East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative Celebrates 1st Anniversary

Marking the first anniversary of its signing ceremony of the East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative, known as R2C, includes 36 partners and six technical advisory committees, listed below:
 

  • Regional Risk & Vulnerability
  • Regional Greenhouse Gas Inventory
  • Infrastructure Assessment- Green, Grey and Blue
  • Economic Resilience
  • Equity
  • Engagement & Academy


The R2C mission statement: To empower the communities in East Central Florida to advance resilience strategies for the region that strengthen and protect the built infrastructure and natural environment, enhance health and equity and ensure a thriving economy, has guided work over the last year. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Inventory Technical Advisory Committee is working to decrease the region’s carbon footprint. This 15-member committee, in partnership with the East Central Florida RPC, developed a consistent approach and established baseline years of 2015 and 2018 for a regionwide inventory measuring waste, transportation and energy datasets. To fund the inventory and related work, the R2C secured a Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) grant and strengthened partnerships with the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund of Florida and Audubon Florida. The Nature Conservancy provided seed funding and Audubon Florida, whose established goals align with the R2C, provided a combined investment of $50,000. The R2C also partnered with Audubon, Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI), and academic institutions to expand the capacity and capabilities of local government partners. This partnership provides an opportunity for our municipalities to understand operation emissions in east central Florida. Members of the collaborative will be able to take advantage of this cohort opportunity.
 
In addition, the East Central Florida RPC secured grant awards from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and FDEO to further advance the collaboration and work of the R2C across the region, including the creation of a Strategic Action Plan. We are also excited to announce our first annual summit to occur in late spring of 2021.Text ink
Central Florida RPC Partners with
Polk County on Housing Plan
The Polk County Housing and Neighborhood Development Department has partnered with the Central Florida RRPC to update the county’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan and One Year Action Plan as required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The 5-Year Consolidated Plan details how the county, and its 10 municipal partners, will spend their Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funds during the next five years. The plan includes a needs assessment, a market analysis, a strategic plan, and the one-year action plan.
 
Community involvement, a keystone of this effort, has become more challenging during the pandemic. It is vital to find out what people in very low, low, and low-moderate income areas actually need. The Central Florida RPC conducted three virtual meetings as well as three in-person meetings around the county. Additionally, a survey was distributed widely in Spanish and English. Paper copies of the survey were delivered to housing authorities, community centers and other community groups as well as being available online. 
 
The Central Florida RPC also completed the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing for Polk County as a part of the final report to HUD. The Analysis of Impediments included surveying the community about fair housing issues as well as educating residents on the importance of fair housing.
 
The Central Florida RPC and the Polk County Housing and Neighborhood Development Department will use the information learned from the community meetings and surveys to help families and individuals have safe, affordable housing as well as to guide neighborhood improvements and help for homeless and special needs persons.
Treasure Coast RPC Assists with
Southern Grove Master Plan
In June of 2018, the City of Port St. Lucie acquired approximately 1,200 acres of vacant land within the Southern Grove Development of Regional Impact along the west side of I-95 between Tradition Parkway and Becker Road. Along with the property, the city inherited substantial infrastructure bond debt and a program of development entitlements and planning that did not align with current market conditions nor the city’s goal of creating a “Jobs Corridor” on the site. In October of 2019, the city engaged the Treasure Coast RPC to create an updated land development and infrastructure master plan for the property.
 
The Treasure Coast RPC embarked on an extensive process of obtaining public and business input, market analysis, assembly and analysis of all relevant financial data, comparison with competitive locations, and exploration of past and potential property disposition strategies. This process including conducting the council’s first virtual design studio due to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the need to consider potential economic impacts of the pandemic and account for the city’s great success in attracting significant industrial and distribution property buyers to the site while the study was still underway.
 
The key components of the plan are:

  • Land Development Master Plan with three districts: Bio/Health and Workplace Districts (within the Southern Grove property) and a Town Center District (in the Tradition DRI);
  • Assignment of three distinctive Land Use Types: Employment Center, Lifestyle/ Commercial and Mixed-Use;
  • Revised Development Entitlements to better reflect updated market conditions with increased workplace, office, and residential and decreased retail quantities
  • Master Stormwater System with interconnected lakes that addresses upstream challenges, maximizes best on-site soil conditions, and increases net developable area;
  • Multi-modal Transportation Network with primary, secondary, and local roads; freight truck route separated from non-freight traffic; transit stops; and an alignment for the shared-use Tradition Trail;
  • Water and Sewer Infrastructure Improvements that provide sufficient capacities for anticipated development;
  • Infrastructure Cost Estimates for the infrastructure components identified in the plan, along with an analysis tool to use when evaluating incentives against the estimated yield for each land sale;
  • Gateway Branding Feature Locations along I-95, Becker Road, and Village Parkway;
  • Illustrative Development Scenarios with diagrams showing recommended building programs, urban character, roadway frontages, parking locations, and transitions between uses; and,
  • Recommended Design Standards that address densities and intensities of development, site design and building placement, building heights and features, parking and landscaping locations, architectural amenities, lighting, and signage
  • A list of recommended planning, policy, and financial actions to implement the Master Plan.
 
The plan was adopted by the city and Treasure Coast RPC is working on implementation steps as projects to develop in Southern Grove continue to be submitted.