SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES

1000 Friends’ Successful Communities Institute provides technical assistance underwritten by donations or a fee-for-service arrangement. We work throughout Florida on issues related to land use and environmental law, affordable housing, comprehensive planning, coastal management, greenways and other related interests.

Waterfront Revitalization Assistance Available

Coastal communities interested in revitalizing their waterfront areas are invited to apply to participate in Waterfronts Florida. This new program, designed by 1000 Friends in collaboration with the Florida Coastal Management Program and with federal funding from NOAA, will help communities accomplish this goal. Up to three communities will be selected every other year by the state to receive training, innovative technical assistance, and limited funding. The deadline for applications is April 1, and selections will be made before July 1.

To administer the program, the Waterfronts Florida Partnership has been created within 1000 Friends’ Successful Communities Institute. The Partnership will provide vital training and advocacy designed to guide selected communities as they develop and implement a vision for the future of their area. Linking economic revitalization to environmental and cultural resource protection, hazard mitigation, supporting viable traditional waterfront economies, and ensuring public access to waterfront resources are among the critical issues that will be addressed. The Partnership will also establish a statewide network of waterfront advocates so that Florida communities can learn from one another.

Waterfronts Florida activities are intended to support local revitalization efforts, not replace them. Representatives from the Partnership will be traveling through the state in the upcoming months to share information about this new program. If you would like an application or to schedule a visit, contact Alex Magee or Stacy Hopkins at (904) 222-9813.

Waterfront experts met in St. Augustine to discuss the needs of Florida’s coastal communities.

Monroe County Leadership Training

1000 Friends is expanding its Leadership Training Program to include Monroe County. With funding provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 1000 Friends again will assemble a team of motivational speakers to share information on participating more effectively in the local planning process, working with the media, and implementing the precepts of sustainability. Focused on citizen-based organizations in Monroe County, the goal will be to empower these organizations to bring about positive change in their communities. The Center for Marine Conservation will cosponsor the training, and the "Citizen Planner" concepts developed by Harrison Rue will be incorporated. The Monroe County training is tentatively scheduled for later this year. If you would like to participate, please call Jeannette Hallock at (904) 222-6277.

Gaines Street Corridor Consensus

Road projects often are one of a community’s most divisive issues. Recently, 1000 Friends of Florida helped facilitate a citizen participation process that shows much promise for resolving such difficulties.

Historic resources such as Tallahassee’s old freight station contribute to the character of the Gaines Street corridor.

Dissatisfied with transportation alternatives for the Gaines Street Corridor, the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department decided to use a consensus-building approach to determine how traffic would be handled south of downtown. They hired Genesis Group, a planning firm, to develop a charrette process to allow citizens of Tallahassee to guide the road improvements for this industrial corridor. 1000 Friends of Florida was retained to assist with the facilitation and to prepare a report on the significant historic resources in the corridor.

Planning Director Wendy Grey emphasized that the desired land uses, rather than the transportation issues, should shape the planning process. After a day-long design charette, with broad-based community input, participants reached near consensus on a plan that redevelops this industrial area while accommodating increased traffic demands and avoiding negative impact on significant historic resources. Pleased with the results of the charette, Grey noted, "This process will serve as an outstanding model to reach consensus on other road projects in our community. Planning staff is now working with major affected parties to affirm commitment to the plan."

Restoring the "Heart of Cocoa"

When it comes to redevelopment, words like bitterness and mistrust characterize the feelings of many in the City of Cocoa's predominantly minority neighborhood known as the Core Area. Scarred by decades of poor planning, this historic downtown residential district has been overrun by industrial and intensive commercial uses. Under the leadership of Mayor Mike Hall, the City hired 1000 Friends to reach out to Core Area residents and offer them increased participation in the planning process.

Save Our Neighborhood, the local grassroots organization, joined with 1000 Friends in facilitating a series of meetings. They engaged residents in helping to determine what, if any, neighborhood design improvements to incorporate into the city's redevelopment plan.

After three sometimes heated meetings, residents outlined their vision for their community: retaining and strengthening minority owned and operated businesses, eliminating incompatible industrial and commercial uses, and encouraging redevelopment efforts to focus on single-family, owner-occupied housing with neighborhood services.

While much remains to be done to bring about positive change in the Core Area, these meetings laid the foundation for a greater sense of empowerment among neighborhood residents. Of all the topics discussed, perhaps none was as significant as the adoption of a different name for their community. In a symbolic gesture that perhaps signals a new feeling in the neighborhood, residents renamed their historic neighborhood the Heart of Cocoa.