planhillsborough.org                                                            issue 20 | march 19
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Planning Commission  
Hillsborough  
MPO
Hillsborough River Board 
Upcoming
 Events 
THU | 03.07.19
4:00p - 7:00p
FSU DURP Urban Design for Shared Mobility studio project |
Open House @ Gauzza Public Library, 11211 Countryway Boulevard
FRI | 03.08.19
9:00a - noon
FSU DURP Urban Design for Shared Mobility studio project |
Open House @ County Center Lobby, 601 E Kennedy Boulevard
MON | 03.11.19
9:00a
Healthiest Cities Challenge National Runner Up Award |  
$50,000 grant presentation at Hillsborough MPO Board Meeting
WED | 03.27.19
11:30a - 1:00p
Join us for the Planning Commission Info BBQ |
Garden Steps is runner up in the #HealthiestCitiesChallenge

On February 12, the Hillsborough MPO's Garden Steps initiative was named as one of just eight runners up in the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. The Challenge is a collaboration between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) empowering 50 small to midsize U.S. cities and counties to make measurable, scalable improvements to public health issues in their local communities. Since its inception, $1.5 million in grants and prizes have been awarded to the 50 participating programs to support their efforts to tackle the most pressing health issues facing their communities. 

As a runner up, the Hillsborough MPO will receive a $50,000 grant to be presented at the March 11 MPO Board Meeting to continue work to improve health equity by creating community gardens with easy pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access in identified food deserts in the City of Tampa.

2018 Facts & Figures are here

Did you know that 42% of workers in Hillsborough County live outside of our county?  
 
The Facts & Figures report is a compilation of demographic and vital statistics for Hillsborough County and the cities of Plant City, Tampa, and Temple Terrace. The 2018 report highlights: Families & Housing | Health | Facts & Figures by jurisdiction | Education | Income & Employment | Economic Trends

View Facts and Figures 2018
_CommuterChallenge19 stories
#CommuterChallenge19 sparks commuting love connections
 
During the week of February 11-15, commuters were encouraged to try an old favorite or a new mode of transportation, other than driving alone, to get to work. More than half of Plan Hillsborough staff and many local commuters participated for a trip, a day, or the entire week. Since most commuters drive to work alone, the intent was to get people to try something else that could potentially change their commuting habits.
 
Planning Commission Chair Mitch Thrower took a bus and a train to get to work at the airport!
Community Planner Vishaka Shiva Raman shared rides and took the bus."I found taking the bus so much more relaxing than driving. I will use HART more often now." View more #CommuterChallenge19 stories. 
 
Thank you to our partners who participated in and promoted Commuter Challenge Week: City of Tampa | City of Temple Terrace | City of Plant City | Hillsborough County | Tampa Downtown Partnership | Westshore Alliance | Bike/Walk Tampa Bay | Walk Bike Tampa | HART | TECO Line Streetcar | PSTA Hundreds of social media posts used #CommuterChallenge19, garnered more than one million impressions on twitter alone!
 
Learn more about #CommuterChallenge19
 
land use & comprehensive planning 
 
FSU DURP student design studio project comes to Hillsborough March 7 & 8
 
The Planning Commission is proud to support the FSU Department of Urban & Regional Planning studio project to develop urban design templates and policies for shared mobility. Four context areas - from urban to rural - are being studied t o increase transportation service, accessibility, and efficiency, while integrating autonomous vehicle technology and mass transit. Study areas include: Water Street Tampa/Amalie Arena, West River Redevelopment, Citrus Park Mall, and the Keystone Park Civic Center.  
 
Drop by a design exercise Open House on March 7, 4pm - 7pm, at the Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library or on March 8, 9am - noon, in the Multi-functional room in the Lobby of County Center.
 
View flyer for more details
Next Info BBQ | Walking tour with the developers of The Pearl

Please join the Planning Commission for our March 27 Info BBQ (Brown Bag Quarterly) - a walking  tour of THE PEARL with the developers - DDA Development. We'll meet up at Armature Works - Heights Public Market -  at 1910 N Ola Avenue at 11:30a, where you can enjoy your own brown bag lunch or a tempting eatery in the food hall. Hemingway's Modern | Fresh | Cuban has graciously offered a 20% discount. Shortly after noon, we'll walk over to THE PEARL at 2110 N Ola Avenue for the tour. For more information, view (and please share) the event poster.

