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WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF COASTLINE.
AND WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BUFORD COUNTY TODAY WITH ROB MERCHANT.
HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING HERE FOR BUFORD COUNTY.
AND, UM, MY GOODNESS, YOU'RE ABOUT READY TO TAKE A VACATION, I THINK BECAUSE YOU JUST COMPLETED THIS 200 PAGE BOOKLET ON THE 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
AND, UM, I'VE GOT TO SAY RIGHT OFF THE BAT, THIS IS AN AMAZING PIECE OF WORK.
YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND ALL YOUR VOLUNTEERS HAVE COME UP WITH.
UM, IT TAKES A LOOK AT, UH, UH, THE PROJECTIONS FOR THIS COUNTY AND I GUESS THIS IS A STATE MANDATED, UH, DOCUMENT.
UM, BUT IT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN ONE THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY SHOWN A LOT OF THOUGHT AND, AND SWEAT EQUITY PUT INTO IT.
AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF PLAN BECAUSE THIS IS A SUBJECT VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO ME.
UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ASKED ABOUT WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, ESSENTIALLY? IT IS, I WOULD SAY A VERY DETAILED VISION STATEMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND I, I LOOK AT B FOR COUNTY AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, DIVERSITY.
WE DON'T AGREE ON EVERYTHING, BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU, YOU KNOW, PULLED A GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, CROSS SECTION OF A BEAVER COUNTY, YOU WOULD FIND THAT THEY ALL LOVE OUR COUNTY.
THEY, THEY REALLY TREASURE THIS PLACE.
AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS MEANT TO DO IS TO IDENTIFY WHAT IT IS THAT WE, WE TREASURE ABOUT OUR COUNTY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT YOU WOULD FIND COMMON THEMES.
WE LOVE THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
UM, WE WOULD ALL AGREE ON THERE'S THINGS THAT WE COULD IMPROVE ABOUT THE COUNTY AND REALLY WHAT THE CONFERENCE OF PLAN IS SUPPOSED TO DO IS LOOK AT THOSE THINGS, THE THINGS WE TREASURE AND IN LIGHT OF AN EVER-CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ACTIONS, WHAT WITH POLICIES DO WE NEED TO MAKE TO KIND OF CHART OUR WAY INTO THE FUTURE? WELL, IT WAS NICE TO SEE THAT IN A COUNTY WHOSE POPULATION IS ALMOST, OR EXCEEDING 200,000, THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO SECURE 1400 PEOPLE.
AND YOU AND I WERE SPEAKING BEFORE WE STARTED TAPING, UM, THAT OFTENTIMES, UM, WHEN YOU ARE SEEKING INPUT FROM PEOPLE ON A DOCUMENT AND A PLAN LIKE THIS, UH, YOU TEND TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE FREE TIME ON THEIR HANDS.
THEY'RE EITHER RETIRED OR, UH, THEY'RE NOT YOUR, UH, YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORKING PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO RAISE A FAMILY.
UH, AND SO IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT YOU WENT BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF JUST ONE SEGMENT OF THE SOCIETY AND THE PURPOSE TO REACH OUT TO VARIOUS, UH, LOCAL, UH, COMMUNITIES WITHIN BUFORD COUNTY IN, UH, GOING THROUGH A WIDE SWATH OF DEMOGRAPHICS.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE ADDED CHALLENGE THIS TIME WITH THE PANDEMIC.
YOU KNOW, WE LITERALLY KICKED OFF THIS PROCESS IN MARCH OF 20, 22 WEEKS PRIOR TO EVERYTHING SHUTTING DOWN.
AND SO OVER THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 2020, WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH OUR CONSULTANT DESIGN WORKSHOP TO, UM, DO A SERIES OF ONLINE ENGAGEMENTS.
AND WE GOT REALLY GOOD INPUTS.
AND, AND A LOT OF, IF YOU LOOK AT RAW NUMBERS, A LOT OF INPUT, YOU KNOW, FROM RESIDENTS, BUT WE REALIZED THAT IT REALLY DIDN'T REPRESENT A CROSS SECTION OF BEAVER COUNTY.
AND SO WE MADE AN EFFORT IN THE FALL, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF, YOU KNOW, THE PANDEMIC.
WE HAD A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE MORE OF AN OPEN HOUSE FORMAT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT PEOPLE COULD DROP IN, WE WOULDN'T HAVE LARGE NUMBERS AT ANY ONE TIME.
AND THEN ALSO, EVEN AFTER WE HAD A DRAFT PLAN READY IN APRIL OF 2021, WE REALIZED THAT WE STILL NEEDED TO GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, THAT, UM, AND SO WE, WE KIND OF CHANGED COURSE AND HAD ANOTHER SERIES OF MEETINGS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF ALL RESIDENTS.
ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENT YOU WENT TO ABOUT 50 LOCALES, AND THEN YOU HAD ACTUALLY 12 DIFFERENT WAYS OF COMMUNICATING THIS INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.
SO I THINK YOU'VE DONE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE.
AND YOU'RE NOW AT THE POINT WHERE I GUESS COUNTY COUNCIL WILL BE PRESENTED THIS REPORT AND WILL BE ASKED TO VOTE ON IT.
THERE WILL BE THREE READINGS, AND THEN HOPEFULLY, UM, THEY'LL GO AHEAD AND ACCEPT IT AS, AS IT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED.
WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS BECAUSE, UM, AS I LOOKED IT OVER,
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UH, I SAW THAT THERE WERE REALLY THREE MAIN THEMES THAT YOU OUTLINED AND THAT THE DOCUMENT ACTUALLY INTERFACES WITH TWO OTHER DOCUMENTS.SO LET'S FIRST TALK ABOUT, UM, HOW THIS BUFORD COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH YOU'VE CALLED ENVISIONED BUFORD COUNTY.
AND IT'S LOOKING AHEAD FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS AT WHAT, UM, YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED AS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN CERTAIN DESIRED GOALS, UH, WITHIN THE COUNTY.
WHAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE PLACE WITH TWO OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT INTERFACE WITH THIS ARE THE BUFORD COUNTY ATLAS AND THE BUFORD COUNTY GREEN IS A GREENSCAPE GREENPRINT GREENPRINT.
TELL ME ABOUT THOSE OTHER DOCUMENTS AND HOW THEY WORK WITH THIS, WITH THIS ONE.
WELL IT, TYPICAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
UM, YOU HAVE THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION, SO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THE CHAPTERS, NATURAL RESOURCES YOU'LL HAVE A LOT OF BACKGROUND DATA AND NUMBERS AND CHARTS IN, THEN THAT LEADS TO A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
WHAT WE'VE ATTEMPTED TO DO THIS TIME, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, OUR EXISTING PLAN, WHICH WAS ADOPTED IN 2010 IS VERY THICK.
IT'S A VERY LARGE DOCUMENT, AND WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE THIS A LOT MORE LOT EASIER TO READ, YOU KNOW, JUST FOR, FOR THE DECISION MAKERS AND ALSO FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
SO WE HAVE, RATHER THAN HAVING ALL THAT INFORMATION IN ONE DOCUMENT, WE'VE TAKEN ALL THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND WE CALL IT THE BEAVER COUNTY ATLAS.
AND SO IT'S PRESENTED IN A WAY, HOPEFULLY THAT IS FUN TO READ, YOU KNOW, WITH A LOT OF CHARTS AND PICTURES AND, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY PRESENTING, YOU KNOW, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS, THE, UM, THE CULTURE OF THE AREA, THE HISTORY, ALL OF THAT IN ONE DOCUMENT.
SO WHEN YOU GET TO THE ACTUAL PLAN ITSELF, EACH CHAPTER STARTS WITH A, UM, SUMMARY, WHICH W YOU KNOW, BACKGROUNDS, OR, OR I THINK WE BELIEVE WE CALL IT CONTEXT WHERE WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A PAGE SUMMARIZING, THIS IS THE, THIS IS WHAT THE DATA SAYS.
LET'S SAY ABOUT NATURAL RESOURCES.
YOU KNOW, THEREFORE WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING, YOU KNOW, UH, POLICIES AND ACTIONS.
SO IT'S TAKES ALL THAT'S IN THE ATLAS SUMMARIZES AND IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHES INTO THE RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH WE'RE HOPING WILL MAKE IT A MUCH EASIER.
IF YOU WANT TO READ WHAT THE ISSUES ARE WITH NATURAL RESOURCES, YOU GET A GOOD SUMMARY JUST WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, THAT SYNOPSIS, YOU ANTICIPATE THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WOULD BE FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, BUFORD COUNTY'S BIBLE, WHAT THEY WILL KIND OF USE AS THEIR GUIDE GOING FORWARD.
WELL, I GUESS I, UM, I HESITATE BECAUSE WE, WE LOOK AT A, UM, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT IN, IN NO POINT IN TIME, COULD WE, DO WE HAVE CLEAR VISION, YOU KNOW, TO LOOK 20 YEARS IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE HOPE THAT IT COULD BE A FRAMEWORK, YOU KNOW, THAT FOR DECISION-MAKING, UM, THAT IT, IT OUTLINES ACTIONS AND PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO KIND OF RECKON WITH.
AND WE MAY CHANGE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ALWAYS CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE WE CHANGE COURSE, BUT THE WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PLAN.
YEAH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THOUGHTS THAT OCCURRED TO ME IS SO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, A COUNCIL RIGHT NOW, AND A VARIETY OF STAFF MEMBERS THAT ARE GOING TO GIVE THEIR IMPRIMATUR ON THIS AND IMPRIMATUR ON THIS.
AND, UH, WHAT HAPPENS, SAY FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD WHEN YOU'VE GOT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT COUNCIL, PERHAPS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, UH, UH, CAN NOW SAY I'VE DONE MY JOB, I'M GOING TO RETIRE.
AND SOMEBODY ELSE COMES IN AND TAKES YOUR SPOT AND HAS A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE SHOULD GO.
IS THAT AT RISK OF CHANGING THIS, OR IS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE DEALT WITH 1400 PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY WHO SAID, THIS IS HOW WE SEE BUFORD GOING FORWARD, AND IT'S GOING TO PRETTY MUCH STAY THAT WAY WITH JUST MINOR TWEAKS.
WELL, I THINK THAT THE DOCUMENT, OBVIOUSLY CONFERENCE A PLANS ARE NOT SET IN STONE OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, AND THEY COULD BE AMENDED, BUT IT THAT YOU HAVE IN WRITING, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU BELIEVE ARE THE SALIENT ISSUES AND POLICIES THAT THE COUNTY SHOULD TAKE.
AND SO IF YOU DO HAVE A CHANGE OF PERSONNEL OR A CHANGE OF COUNSEL, YOU STILL HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN PLACE.
AND IF IT IS THEIR WISH THAT, YOU KNOW, CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED, AND WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY FOCUS ON GROWING IN THIS AREA, WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO PRESERVE, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING RADICALLY DIFFERENT.
IT REQUIRES A PUBLIC PROCESS TO DO THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE COMPETENCE OF PLANNING PROCESS IN AND OF ITSELF IS KIND OF SET UP TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC, JUST AS THE PASSING OF THIS DOCUMENT, MAJOR AMENDMENTS TO, IT WOULD PROBABLY REQUIRE
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A PUBLIC HEARING THEN YES, I GOT YOU.NOW I SAID, THIS THING IS DIVIDED INTO THREE MAJOR THEMES.
THE THEMES ARE RESILIENCE, EQUITY, AND UNIQUENESS TO PLACE.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THOSE THREE THEMES.
