What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

Brisbane is a mostly a young city
 with decent architecture.

It's been a long time since I've used that phrase, but I did learn something this summer.

I visited Australia and I am very excited to share what I saw. [Yes, this is work-related]

I saw bicycles, catamarans, buses, trains, pedestrian bridges, taxis, hints of bicycle sharing, pedestrian only streets and parks (which I might highlight parks with a follow-up blog). Where did I see all this? The beautiful City of Brisbane, located in the southeast corner of Queensland on the country's east coast.

The city is a big one! The country's third largest city has over one million people spread over an area of 727 sq. mi. That's not quite as big as the entire Florence County area which is 799 sq. mi., but a lot more density than the whole Pee Dee region combined.

Mostly, I wanted to share photos that I took while tooling around the City and I'll describe what I could gather from my exploration. And, of course, if driving on the wrong side of the road has you worried, be comforted by the following alternatives...

Queen Street has been converted into a pedestrian street. No bicycles allowed. Note the overhangs to protect pedestrians from the weather. Mid-block cut-throughs were common as were shopping center-sized 'arcades'. The bus depot is located on the next parallel block consisting of a close series of designated stops.

CityCycle is a new program just starting for the City and some surrounding suburbs. Shown here is one of the pick-up, drop-off locations. In theory, a small fee would allow you to rent a bicycle. A rechargeable 'Go' card allows you get discounted prices to ride the bus, train, catamaran and utilize this service.

This is a pedestrian only bridge over Brisbane River. It connects the Queensland Technical College and Botanical Garden area to an neighborhood of green space, cafes, shops, apartments and offices. Note the bulb out portion of the bridge - there was a cafe there, too.

Probably one of the most exciting ways to travel was by catamaran. Since the Brisbane River connected the heart of the city as seen in the right of this photo to the arts district, Queensland University, Technical College, residences, shopping and parks, the catamaran was an efficient and fun way to travel or commute.

If you are still reading, then all these pictures were not just fun to do. In fact, this is what I would refer to as a technical photo. Yes, as a planner, this photo would be considered to embody the very intention of a complete street. Note on the left side of the photo the pedestrian walk including sitting areas, curb-outs for parking, bollards that protect pedestrians from vehicles and, what is that??; oh, trees and landscaping. Nice! Even the road where the peds cross is raised and has a different texture. Also noteworthy is the layout of the area: apartments to the right and to the left a large area park complete with gardens, main lawn, picnic area and amphitheater!

Pedestrian walkways along the Brisbane River within a park setting. Bougainvillea are trained to the sculpture-like boundary.  One of these parks included an artificial beach and water playground.

A riverside promenade. This turned into a roadway of bicycles, pedestrians and runners in the morning and afternoon hours. Note the sign which explains that walkers should stay left for bicycles to pass. Bicyclists use bells to make known of passing, too. Storey Bridge in the background includes a pedestrian lane - plus for fun, you can walk on the top!

Well, there you have it for now. I have a lot more photos; and hopefully, I can compile some that show the importance of public spaces, which Brisbane is full of. Until then, tell me what you think about these amenities and how we could possible integrate here.

Hybrid Rebates Anyone?

The $500 hybrid rebate offer continues until 06/30/10. This rebate was approved for a second year by County Council to encourage "greener choices". Florence County continues to lead the way in improving our air quality and with your help we can make it happen!

Last fiscal year we issued eight rebates to Florence County residents. Six residents were from Florence, one from Scranton and one from Olanta. They were the proud owners of the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, or the GMC Yukon. These are only a few of the hybrids that qualify for the rebate.

Our first recipient this year is Peggy Brown from Florence. Ms. Brown purchased a Toyota Prius and states that she "LOVES" her car.

If you are in need of a vehicle, we hope that you will consider a new hybrid. The fuel reduction creates significant savings that you will realize over a period of time. This in addition to the reduction of harmful emissions makes the hybrid purchase a wise choice for anyone.

