Coming in July, Essex County Smart Growth Guidebook
In July, we will be releasing a new publication The Essex County Smart Growth Guidebook. The guidebook will document projects that demonstrate how the County’s natural, cultural and historic heritage can be preserved and enhanced using smart growth tools and strategies. Projects were selected to include geographic diversity, a mix of rural, suburban and urban projects, and a range of smart growth and preservation techniques. The guidebook will provide on-the-ground, local success stories that can encourage and instruct other communities to undertake similar projects. The goal of this project is to further the protection, preservation, and restoration of our communities’ natural, cultural, and historic resources. A previous publication , Preserving the Future: a Guide for Creating a Municipal Open Space Inventory is available at http://www.essexcountyforum.org/documents/PreservingFutureGuidebook05.pdf
Susan Jones Moses and Essex County Greenbelt receive Gulf of Maine Visionary Award
The Gulf of Maine Visionary Awards recognize the contributions of people working to improve the health and future well being of the Gulf of Maine. Innovative and highly committed, these "visionaries" have spent years making the Gulf a better place. Each year, the Gulf of Maine Council gives two visionary awards to individuals or organizations in each state and province bordering the Gulf. Read the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs press release at http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/pressreleases/061407_gulfofmaine_awards.pdf.
Technical Assistance from the Smart Growth Circuit Rider
Governor Patrick has announced changes to the Commonwealth Capital Program for Fiscal Year 2008. The Essex County Forum Circuit Rider is available to help Essex County communities with their applications. Read the letter from Governor Patrick here: http://www.mass.gov/Agov3/docs/smart_growth/commcap_governors_letter.doc
Be proactive! Be prepared! While the real estate market is down and development is slow, take the opportunity to review and update your zoning bylaws to include smart growth tools. Don’t wait until the next development wave to think about updating your bylaws! To discuss smart growth tools and evaluate which tools might make sense for your community, call Susan Jones Moses, Smart Growth Circuit Rider, at 978-340-0407 for technical assistance and professional planning advice.
Workshop Presentations
Each year we offer a series of workshops on timelt smart growth topics. our workshops are free and open to the public. We seek to reach the broadest audience possible. To date we have covered affordable housing, land conservation, model zoning bylaws, low impact development, and historic preservation to name a few. If you missed a workshop and would like to learn more, please visit Past Workshops
|
Ravenswood Park,
Gloucester
Hepatica, Bald Hill Reservation,
Boxford
Birdsfoot Trefoil, Appleton Farms, Ipswich
Cedar Pond Wildlife Sanctuary,
Wenham
|