WELL, THESE REALLY, UM, THESE ISSUES ARE NOT NEW TO BE FOR COUNTY, BUT I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT IS, UM, WHAT ARE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS ARE KIND OF COMMON THEMES THAT WE HAVE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS IS WE'VE TAKEN A LOT MORE, UH, WE'VE LOOKED MUCH MORE CAREFULLY INTO THE ISSUE OF SEA LEVEL RISE, CLIMATE CHANGE IN LIGHT OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A VERY ACTIVE STORM SEASON FOR MAYBE FIVE YEARS IN A ROW.
UM, AND SO OUR PLAN REALLY TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COUNTY TO BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO THE IMPACTS OF WHETHER IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE OR EVEN JUST STORM WITH THAT.
I NOTICED THAT WITHIN THE SEVEN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES IN THIS PLAN, UH, WHICH INCLUDED NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC CULTURE, ECONOMY, MOBILITY, HOUSING FACILITIES, AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT, EACH ONE OF THOSE SEEM TO HAVE A, UH, AN UNDERLYING THEME OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND, AND POTENTIAL, UM, CHANGE WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT.
AND SO WE REALLY, UM, ONE THING WE WANT TO FOCUS ON IS THE MORE WE KNOW THE MORE INFORMATION WE CAN GATHER AND UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE THREATS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SITUATION IN THE FUTURE, THE BETTER POSITION WE CAN BE.
AND SO A LOT OF OUR POLICIES WITH RESPECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WORK ON INFORMATION GATHERING WE'RE, WE'RE, UM, TAKING INITIATIVES NOW TO HAVE MORE LOCAL TIDES DATA, UM, GATHERED RIGHT NOW, WE RELY ON INFORMATION FROM, UH, SAVANNAH AND CHARLESTON, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE IMPACT ON GROUNDWATER.
SO IT'S SORT OF KNOWING, KNOWING WHAT THREAD IS, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO JUST BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO TAKE ACTION.
HAVE YOU BEEN QUANTIFIED ACTUAL SEA LEVEL RISE HERE IN BUFORD COUNTY? WELL, WE'VE LOOKED AT MODELS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT TRAJECTORIES INTO THE FUTURE, BASED ON THERE'S A LOT OF STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS ABOUT THE, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW QUICKLY, UH, C-LEVEL COULD CHANGE, BUT WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT.
AND, AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS LOOK AT A PLANNING HORIZON OF 30 YEARS, WHETHER THAT'S THE LIFE OF A MORTGAGE OR 60 YEARS, WHETHER THAT'S THE LIFE OF A PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, AND THEN BEGAN TO LOOK AT WHAT DECISIONS CAN WE MAKE NOW, YOU KNOW, ARE WE MAKING DECISIONS NOW THAT MIGHT NOT BE SUSTAINABLE IN THE NEXT 30 OR 50 YEARS? AND MAYBE WE'LL AUTOMATE, WE HAD TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE FOCUS OF, OF THAT IS.
WE REALLY TRY, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT WE TRY NOT TO APPROACH THIS IN THE SKY.
YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THE ISSUE IS, IS ADDRESSED ALMOST AS A DOOMSDAY SCENARIO, BUT WE LOOK IT AT AS WHAT DO WE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCED IN FLOODING AND WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF THAT HAPPENED MORE FREQUENTLY AND WHAT STEPS WOULD WE NEED TO TAKE? AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A MUCH MORE, YOU KNOW, I GUESS A, A LEVEL WAY OF LOOKING AT IT TO, TO BETTER PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE, RATHER THAN HAVING THIS DIS DOOM STAY MESSAGE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES CAN HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAD IS BECAUSE YOU, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT GLOBALLY, UH, THE, THE SEA LEVEL RISE HAS ONLY BEEN ABOUT EIGHT INCHES OVER THE LAST, WELL, SINCE THE 1880S, ADMITTEDLY HALF OF THAT WAS IN THE LAST, UM, PROBABLY 25 YEARS.
