September 2017 – Four Plan Hillsborough staff members will be on the dais presenting for the Planning Commission at the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association’s (APA) annual Planning Conference, September 5-8 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

APA will be showcasing some of the Comprehensive Plans recognized by the American Planning Association’s Sustaining Places pilot program. Group Leader for the Planning Policy and Review Team Tony Garcia, AICP and Temple Terrace Liaison Principal Planner Tony LaColla, AICP will be part of a panel titled Sustaining Places with Comprehensive Plans.  Temple Terrace was recognized with the first and only Gold Level commendation; Tampa was recognized with a Silver Level honor.  APA’s Sustaining Places Initiative is designed to build the capacity of local jurisdictions to integrate sustainability into their comprehensive plans. Participants will gain an overview of the initiative and then take a deep dive into its resource toolkit, which can be used to evaluate an existing plan and help local communities think about how to build sustainability into each element of their comprehensive plans.

Executive Director Melissa Zornitta, AICP will speak in a session titled De-Mystifying the Economics of Planning. The session will review how planners are increasingly being asked to examine the economic and fiscal impacts of plans, policies, and projects.  The panel will explore market trends and economic analyses and how to best utilize them in the planning process to help make projects successful.

Senior Planner Melissa Dickens, AICP will present on two panels. Her first session is titled Growing with the Flow: Planning for Water Needs. This session will focus on water supply planning efforts at the state, regional, and local levels, and incorporating water supply planning initiatives into local government comprehensive plans to meet statutory requirements. Her second panel is titled Literally Walking the Walk: How Planners Can Lead by Example through Commuting Option Campaigns. This session will examine planner-led workplace campaigns that encourage staff to try commuting options other than single-occupancy vehicles as was implemented for our inaugural Plan Hillsborough Commuter Challenge Week in March earlier this year.