One of the biggest challenges to local government leaders is to plan for the future. To accomplish that successfully, you need a vision, a strategic plan to accomplish that vision and, the resolve to implement that plan. We have been doing just that for many years.
A successful city needs to have a vibrant economy, a broad tax base not dependent on any one sector (retail, commercial, industrial and residential), good schools, and lots of green/open space. Our city is still overly reliant on residential properties. Smart, livable, sustainable communities are the most attractive to prospective homeowners and businesses. The Real Estate Roundtable points out that “Communities that offer a clean environment and well managed growth – including an array of transportation and housing options, open space and mixed use development – are magnets for investment, jobs, and people.” Sadly and critically, all of Broward County falls short of providing an array of transportation services and there is no vision or plan for that to happen. Our selfish lifestyles have precluded transportation options. Everything is so spread out, we have no choice but to rely on one of the cars in our driveway to get to ..anywhere.
But there is a promising alternative and that is to build an environmentally and economically sustainable community. To do that a city needs a vision, patience, and a commitment to public-private partnerships. It doesn’t happen overnight. Our proactive environmental reputation is well recognized at the local, state, and federal level. Our Creek Commons area is the largest in the country to be developed under “Green Buildings” guidelines for all of the exciting mixed-use development that will take place there. We want to take that progressive step to the next level by incorporating strategies for peak energy management city-wide. While we have made some notable progress on the economic front, the main roadways through our City have better served the economic purposes of Coral Springs than they have the City of Coconut Creek. Fortunately, the public-private sector partnerships that we have been nurturing are well-positioned to change that and to finally take advantage of the lane expansions on Sample Road (from the Turnpike to SR7/441) that was paid for years ago by the original owners of the Coconut Creek Commerce Center property (that now includes the Seminole Tribe of Florida).
We still have work to do. Finding the elusive and emotional happy medium between individual rights and the broader benefit that a well-planned development can bring is a daunting challenge and the Commission is trying to bring all the stakeholders to the table by holding community forums to address the issues openly. We hope to use local school sites for these exchanges and will be using all the media to advertise the dates and times.
See you there!
Slainte!
John Kelly