UM, BUT IF YOU REACT ACCORDINGLY AND YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE, UH, CHANGE SETBACKS FROM 20 FEET TO 50 FEET, WHICH WAS DONE AT SOME POINT IN THE HISTORY IN BUFORD COUNTY'S HISTORY, UM, THAT'S A PRETTY MAJOR, UH, CHANGE TO, UH, ADDRESS SOMETHING SO MINOR, DON'T YOU THINK? WELL THEN, YEAH, BUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE PROJECTIONS IN THE FUTURE, UM, A LINEAR PROJECTION FROM THE PAST IS THE MOST CONSERVATIVE OF THEM.
MOST OF THEM ARE SHOWING ARE, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE INCREASING RATES OF RISE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON IS THAT, AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE COUNTY AND THEN BEGIN TO MAKE DECISIONS.
BUT TO ME, THAT'S WHY THE EMPHASIS ON THE BEGINNING IS, IS THE INFORMATION GATHERING, HOW MUCH COULD WE LEARN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND REALLY IT'S HOW IT AFFECTS BUFORD COUNTY AND THEN TAKE THE RIGHT ACTIONS RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, SAY, OH, WE NEED TO DO THIS OR THAT.
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THING THAT WE LEARNED IS THAT A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING, UM, IF YOU LOOKED AT A CLIMATE CHANGE, RESILIENCE TOOLBOX, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THOSE THINGS ALREADY, WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD LAND PRESERVATION PROGRAM.WE HAVE GOOD STORM WATER STANDARDS FOR STORM WATER MANAGEMENT STANDARDS.
WE DO REQUIRE BUFFERS ALONG OUR WATERWAYS.
SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE TALKING ABOUT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THEM YES.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THIS PAST WEEK WHEN THE GARVEY'S CORNER GOT FLOODED.
UH, UM, W I WOULD SAY WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB IN BUFORD COUNTY.
HAVING SPENT SOME TIME IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON AND SIMILAR DAY LUGES, UH, WHERE IT'S LIKE UP TO YOUR WAIST.
AND, UH, SO WE W YOU OUGHT TO BE APPLAUDED FOR THAT.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND, UM, THIS OTHER CONCEPT, UH, THAT IS CALLED UNIQUENESS TO PLACE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BREAK, AND THEN WE'LL HIT THOSE SUBJECTS.
WE ARE TALKING TO ROB MERCHANT, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUFORD COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT.
AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE BUFORD COUNTY, 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THINGS LIKE THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL.
UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE OF ALL INCOME LEVELS CAN USE AND ENJOY, AND IT REALLY BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER.
AND I, AND I SEE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE OF AND BE FOR COUNTY AS BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO ENJOY THE COUNTY AND, AND THRIVE HERE, INSTEAD OF THAT'S A, YEAH.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD EQUITY, SOMETIMES YOU WORRY A LITTLE BIT THAT, UM, THERE MAY BE ONE UPPER ECONOMIC GROUP THAT MAY BE, UH, FUNDING, UH, THE BENEFITS OF ANOTHER ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH HIGHER TAXES, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, IS IT? YEAH.
I THINK IT'S LOOKING AT ALL THAT WE DO AS A COUNTY THROUGH THE LENS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO IS THIS BENEFITING, UM, YOU KNOW, AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT IS ALSO LOOKING KIND OF AT OUR ACTIONS AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S, WE ARE INADVERTENTLY DISADVANTAGING ONE GROUP OVER ANOTHER.
UM, AND SO THAT JUST IS BECOME A THEME.
I THINK THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF BEAVER COUNTY, BUT NOW IT'S SORT OF, YOU KNOW, WE REALIZED THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, BE SOMETHING THAT WE THINK ABOUT IN ALL OUR OR ACTIONS AND POLICIES.
AND THEN THIS, UH, UNIQUENESS TO PLACE, I GUESS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GREAT LOW COUNTRY LIFE, RIGHT? YES.
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN CRITICIZED IN THE PAST.