Please visit http://www.florenceco.org/ for more information and the application. A $500 rebate may be awaiting you!

Great Feedback for the Land Use Element!

The most important thing Florence County Staff has needed, asked, and advertised for over the last eleven months while updating the existing Land Use Element and Land Use Map, has been public input, public input, public input.

The Home Builders Association of the Greater Pee Dee has gone above and beyond in helping our department to get the word out. Florence County Staff met with their members last week at the beautiful new Pee Dee Realtor's Association building on Celebration Drive. There were more than 34 interested members present with all sorts of good questions and comments.

• When did the State Statute begin on the Comprehensive Plan? (1994)
• What is the Comprehensive Plan's role for unzoned parcels? (None)
• What is the process and how long is the procedure to make a change to the comprehensive plan change? (Very detailed answer, look for this information to be included soon in the Land Use Element DRAFT on the county website.
• Would like to see all residential uses combined into one land use designation.
• Would like to see all commercial uses combined into one land use deisgnation.
• When will the (FHD) Flood Hazard District change on the map? (Will reflect FEMA FIRM maps updates)
• Several good recommendations for additional information in the Land Use document. (To present to Planning Commission on July 28th public meeting.

Hope to see all you other interested individuals and groups at the Land Use Night School tonight at 6:30PM in room 803 of the City/County Complex. If you can't make this meeting, save the date on your calendar for the next Planning Commission public hearing on July 28th at the same time and location as noted above. Your input is needed too!

Attention All Paddlers!

Anyone out there familiar with The Scenic Rivers Program, established by the SC Scenic Rivers Act 1989? I wasn't until I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the Lynches Scenic River Advisory Committee. The upper section of the Lynches River was designated a State Scenic River on March 24, 1994, while the lower section was designated on June 11, 2008.

Thanks to the efforts of SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and SC Department of Natural Resources a grant was received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and a Lynches Scenic River Water Trail Guide has been created. The guidebook contains information on the portion which flows roughly 111 miles from U.S. Highway 15 Bridge in Lee County to its confluence with the Great Pee Dee River, which by the way, is another SC State Scenic River.

The guidebook is waterproof, however there are specific instructions on how to dry the sheets if the book gets wet. These instructions can be found on the DNR website under Managed Lands and Secenic Rivers. A pdf of the guidebook is also available at this site.

You can pick up a copy of the booklet (FREE!) at any of these locations:
- Florence DNR office;
- Florence County Planning Department;
- Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library;
(carded copies will also be available here and at each of the Florence County libraries)
- Naturally Outdoors;
- Two outfitters on the Lynches River (River Ratz & Swamp Fox);
- Lynches River County Park;
- Woods Bay State Park;
- Lee State Park; and
- The Cotton Museum in Bishopville.

Poster size signs with specific information will be placed at the following landings:
- Highway 15, Lee County;
- Highway 76, Sumter County;
- Highway 401, outside of Olanta;
- Half Moon Landing, above Johnsonville;
- Highway 41/51, Odell Venters Landing;
- Lynches River County Park @ canoe landing and @ Highway 52 landing.

Small blue "South Carolina Scenic River" tree signs will be posted visible by water or land at other landings available to the public. No signs will be posted on private landings.

The date, time and location of the Dedication has yet to be determined. I'll keep you posted.

I can't begin to elaborate on all of the great information this guidebook contains. So, run out and pick one up soon (limited supply of FREE books) and take it with you on your next outting on the Lynches River. I've got mine and my outting is in the works. See you on the river!

Florence County Foreclosures Decline to 2006 Levels

Over the past few months, the Florence County Planning Department has been tracking foreclosures back to 2006. With the help of the County Clerk of Courts and its Special Referree, we have compiled all the available information on those homes that have completed the foreclosure process.

Beginning around May 2007, it was not uncommon to see between 35 and 40 foreclosures a month. Those numbers have decreased starting in September 2008 when the highest values were between 25 and 30 a month.

