Go Gators !!!

We saw an alligator in the pond behind our house this morning. I estimate he was about 12 feet long. He swam around slowly enjoying the view, then departed. You can see him in the middle of the pond below:

Well, you can't really see him because I screwed up the photo. And OK, OK, he was not nearly that big. Probably 2 feet long. But Bigger is Better and it made a good story. The photo I took did not come out.


Go Gators!!  My wife is a Gator from the University of Florida, so she welcomes a fellow Gator to our Neighborhood in Sarasota. The photos below are from last year from one our neighbors.

Go Gators  !!

Mosaic of US State Flowrs

Click link below to see a nice presentation of our State Flowers.

State Flowers

Global Obesity

Interesting article in the Economist showing how much of the world is experiencing better nutrition and an expanding wasteline

Click to Read and View Maps

Government Regulations

Government regulations on land use are necessary, but we have to be very careful not to create a red tape nightmare. New regulations are no doubt well intended but we must balance out the value of what the regulations protect while ensuring that we don't make the process so slow and costly that it kills redevelopment.

Craig Hullinger AICP - The process described below sounds too slow and costly.
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Article from http://srqmediagroup.com/

Government Costs High for Changing Building Rules through Downtown

Jacob Ogles, Jacob.Ogles@srqmediagroup.com

A tightening of rules on how construction can be approved on South Palm Avenue may now affect other parts of downtown Sarasota. As City officials expand the area where new rules can later be applied, the costs for changes is going up rapidly.

When the City was simply planning creation of a South Palm zoning overlay district and preparing a needed change to the City's comprehensive plan, the cost of noticing affected property owners of an upcoming public hearing was set to run $524. But now that all of downtown could potentially be affected by a comprehensive plan change, that cost has skyrocketed to $3,471.

That cost covers mailing notifications of a Development Review Committee meeting to all property owners who could be impacted by a change. Like mailings will have to be done when the changes go before the Planning Board and City Commission.

But City Manager Bob Bartolotta said time and money could be saved in the long run by discussing all of downtown. Since the City Commission gave direction to move ahead on South Palm changes, other neighborhood leaders, including those in Laurel Park and near Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, have asked for similar comprehensive plan changes.

"Do you want to go though a comp plan change every time? Why do every single one separately?" Bartolotta said.

By having a comprehensive plan amendment, which can easily take nine months to a year to implement, affect all of downtown, it will save staff time and costs.

The manager noted the comprehensive plan change being considered will not necessarily restrict development. South Palm residents are also moving on a zoning overlay which will change the rules. Commissioners would still need to approve such an overlay for other neighborhoods before significant rule changes affected development.

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Wind Powered Car Journey

Wind-Powered Car Completes an Epic 5,000km Journey Across Australia

Television host Dirk Gion and engineer 

Stefan Simmerer recently completed a 

5,000 km (3,107 mile) journey in the

The Wind Explorer, a lightweight 

electric vehicle powered by electricity

generating wind turbines and kites.

Click to Read More

"Green Streets" Webinar

The US EPA will be hosting a series of webinars and workshops aimed at urban planners throughout the Midwest. The first of these will be a “Green Streets” Webinar on March 1 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30  p.m. Central time. There is no cost for this webinar, but you must be registered in advance to attend.

Also, a reminder that the 2011 Illinois APA State Section Conference will take place in Quincy March 24-25. This conference focuses on planning in downstate Illinois. The respective hotel reservation deadlines are February 24 and March 3, and the conference early registration deadline is March 18. More information about the conference is available here:

http://www.ilapa.org/ISS/Quincy_SavetheDate.pdf

And as a heads-up, the Illinois APA Statewide Conference will take place in Evanston on October 5-7.

Feel free to pass on any or all of this information to your co-workers and colleagues.

Thanks,

Nick Hayward

Region 2 Coordinator

Illinois APA

Nicholas Hayward

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission

211 Fulton St. Ste. 207

Peoria, IL 61602

P (309) 673-9796x227

F (309) 673-9802

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Hello APA Chapters located in Region 5 -

In 2011, the US EPA Region 5 office will be hosting a series of webinars and workshops aimed at urban planners throughout the region. These free, or low cost, educational sessions will focus on planning topics, such as sustainable zoning, green infrastructure, historic preservation, green buildings, and green streets. The recent HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership has presented the opportunity for increased levels of grant funding and education on the planning issues in the region.  The Region 5 office hopes to work with the APA chapters to get the word out on these educational opportunities that will focus on midwestern examples and projects.

As an upcoming educational opportunity, the US EPA Region 5 office and the Federal Highway Administration are partnering on a "green streets" webinar that is aimed at planners in IL, MI, WI, IN, OH, and MN. This free webinar will be a unique EPA-FHWA session that focuses on municipal green street efforts that support neighborhood redevelopment.

Can you please forward this webinar information to your respective email lists or newsletters and/or post on the chapter website? As additional webinars and workshops are announced, event details will be forwarded to each state chapter.

Thanks!

Jon

Jon Grosshans, AICP, LEED-AP
Community Planner
US EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.,  SM-7J
Chicago, IL  60604
Ph: 312.353.5617
Fax:  312.697.2745




GREEN STREETS as a Community Revitalization Strategy 

Webinar
Tuesday - March 1, 2011
12:00-1:30 PM Central
Register at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/968278187

Explore how Green Streets can be a sustainable stormwater management strategy that also contributes to community redevelopment. Many Midwestern cities are using ‘green street’ strategies in place of routine street rehabilitation to address stormwater, transportation, and neighborhood stabilization goals. By combining transportation choice with environmental strategies, a green street product can support redevelopment efforts from multiple stakeholder perspectives.  Attendees will see a blend of planning, engineering, and neighborhood revitalization strategies from each panelist in a case study format.

This webinar will focus on several green streets pilot projects in Lansing, MI; Toledo, OH; and Chicago, IL. From the rainwater management strategies to the materials used in the street infrastructure, there are many elements of a street rehabilitation project that can ‘go green’ to assist with sustainability objectives and neighborhood stabilization.

Webinar speakers will include:

·        David Leopold, City of Chicago, IL

·        Chad Gamble, City of Lansing, MI
·        Dan Christian, Tetra Tech
·        Patekka Bannister, City of Toledo, OH


No webinar cost, however, attendees need to reserve a webinar seat in advance at:https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/968278187

HUD, DOT, and EPA representatives will highlight the federal and state options to use agency funding to implement green streets projects in your community.

This free webinar is a Region 5 EPA & DOT program aimed at municipal staff, local officials, and technical consultants about the practical implementation of the Livability Principles that are the basis for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Shrinking Chicago

Latest census shows shrinking Chicago, growing collar counties

Feb 16, 2011 5:04AM

Chicago’s population declined by 200,418 people, a 6.9 percent drop from 2000, to 2,695,598, according to 2010 census numbers released Tuesday.

Click to read the Sun Times Story: