Much progress is being made as the region implements the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision.

It has been a busy two years since 20,000 residents shared their thoughts on what matters most to Central Floridians by answering the question “How Shall We Grow?”

The unveiling of the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision in August 2007 was just the beginning of the story. Since that time, leaders from cities, counties, regional organizations and private businesses from across the seven-county region (Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia) have been working to turn the vision into reality.

Many said that changing how leaders made decisions related to growth could be done only through regulations and government mandates. Armed only with the power of good ideas, however, elected officials and municipal staffs have taken the lead in moving forward growth practices that are advancing a shared vision for the future.

The Regional Growth Vision is focused around the themes — known as the 4Cs — of conservation, countryside, centers and corridors. Through a series of guiding principles, it maps out a future for Central Florida where the region maintains its valuable environmental resources and open space by encouraging future population growth in existing or new town and city centers that are connected by a series of multimodal transportation corridors.

More than 60 percent of the 93 municipalities in the region have communicated that they are addressing issues related to these themes and principles.

Here are just a few highlights:

• Among the first locales to embrace the regional vision was the City of Tavares in Lake County. Under the guidance of Mayor Nancy Clutts and the city council, Tavares recognized the value of the regional vision and used the concept to create its own vision for how officials wanted Tavares to grow. Following a series of community meetings, Tavares formulated a city vision and has been aggressively working to ensure its fulfillment. In October 2008, the city council approved a new Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan. The plan provides strategies, with a clear implementation timetable, that addresses land use, design, circulation and connectivity, public facilities, the environment and economic development. It promotes mixed-use development, envisioning an urban core where people can live, work, shop and be entertained all within a short walking distance.
• With assistance from the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Seminole County and its seven cities are aggressively using the regional vision as a guide for how they will grow in the future. In December 2008, Seminole County adopted a new Comprehensive Plan based on the County’s current Evaluation and Appraisal Report. This updated plan incorporates numerous plan policies that are consistent with and further the 4Cs of the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision.
• The Central Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Alliance and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) are using the vision as a guide as they adopt their 2030 long-range transportation plans. The five MPOs in the Alliance, along with FDOT, are developing an integrated strategy that looks at future transportation needs and plans across the entire seven-county region.
• Overall, more than 90 cities, counties, regional organizations and governments have reported using elements consistent with the regional vision in their programs, projects and plans. Nearly 50 of them showed off their efforts during the Regional Showcase at the How Shall We Grow? Anniversary Forum, held last month.

It is clear that while there is still much work left to be done to ensure a future where conservation, countryside, centers and corridors are the key themes for growth across Central Florida, much has already been done — and the region is headed in the right direction.