For the month of June, the number of foreclosed property continued its downward trend with nine, roughly equal to the average of the first two months of 2006, which is the start of records we could find.

Annual municipalities' foreclosures in 2009 may meet or beat 2006 values if these trends continue.

So, what does this mean for Florence County? It may translate to decreased time a home for sale remains on the market. It may also signal a better market for builders seeing less competition with foreclosed properties.

As the Florence Economic Development Partnership continues to attract new an expanding businesses to Florence, we may be seeing some warming from this icy housing season.

The next question we must ask ourselves is how we want to grow to weather the next economic catastrophe. That answer may lie in considering the combined costs of housing and transportation (reflecting the new coordination between HUD and US DOT) while minimizing the tax burden. Instead of housing following new schools, how about schools locating near the housing... you'll see lower costs in maintaining our transportation network! Imagine a pedestrian and bicycle friendly neighborhood that includes that school, grocer, coffee shop, clothing store and other amenities.

Can it happen in Florence?

What happens when EPA, DOT and HUD get together?

A partenership in stewardship, that's what.

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood explained the partnership this way:

“Creating livable communities will result in improved quality of life for all Americans and create a more efficient and more accessible transportation network that services the needs of individual communities. Fostering the concept of livability in transportation projects and programs will help America’s neighborhoods become safer, healthier and more vibrant.”

The following are great goals, many of which may find their way into the Florence County Comprehensive Plan (see the website). Together with the vision of Florence County and the help of the Florence Area Transportation Study, our local transportation planning program, the next few years will hopefully lead to a more sustainable development and redevelopment of Florence.

1. Provide more transportation choices.
Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.
Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

4. Support existing communities.
Target federal funding toward existing communities – through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling – to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.

5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods – rural, urban or suburban.

More information on Interagency Partnership:

http://www.epa.gov/opei/ocmp/dced-partnership.html

About a Coalition

I was recently invited to a meeting of a particular area in Florence County where stakeholders (landowners, businesses, etc.) met to discuss ways to preserve natural resources and their rural heritage.

The group is at a stage where there are tons of strong ideas floating about, but nothing on paper. As the group shapes its objectives, they are finding that they first need a geographic focus.

The recent meeting included a presentation by Noel Thorn, a real estate developer, turned farmer, turned negotiator - in essence, someone who knows the importance of protecting natural resources while providing affordable housing, education and jobs.

Mr. Thorn may have given the group a good direction to begin organizing the way they want their community to look. First thing's first: establish your boundary, establish your stakeholders, establish your goals that include the future economic viability of sustaining their commmunity.

I am very excited about working with this group. For a County planner, this affords an opportunity to work close and share potential regulatory tools to help residents realize their objectives while working with planners  across jurisdictional boundaries.

What about your community? Do you have everything you need and want in your neighborhood? If not, talk with your neighbor and invite me to a meeting so we can get your sustainable neighborhood started!

Futuristic Web

It's up and running!

The Future Land Use interactive website.

Miss our public meetings? Now you can test the waters online - find your house, find where you work, find where you hunt or play ball. Then see what the future holds for these lands. Compare the proposed plan with the past plan.

The proposed Future Land Use map is now active online and we are taking comments. Visit the goals section to find specific tasks we will focus on in the future.

Leave a comment. Share a goal. Let us know your reaction to the future of Florence County.

Earth Day - County's frugal plan

Did you walk to work or school today? It is a perfect day for a walk or bicycle ride anywhere around town. Need to go to lunch at the mall? - take the bus. PDRTA has a route that passes through the area (did you know they added yet another route for the southern part of the City of Florence).

All of these questions lead me to wish you a happy Earth Day and give you a perspective on how the County wants to save money by being frugal.

As you know, we are working on the Comprehensive (thinking BIG) Plan. The plan outlines where we are now and where we see ourselves in the next 30 years. I told you it was big. 

