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Healthy Coastal Communities Initiative
The Healthy Coastal Communities Initiative is a regional effort to look at present growth and development practices and re-evaluate them in light of national trends toward healthier development which takes into account the economy, environment, and social equity of our community as a whole system. This Initiative supports strategies of visioning processes that have taken place in our region in the past five years. The Mobile National Estuary Program and Envision Coastal Alabama both formed as a result of stakeholder meetings and a visioning process that defined a future for the region. In both documents, smart growth and sustainable development were identified as action items. Mobile and Baldwin Counties have different development issues and plans. Mobile County has no growth management tools in place such as subdivision regulations or zoning. Baldwin County has strong subdivision regulations and a form of zoning that is available to districts that vote to zone. The City of Mobile has strong regulations and zoning, and exercises its planning jurisdiction five miles out. While these differences are striking, there are common issues that could be addressed as a region that would implement the management plan of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and the Envision Coastal Alabama. The term “Smart Growth” is one people find hard to define. Much like “sustainability”, it has become a buzzword that some fear will cause more regulations to be put into place. One thing that the concept of smart growth promotes, in all areas that have incorporated the principles, is more choice and healthier communities, societies, and environment. By definition, the term “healthy” means “a state of optimal functioning, well being, or progress.” So the goal of this project is to initiate a regional plan, a development and implementation process to advocate support for healthy sustainable development to ensure a high quality of life for citizens and visitors of Mobile and Baldwin Counties. If you are interested in participating in the Healthy Coastal Communities Initiative contact:
Wendy Allen: 251-990-5347
wndy1000@netzero.net
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