“It’s not the sexiest topic the new Collier County Commission could start with in 2017, but it’s certainly one of the most important.”
I couldn’t agree more with that statement in a recent Naples Daily News Editorial titled “Important hand off on long-term growth plans.”
The County’s population will grow to almost half a million by 2040 from 345,000 today, according to a report by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University. That’s a lot of change to be planned and managed! And our five County Commissioners, including the three who were newly elected this year, will decide how that growth will happen.
The issues are many and controversial: The environment. Clean water supply. Fracking. Sea level rise. Beach replenishment. Infrastructure. Economic development. Affordable housing. Parks and recreational facilities. And with each issue, decisions must be made, not only about what to do, but how to pay for it.
What better time than the start of the New Year to resolve to become better informed about our County government?
Tuesday’s Collier County Commission (BCC) Workshop on Strategic Planning and Growth Management is a great way to start!
Here are the main items on the Agenda, along with some brief observations I made while reviewing the materials to be presented:
Strategic Planning 2017
Some interesting changes to the County’s Strategic Plan will be first up at Tuesday’s meeting. The Vision is unchanged, but the Mission will now explicitly address the future:
Vision: “To be the best community in America to live, work, and play.”
Mission: “To deliver high-quality and best-value public services, programs, and facilities to meet the needs of our residents, visitors, and businesses today and tomorrow.”
The County’s six Strategic Focus Areas are unchanged:
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| Collier County Strategic Areas of Focus |
Each Focus Area is supported by a new Strategic Goal to provide clarity, and continues to be justified by a set of Community Expectations. Some significant changes to those Expectations are proposed, most of which I agree with, although I’m curious about how Staff came up with them.
For example, in Growth Management, three new Expectations are proposed:
- Evaluate, monitor, and plan for the effects of sea level rise.
- Develop integrated and sustainable plans that manage water resources and solid waste.
- Conserve, preserve, monitor, and manage natural resources in partnership with external stakeholders.
I’m pleased and encouraged to see these, and hope they will be accepted by the Commissioners with little need for debate.
In Community Health, Wellness, and Human Services, these significant changes are proposed:
ImproveSupport access to health care and wellness services.- Address the needs of the community’s senior, disabled,
working poorveteran and indigent populations.
Where did these proposals come from and what will they mean for our community? Is the County explicitly saying it will play no role in improving access to health care, or in addressing the needs of the working poor? This is an area where clarification is needed, and where we can let our opinions be heard.
In Economic Development, Staff proposes explicitly stating the County’s targeted industries, which had not been done previously:
- Promote our community as a year-round destination of choice for leisure, business, sports, and eco-tourism.
This, too, is an area where community input is especially important. It has been sought in many fora in the past, but if you haven’t weighed in yet, now could be your last chance.
Update on the Eastern Collier County Planning Area Restudies
In 2015, the BCC agreed to spend $1.3 million over the next four years to redo and update (restudy) four existing plans for areas in the eastern part of the county where the future growth will take place. These areas are referred to as:
- The Rural Fringe Mixed Use District (green)
- The Golden Gate Area Master Plan (orange)
- The Rural Lands Stewardship Area (blue)
- The Immokalee Area Master Plan (yellow)
According to Tuesday’s Agenda and the Workshop Materials, Staff will give an overview of the County’s approach to growth management. Then they will review the purpose, history and status of these four area restudies. Since the Rural Fringe restudy was the first to begin, most of the focus of the presentation and discussion will be on that effort, specifically highlighting key issues needing resolution or direction from the Board prior to the public hearing phase. Then they will report on the outreach efforts to-date on the Golden Gate restudy. And finally, they will ask for Board direction on the future timing of the other two restudies.
As a 13-year resident of Collier County who reads the local paper and tries to stay informed, I have some knowledge about what’s happening in the eastern part of the County. I’ve been to the heavily agricultural area of Immokalee on several occasions, and visited the planned community of Ave Maria two or three times. I’ve had meetings and attended events at the County Offices and Community Center in Golden Gate, and was Principal for a Day at Golden Terrace Elementary School. From reading the newspaper and speaking with friends more involved than I am, I have a high-level understanding of some of the challenges Commissioners face in trying to satisfy the various parties interested in how development happens “out there.” But I’m not as informed as I would like to be.
So I am looking forward to learning more about Collier County’s growth management history and plans at Tuesday’s Workshop. With three brand new Commissioners, hopefully the presentation will be at a level that doesn’t assume in-depth knowledge.
It is important that we Collier voters and taxpayers become informed about what’s happening while these plans are still in the restudy phase. I have no doubt that the decisions our County Commissioners will make will affect our future quality of life.
Let’s make sure we are pay attention and participate in the process.
When and Where
The Workshop will be Tuesday, January 3, 2017, beginning at 1 PM, in the Board of County Commissioners chambers, third floor, Collier County Government Center, 3299 Tamiami Trail E., Naples, Florida 34112 (get directions). I hope to see you there!
And if you can’t make it, email your thoughts and questions to the Commissioners (find yours here):
District 1 – Donna Fiala – DonnaFiala@colliergov.net
District 2 – Andy Solis – AndySolis@colliergov.net
District 3 – Burt Saunders – BurtSaunders@colliergov.net
District 4 – Penny Taylor – PennyTaylor@colliergov.net
District 5 – Bill McDaniel – BillMcDaniel@colliergov.net
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