The element we are currently working on is the Future Land Use - how and where the County will grow over this long period of time. This is the quintescential plan of plans! I know many people don't know (or don't care?) and haven't read their County's Comprehensive Plan (and ours has pretty pictures, too!), but let me share what is drafted so far in the opening paragraph:

The Future Land Use Element represents a culmination of many elements of the Florence County Comprehensive Plan. Information from the Population, Community Facilities, Economic Development and Natural Resources elements are utilized to create the foundation for directing responsible future growth in the County. The Future Land Use element incorporates the analysis and future strategy of these elements and emphasizes sustainability and prudence as the priority objective for growth. The overarching goal is to create efficiency in utilizing our manufactured and natural infrastructure.

Feel free to send me any feedback.

I recently read some interesting material comparing the effectiveness of frugality and efficiency in a sort of 'chicken or the egg' discussion. Except, this time the benefit is clear to be frugal before being efficient; whereas, the opposite holds little confidence of arriving at both. 

For example, limiting the exent to grow beyond municipal boundaries (frugality) may lead to more efficient housing opportunities within the boundary. A example in the contrary - high density residential zoning allowed anywhere in reference to municiapal services creates sprawl, much like what is found on Alligator Road. This second example, although efficient this example highlights an antithesis to frugality.

All these ideas tie into sustainability and minimizing our ecological footprint. How are you reducing your footprint this Earth Day?

Oh, and one more thing - ozone forcast for today and the past few days have been green! Good Job!

Calling Florence Area Residents - Land Use Meeting Tonight

If you live in and around Florence, tonight is the last scheduled public meeting to look at the Future Land Use maps and hear the presentation on the County's future vision! Dodge the rain - see you tonight at the Family Life Church - 2812 West Palmetto Street.

Can't make it? - head to your nearest County library to peak at the map and make your mark. Also, you can pull a comment sheet to send in with your thoughts. Also, our office (518 S. Irby St.) has a similar map in the lobby. And if you need help? We'll be available to talk about it.

Happy Visioning!

Busy Thursday!

The public should feel very lucky to have two opportunities to hear what's going on around Florence:

First, there is the second (rated a 'thumbs up' by Florence Morning News) meeting in the three meeting series to discuss the Future Land Use map at Eastside Christian Church, 3541 East Palmetto Street. County Planning staff will be there from 5-7PM with a presentation at 6:00PM. Feel free to drop in anytime.

Then, if that wasn't good enough, the Florence Trails Committee will be having a meeting at Naturally Outdoors (2519 W. Palmetto) from 5-6PM to discuss a grant opportunity from the State Parks and Recreation Department.

And best of all - visit both meetings and get a bonus - I'll hold off the 6:00PM Land Use presentation for 15 minutes so you may join in on both experiences. Florence County will have staff attending both meetings to answer any questions.

Two meetings, 60 blocks apart - this is your public meeting challenge of the week!

Have kids? The first child to ask a land use question (at the Future Land Use meeting) will get a large color area map to share with their school classmates.

Sustainability in Florence County

I am very excited about the next County Council meeting this Thursday at 9:00AM. Aside from the Community Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan being introduced, so are some very cool hybrid vehicle and 'greening your home' incentive programs for County residents.

That's right - the County will help you to 'green' your lifestyle! 

This link will open up the agenda - look on page 3, it's the first resolution. More specifically, the entire resolution can be found from this link on pages 20 and 21.

The County jumped on air quality initiatives at the first sign of potentially missing the new ozone standards. The Planning Department has been following our air quality very closely (see our August 2008 blog) and also presented a list of options to the Council on October 16, 2008. This incentive program was on the list together with an anti-idling policy for all employees.

The anti-idling policy is in the process of being incorporated into our Personnel Policy Manual!

Watch the Council meeting live.

Let us know what else we need to focus on to make our community better. Click on the this article's title to leave a comment.

Who's New?

Lisa Jackson, that's who.

She's the new EPA Administrator-designee and she is already listing her goals for her tenure at this federal regulatory agency:

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• improving air quality
• managing chemical risks
• cleaning up hazardous waste sites
• protecting water resources

Check out her memorandum to employees posted on the EPA website.