Tour space is limited, so kindly RSVP to Sharon no later than March 25 .
E Fowler Avenue Land Use Study gets feedback from property owners

On February 7, property owners adjacent to East Fowler Avenue were invited to provide comments on Planning Commission findings in the East Fowler Avenue Land Use Study discussing future land use options along the corridor from I-275 to the Bypass Canal just east of I-75.  Participants at the meeting included four of the largest property owners. The open house included presentations on the :
  • Strategic mission and vision statements of area anchor institutions, including the Tampa Innovation Partnership Executive Board
  • Research of comparable Innovation Districts in the U.S.
  • Current background conditions data
Study recommendations will be presented at the April Planning Commission meeting.

Try FLiP 2019!

Know a high school student who may want to explore planning as a potential career? Through a series of speakers, interactive planning activities, and tours on foot, bus, streetcar, and boat, our Future Leaders in Planning, FLiP 2019, summer student leadership development program June 4 - 7 will provide:
  • The chance to network with and learn from planning professionals in the planning and related government services fields in the public and private sectors
  • Broad exposure to planning from multiple perspectives, including: comprehensive planning, economic development, environmental, historic preservation, community redevelopment, transportation, geographic information systems, safety, education and research, and more
Applications must be submitted by April 15. Recommendations must be submitted by April 17. Learn more about the FLiP program.


 
transportation
connections & planning
 
Which way to simpler, clearer regional coordination?

Over the last 18 months, a study was conducted for the MPOs of Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties to consider whether they should merge and no longer align with counties. The report released in January ultimately did not recommend that in the short term. Rather, it pointed to a list of cooperation steps that could be fruitful with or without a tri-county MPO merger at some  point  in the future.
 
So, where does that leave us? How do we best come together on issues of mutual interest? You might also be thinking, how many regional groups are useful to have, and wh en  does an additional layer of regional coordination add confusion rather than clarity?
Celebrate Florida Bicycle Month!

We know National Bike Month is in May (and there will be bicycle events then too) but the weather is just too fabulous in March not to celebrate bicycling here right now! Florida Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to giving biking a try. Whether you bike to work or school; ride to save money or time; pump those pedals to preserve your health or the environment; or simply to explore your community, Florida Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Read the proclamation from Governor Ron DeSantis.
 
On March 1, Mayor Mel Jurado kicked off the festivities locally with the 6th Annual Bike with the Mayor event in the amazing City of Temple Terrace. Check out those new blue T-shirts! On Friday, March 8, it's Tampa's turn with Downtown's Bike to Work Ride & Rally. Our own Wade Reynolds, along with Stantec's Adam Carnegie, will be leading neighborhood Group A3 ride in from Flying Fish Bikes at 2409 S MacDill Avenue at 7:10a. All the neighborhood groups will meet up at the Rally at Lykes Gaslight Park for coffee, healthy nibbles, and more! 
      
Check out more #FloridaBicycleMonth festivities in our region


 
hillsborough river planning
 
Sea Level Rise and the Hillsborough River

The latest National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association's (NOAA) Sea Level Rise projections suggest that if just the intermediate projections are correct, we could see three feet of sea level rise by 2100. While much focus is typically on our coastal shorelines, Ms. Libby Carnahan of Florida Sea Grant and the University of Florida IFAS Extension, gave a presentation to the River Board's Technical Advisory Council on January 15 on how sea level rise will affect the Hillsborough River. She noted how the lower river is extensively developed, and in many areas, shoreline vegetation would not have an opportunity to migrate to higher elevations due to this development. Shoreline parks would be impacted first at high tides, as they exist at lower elevations than many built properties along the river.



 
plan hillsborough meetings & events
 
 
Save the date and plan to join us for these upcoming events:
Safe Routes to School National Conference & Gulf Coast Safe Streets Summit teaming up in Tampa November 2019


 
plan hillsborough in the news

 
Please note: Only news that was captured online and could be linked to is reflected here.
Some broadcasts were not subsequently posted online by the respective news station,
including but not limited to some BayNews9 and Telemundo broadcasts.

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