Issue 34 | September 2016

Plan to join us |  Tickets on sale through October 14!
Thursday, October 20, 2016 | Winners Announced 
T Pepin's Hospitality Centre | 4121 N 50th Street | Tampa 

Tampa Bay Times Reception | 6:15 p.m.  Brendan McLaughlin
Dinner & Presentation of Awards | 7:15 p.m. 

hosted by
Brendan McLaughlin

Tickets & Sponsor info »

Imagine 2040: Tampa Comprehensive Plan receives APA Silver Level Sustaining Places recognition
The City of Tampa and Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission are proud to announce that the Imagine 2040: Tampa Comprehensive Plan has been recognized as one of only 8 Comprehensive Plans nationwide as an example of excellence in comprehensive planning by the American Planning Association (APA). In May 2016, APA launched the Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places Recognition Program Pilot. Communities that have integrated sustainability into comprehensive plans adopted or amended within the last five years submitted their plans for recognition. In recognizing the eight Comprehensive Plans, the American Planning Association stated "the honored plans incorporate principles for creating livable, healthy community in harmony with nature that have resilient economies, social equity and strong regional ties."

"Achieving 2016 APA Silver Level Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places recognizes the hard work the City of Tampa and Planning Commission staff put into the recent update of the Comprehensive Plan," said Melissa Zornitta, Executive Director of the Planning Commission. "It was a true partnership and commitment to ensure the plan embodied the vision citizens across the community shared with us in the Imagine 2040 public engagement. Now adopted, the Imagine 2040 Tampa Comprehensive Plan provides the guidebook for us collaboratively creating a city that truly is a  place people want to live, work, and play."

Reviewers noted that the plan clearly conveys data and information on adjacent communities in the county, as well as alignment with federal, state, and other regional plans. Pointing out the comprehensive coverage of the plan, including both traditional plan elements, and those less typically included (e.g., capital improvements, government, land development regulations, public schools, intergovernmental coordination legal status), the reviewers also found the elements in the plan are consistent and mutually reinforcing - highlighting how many topics cross different elements, but work together in a system. 

View the Imagine 2040: Tampa Comprehensive Plan »

Join us on November 14 for Economics of Place!
You're warmly invited to bring your own brown bag lunch and join VHB's Senior Project Manager, Transportation Planning - Brent A. Lacy, AICP and Project Manager, Urban Planning - Curtis M. Ostrodka, AICP, LEED AP, for an in-depth look at how public realm investments can create a significant return on investment by creating great places on:

Monday, November 14 @ noon - 1:00 p.m.
Plan Hillsborough Room, 18th floor, County Center

The Economics of Place explores how the built environment of great places spurs economic development and creates livable, sustainable communities through case studies from around the
country. This presentation includes implementation of:
  • Complete Streets
  • Walkable Communities
  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Art Hubs
  • Best Practices that are transferable to all communities

View the Info BBQ flyer »                   Please RSVP » 

City of Tampa prioritizes parks to better serve and add value to our community
The City of Tampa's urban parks provide benefits that include celebrating our culture, promoting health and wellness, spurring economic growth, and keeping the community safe. Going above and beyond, the Tampa Parks & Recreation Department offered free daycare services to our community when our public schools were closed during recent hurricanes Hermine and Matthew.

In September, Mayor Bob Buckhorn was honored at APA Florida's Annual Conference in Tampa as the 2016 Outstanding Local Public Official. In a recent APA blog, he explains his conscious effort to invest in parks to build healthier, safer, stronger, and more inclusive neighborhoods. Last week at the National Recreation and Park Association (NPRA) 2016 Best of the Best Ceremony, the city's Parks and Recreation Department was awarded for 2016 Excellence in Innovative Programming. The award highlighted two of NRPA's three pillars of impacting communities, Tree-Mendous Tampa Free Tree Program (Conservation) and Tampa's Stay & Play Program (Social Equity).

Link to APA Knowledge Center blog on Tampa Parks »
Zornitta guests on WMNF sustainable living panel
On September 26, our Executive Director Melissa Zornitta joined VHB's Brent Lacy and Curt Ostrodka and Forward Pinellas' Executive Director Whit Blanton as guest panelists on WMNF's Sustainable Living program.

The focus of the discussion was planning for people and earth friendly sustainable communities. Brent and Curt focused on the Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan that VHB prepared for the City of Orlando and some of their other projects. Melissa and Whit talked about their regional efforts to create better car transportation and alternative transportation (i.e., bicycle and walkable friendly roads) issues as well as the importance of complete streets, accessibility for all, and mixed use development in planning for a sustainable future.

Choose show 2016-09-26 to listen on demand »

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nondiscrimination laws, public participation is solicited without regard
to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. 
Read more about the our commitment to non-discrimination and other requirements.