Luckily, Florence County planning is following similar thinking as the EPA. Starting last year with our close 'run-in' with air quality exceeding the EPA's ozone standard. Now, we are focusing on the Future Land Use element (at a public meeting near you) which will include protections for our rivers and stream while improving our governments' ability to provide services to residents.

Are you new too? ...to your neighborhood? ...to planning? ...to comprehensive plans?

Where does your water come from?

I attended an interesting workshop yesterday about protecting our drinking water supply. This is an important issue integrated into our new Future Land Use element of the Comprehensive Plan.

Please take a moment and let us know where you get most of your water by taking the survey on the right!

This photo is of the Little Pee Dee River.

Another Piece to the Puzzle

County Planning met (braving the slushy roads) yesterday with Economic Development Partnership for a productive discussion about the Future Land Use element of the Comprehensive Plan. It's great to be a part of these instances when knowing information up front can ward off many future conflicting plans.

Economic Development is located in the Southeast Institute of Manufacturing Technology on the Florence Darlington Technical College campus (pictured to the left). Beyond the fabulous campus, this team includes hard-working employees dedicated to keep the Pee Dee region an attractive destination for relocating businesses. And it works! ...QVC ...Heinz ...Monster.com

This team, headed up by Joe King, includes those whom I have met so far, Jessica Griggs, Kyle Edney and Thelma Carney-Kennedy. In addition to the Future Land Use element, this group has been instrumental in reviewing our Economic element as well as sit in on a conversation with DHEC regarding our air quality. Feel free to visit their website!

So, what happened in the meeting?

You'll just have to wait to see the Future Land Use element!

Okay, I can give you sneak peak: we learned that industrial businesses like to be close to rail or no more than 10 miles from an interstate. We learned about sites that this team is actively marketing for industrial development such as property west of Roche Carolina and south toward Smurfitt-Stone, areas south of Honda on I-95, and areas around 327, especially near its interchange with I-95.

Another topic that was discussed was a plan for biofuel refineries and its product transport. More props to the benefit of locating adjacent to a rail line.

Still more discussion was focused on a 'freight community' or 'freight village' - a place where freight exchanges modes. For example, a train off-loads goods to a long-haul truck and where long-haul truck transfers goods to smaller light trucks, etc. Where would such a place be located? One potential is where we have these modes close together - such as where the airport, Hwy 76, Hwy 327 and the rail line come together.

These are the visions! Yes, they are general and only a vision; but it's better to be prepared for the area's potential future than see a mixture of uses that should have been further separated [I would not live adjacent to an industrial park!]

Industry affects surrounding land uses, traffic and the ability for governments to provide services such as water, sewer, as well as fire and police protection. It's a hope that this plan will be able to place industry in the right place - buffered from residential and natural resources like our waterways.

Our Florence: PDLT

A community is a sum of its parts; and working for a local government, it's easy to see that our vibrant community has many parts like for-profit businesses, contracting and planning firms, residents, government entities, regulatory agencies, service industries just to name a few to scratch the surface. Oftentimes, though, non-government, non-profit groups are those significant organizations that fill a big need will little celebration or highlight. In an effort to show off our local non-profit organizations, the following update is presented from the Pee Dee Land Trust which has many reasons to celebrate. Find more information about them at their website. or by calling their Executive Director, Jennie Williamson at (843) 661-1135.


The Land Trust

December 2008 marks the close of the Land Trust's 10^th year, and that milestone will be celebrated in the months ahead. The Pee Dee Land Trust was founded in the winter of 1998-99 in Darlington County by the Pee Dee Resource and Conservation and Development Council.

Land Protection

The Land Trust exceeded a significant landmark by protecting more than 10,000 acres this year. Since our newsletter went out with that news in early December, the Land Trust has finalized and closed another conservation easement in Marlboro County, bringing our protected acreage to approximately 10,500 acres with projects in seven of our eight counties. Mr. Hubbard W. (Donnie) McDonald, Jr. protected his ancestors' farm in the Dunbar community, not far from the protected property known as Donoho Plantation which PDLT helped protect in 2007.

