six featured panelists at eight different conference sessions, including: Melissa Dickens, AICP | Planning Commissioner Amber Dickerson, AICP | Lynn Merenda | Gena Torres | Allison Yeh, AICP, LEED GA | Melissa Zornitta, AICP.
Plan Hillsborough Strategic Plan sets agency priorities
During their July and August meetings, the Planning Commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Hillsborough River Board unanimously approved the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. Plan Hillsborough developed the Strategic Plan with joint direction from the three boards, identifying seven consolidated areas of focus and directing resources and staff priorities over the next five years. It also outlines action strategies and opportunities for implementation, while streamlining tracking and progress reporting. Methods to enhance planning work, improve strategic aspects of how the agency interfaces with the public and its partners, and leverage resources to create a strong future and quality of life for the community are highlighted.
Meet our 2018/19 USF Fellows
Plan Hillsborough continues to support the University of South Florida’s Masters in Urban & Regional Planning (MURP) program through two fellowships each year. These talented students contribute their fresh perspectives and talents to many projects while gaining hands-on planning experience.
Prior to accepting this fellowship, Aaron Young excelled in his studies in Sociology at USF, graduating magna cum laude and being awarded as the Department of Sociology’s Outstanding Senior. His passion for his hometown – Tampa – and its surrounding communities – led him to pursue an education and career in urban planning. At the intersection of where people, environment, and infrastructure meet, Aaron will be assisting the Environmental Planning, Research, and Infrastructure Team with Comprehensive Plan updates, Strategic Plan metrics and tracking, and Capital Improvement Project reviews for the four jurisdictions.
Alyssa Livingstone will be working with the MPO team on the It’s Time Tampa Bay joint transportation plan with Pasco and Pinellas counties and moving forward the Vision Zero Hillsborough message. Alyssa has already participated in a neighborhood Vision Zero event, holding signs and waving to motorists before 7:00 a.m.! From the island of Jamaica, Alyssa actually attended the same high school as our Executive Planner Michele Ogilvie. She is currently in the USF MURP program pursuing an urban planning career first in the United States, and ultimately, will take her experience to assist her home country in the future.
Proposed Amendment to County Comprehensive Plan to support Economic Development
Planning Commission and Hillsborough County Economic Development Department staff have revised the current objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan to better support the County’s economic development objectives. Specifically, the County would like to ensure an adequate supply of land to support quality, job-generating activity in order to provide for long-term economic vitality and well-being. The purpose of the proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Plan is to maintain the supply of these sites, as well as provide a residential density bonus to property owners as an incentive for doing so. It also is intended to support the jobs-housing balance throughout the County and ensure growth is fiscally sustainable. A text amendment has been filed and will be presented to the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners over the next few months.
ICYM our summer Info BBQ on Pasco Safety Town
In case you missed our August 29 Info BBQ, Cpl. Tim Bullock shared an exciting look at Pasco Safety Town, a realistic, child-sized town designed to provide complete hands-on safety education for children ages 5 – 8 in grades K-2 with more than 50 Info BBQ participants. Thank you to S&ME for providing lunch for this hungry crew!
Next Safe Routes to School National Conference is coming to Tampa!
The 2019 Safe Routes to School National Conference will be held at the Hilton Tampa Downtown from November 12-14, 2019. Be sure to save the date for this fabulous opportunity to join hundreds of active transportation and public health advocates and practitioners from across the country for valuable networking, sharing best practices, and exploring one of Florida’s most vibrant and active cities.
FDOT is the presenting sponsor of the conference. And the Hillsborough MPO is excited to be the local host and partner for this event. “We welcome the Safe Routes to School National Conference to Tampa! Safe roads for kids are safe roads for everyone. Hillsborough’s Vision Zero Coalition and the Gulf Coast Safe Streets Summit look forward to celebrating the work of the National Partnership,” said Beth Alden, AICP, Hillsborough MPO Executive Director.
Progress along the road to zero
The Vision Zero Action Plan was collaboratively developed in 2016 and 2017 by the MPO Policy Committee, with members representing Tampa City Council, the Hillsborough County Commission, HART Board, and others. Resolutions passed by government agencies and businesses commit these organizations to incorporating the plan into their operations. Check out the summer quarterly reportto see how we’re tracking progress on the plan’s four Action Tracks:
Paint Saves Lives (pop-up design interventions)
One Message, Many Voices (outreach and messaging)
Consistent and Fair (enforcement)
The Future Will Not be Like the Past (flexible design standards)
hillsborough river planning
Planning for and regulating our water supply
How water from the environment gets to your tap can be a complicated process. Local governments often develop their own sources of water to supply to their residents. These are often public supply wells drawing on ground water from the Floridan Aquifer or surface water from a river. Access to these natural resources is not without restrictions and consideration of the potential impacts to the environment.
Please note: Only news that was captured online and could be linked to is reflected here. Some broadcasts were not subsequently posted online by the respective news station, including but not limited to some BayNews9 and Telemundo broadcasts.
Plan Hillsborough provides value-added planning services through a diverse team of professionals working towards a thriving future for Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and Hillsborough County, and provides staff to the:
Promotes, coordinates, collaborates with, and facilitates the involvement of all people in comprehensive planning and visioning to improve economic development opportunities and quality of life in our community
A long-range transportation policy-making board made up of local government and transportation agency representatives planning for more than $1.5 billion
in state and federally funded multi-modal transportation investments in the first 5 years of each 20+ year plan
Responsible for promoting collaborative planning, regulation, and development along the river corridor while ensuring the environmental health of the river running through Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace
In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other
nondiscrimination laws, public participation is solicited without regard
to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.
Read more about our commitment to non-discrimination and other requirements.
Publications from Plan Hillsborough and its agencies are always
associated with an email address ending in:
@plancom.org