The Land Trust has worked on projects of more complexity than ever before - collaborative projects with other organizations, post-mortem easements, easements in areas with heavy development pressure, and all with tremendous conservation value on the properties. Increasingly the Land Trust's success has brought it to greater involvement at the state level.

Education

Education is an important prong of the Land Trust's work in that it highlights for people some of the wonderful natural and cultural resources in the Pee Dee. In addition to providing nuts and bolts types of information on how conservation easements work, the Pee Dee Land Trust works hard to provide opportunities for people to see and do more in the area. Events have included quail management seminars, kayaking and canoeing trips, lectures on historical places and people, walking tours of historic towns, and more.

Community Involvement and Support

The little Land Trust that held onto forty or so members for six years has leaped forward in evidence of public support for all that it does. Pee Dee Land Trust now boasts a membership roll of close to 500 households across twenty South Carolina counties and sixteen states. Attendance at events continues to reach record highs each season.

Who does all this work?

The Pee Dee Land Trust is a leanly-staffed organization with one full time executive director and two part time staffers. Jennie Williamson has been the director since Fall 2005, the organization's first paid staff. Jennifer King, from Florence, serves as Director of Outreach and Education, and Gretchen Huggins, a recent FMU graduate, is the production coordinator for a special project that PDLT is working on with SC Educational Television (SCETV). Their office is in Francis Marion's Nonprofit Consortium on the FMU campus. The organization is governed by a board of three representatives per county for each of the 8 counties in which the Land Trust works: Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Marion, Marlboro, and Williamsburg.

Change in leadership:

Change of officers from Ben Zeigler (Florence) as chair to Sumter Langston (Georgetown); Earl Dutton (Dillon) stepped down as vice chair and Eddie Drayton (Darlington) was elected for the position. Bob Pitts (Darlington), long serving board member finished 4 years as treasurer and was succeeded by Heath Ruffner (Chesterfield County)

Special Thanks to Two Board Members who have rotated off the board

Elisabeth McNiel served for Marlboro County, filling a seat that had been vacated. She came into that role at a time when the Land Trust was jumping from volunteer organization to major regional player in the Pee Dee and support for that growth.

Bob Pitts. Bob has been one of the Land Trust's stalwart supporters and dedicated board members for eight years, almost since the organization's first day. He represented Darlington County and has served on the nominating committee as well as the hiring committee, and was elected and served as treasurer for 4 years of constant change and growth.

The Board of Directors:

Chesterfield

Jim Crawford

Jimmy Lofton

Heath Ruffner

Darlington

Eddie Drayton

Gordon McBride

Dillon

Keith Allen

Earl Dutton

Kalli Norton

Georgetown

Wesley Bryant

Sumter Langston

Tony Shank

Florence

Austin Gilbert

Tres Hyman

Ben Zeigler

Marion

Charles Bethea

Susan Riales

Know of a non-profit organization you want to highlight? - let us know!

Comp Plan Countdown

Five down, four to go - with the next opportunity to comment right now!

Tis' the season for comprehensive plan updates. Darlington County recently made the news about their updates to their Future Land Use proposals. Likewise, Florence County is planning on a series of public meetings to focus on discussing the Future Land Use for areas around the City of Florence... but that is on the horizon (e-mail me if you want to be notified of these meetings)

For now let's talk about the part of the comp plan that will be heading to the Planning Commission on January 27th. The Community Facilities element has been taking shape for the past couple of months by surveying the community stakeholders for information, a workshop for the Planning Commission members and lots of public comments (THANK YOU!). You still have time to review the document... even if you only want to look at the pictures. Go to the Florence County Planning website and scroll to the bottom - there you will find a link to the element's pdf document.

Also, you will find the Administrative Procedures portion for the comprehensive plan. This document will guide how the comp plan is updated and used. Although not an element like the Community Facilities or Land Use, this is a very important part!

We are ticking down to a complete County Comprehensive Plan!

What's next? Future Land Use (already in the works), Transportation and Priority Investment.

Stay tuned and share your vision for Florence County's future!

Hit The Trails!

Have you been on any of the Florence trails? If not, you don't know what you're missing. They are REALLY NICE!

In 2004, a consultant was brought in by the FLATS committee to develop a Florence Area Bikeway Master Plan. Thanks to the City of Florence's efforts and the grants through FLATS, we now have many trails to enjoy and more in the works.

I'll let you know when we get this Master Plan and the current Trails information in online to view. Look for it in January!

Local hotels and other community organizations have brochures on the Trails system. There has been so much interest from both residents and tourists that we are in the process of having more brochures printed for display.

Anyone out there interested in promoting new bicycle/pedestrian trails or lanes?

Well then you need to join our growing group of volunteers on the Florence Trails Committee. We meet quarterly on the 3rd Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at the Florence County Planning Department located at 518 S. Irby Street. Call the County Planning Department at 843-676-8600 to have your name added to the e-mail notification list.

We had a great trails meeting last week. The City of Florence updated the committee on the newest trail on Jefferies Creek off National Cemetery Road. It's called the "SWIM" project (Storm Water Improvement - which is important stuff!) This trail should be ready in the spring of 2009.

Happy Trails!

The Week Unfolds

It's only Tuesday, but the Planning team has worked hard enough to believe it's Friday.

The FLATS (Florence Area Transportation Study) Policy committee met yesterday morning to discuss penny sales tax projects, regional road improvements and the long-range transportation plan for the urban Florence area. The Policy Committee gave the go ahead to negotiate with the point-leading consultant, Kimley-Horn, to help with the plan.

Also, the Committee requested more information to make their decision on adding new members to their Committee and the FLATS Study Team (technical team). For the next meeting, we will provide maps of the areas that currently may be better represented with these additional stakeholders.

Last night, the Planning Section visited a full house (about 30 people) Town Hall meeting in Scranton. [I still think it's one of nicest little towns in Florence.] We described the comprehensive plan update and presented their Future Land Use map. Some people were at the Schoolhouse BBQ Town Supper meeting when the townspeople first saw the map.

Interestingly, the one similar comment was made last night: we need a place for kids to hang out after school. One suggestion that was brought up was to utilize school facilities for after-school activities. Try to drum up some volunteers to monitor the schools library and/or gym for community usage. In Scranton, their school is within walking distance from most neighborhoods and is an existing facility!

Sounds good to me.

What else...

...more Comprehensive Plan (scroll down the linked page to see all elements)...

On Thursday, the Planning Commission will be at a working lunch presentation at the Founder's Room of the Library to solicit feedback and affirmation of our direction on the drafted Community Facilities element. We hope to post this element to our website within a couple of weeks, send it to the County Planning Commission agenda in December, and present it to County Council for public hearings starting in early 2009.

...and I would be remiss if I failed to mention air quality opportunities!

DHEC has recently released a request for proposals for a nearly $250K grant to reduce diesel emissions. It just so happens that we presented the County Council with a list of air quality increasing options on October 16th. Two qualifying projects were included in that list: diesel engine upgrades to the County fleet and a truck stop electrification system at Exit 169. This technology allows the truck engines to stop (as opposed to idling all day and night) and hook up to a power outlet and A/C vent, decreasing diesel emissions. Another point: this truck stop is within two miles from the ozone monitor!

Are we busy? Yes.

Want to help review a Comprehensive Plan element, write a grant, gather community support, or share an air quality idea?

Leave us a comment, and we'll be right with you.

Tis' the Season for Public Hearings

As Florence County Future Land Use and Transportation plans are being worked on, public hearings are scheduled to get the public in on the planning level. Check out and visit the bottom of the blog for public notices for your area.