WE TOOK A BOLD MOVE, I WOULD SAY IN THE NINETIES, UM, WHEN THE COUNTY ADOPTED ITS FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
AND WHEN WE ADOPTED OUR, UM, AT THAT TIME, OUR ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS ORDINANCE, WE REALLY TOOK A BROAD STEP TO, UM, TARGETS CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COUNTY FOR MORE DENSE DEVELOPMENT AND ALLOW OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTY TO REMAIN RURAL.
THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T IN THAT DOCUMENT SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF THOSE DEVELOPMENTS? YOU KNOW, WE SAID, WE'RE WHERE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD OCCUR.
AND WHAT THIS, THIS CONCEPT OF UNIQUENESS TO PLACE LOOKS AT IS, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY WHERE WE GROW, BUT HOW WE WANT OUR FUTURE TO BE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO PROMOTE WALKABILITY, UM, TO, TO PROMOTE, YOU KNOW, UM, I GUESS, UH, DEVELOPMENT THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OUR HISTORIC CHARACTER AND, YOU KNOW, UH, I GUESS KIND OF A BROAD TERM, LOW COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, AND LOW COUNTRY WAY OF LIFE.
AND SO MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERYTHING FROM HOW WE BUILD AS A COUNTY, WHEN WE'RE SITING FUTURE FACILITIES, OR WHEN WE'RE REVIEWING DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WHAT KIND OF PLACES WE'RE CREATING.
AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THIS PLAN, WHICH INCLUDE, UH, THE, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, UM, THE CULTURE, UM, THE, UM,
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UH, HELP ME OUT HERE, WHAT WERE THE OTHER ONES THAT, UH, COMPRISE THIS HOUSING, UM, AND, UM, UM, FACILITIES AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT.UM, AND I NOTICED THAT THESE WEREN'T LISTED ALPHABETICALLY.
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON YOU PUT THEM IN THE ORDER THAT YOU WERE, DID YOU SEE THAT NATURAL ENVIRONMENT WAS AT THE TOP OF A HIERARCHY? WELL, YEAH, I WOULD SAY YES AND NO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ASKED ME THAT QUESTION, IT WAS LIKE, OH, WAIT A SECOND.
WHY ARE THEY IN THAT ORDER? BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, PLANNING FOR THE COUNTY, IT MAKES SENSE TO START WITH THOSE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND LOOKING AT WHAT AREAS YOU WANT TO PRESERVE, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT AREAS REALLY APPROPRIATE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN A LOT OF TIMES IN THE PLANNING PROCESS, THAT'S THE FIRST STEP.
AND SO WE'VE STARTED OUT WITH THOSE TYPES OF QUALITIES, UM, IN THE MIDDLE THERE, WE HAVE THE ECONOMY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF BUILDING ON OTHER ASPECTS OF, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING IN THE COUNTY.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TOWARD THE END, IT'S SORT OF LIKE ALL OF THESE THINGS KIND OF, UM, PROVIDE THE BACKGROUND FOR THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, WHICH IS IN THAT SECTION ABOUT, I, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED D UH, YEAH, SO THERE THERE'S THIS, UM, SUMMATION OR KIND OF A, WHAT I CALLED IT, UH, WAS A MANAGEMENT, A EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IF YOU WILL, BUT, UH, YOU ACTUALLY CALL IT, UM, I WROTE IT DOWN HERE SOMEWHERE, BUT, UH, ANYWAY, LET ME BRING IT UP HERE.
UH, UNIQUE TO PLACE, BUT, UM, YEAH, IT, AND OF COURSE, UH, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD ALL AGREE ON IS THAT THE CROWN JUUL OF BUFORD COUNTY IS PROBABLY OUR WATER.
AND, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT MY WIFE AND I MOVED HERE.
IT'S ANOTHER REASON THAT I'M SURE MANY PEOPLE RETIRE HERE IS THE BEAUTIFUL, UH, WATER RESOURCES THAT ARE ALL AROUND US THAT WE WANT TO PRESERVE.
AND OF COURSE YOU ARE FACED WITH A BIT OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BALANCE MAINTAINING THIS PRISTINE, UH, ECHO SYSTEM WITH, UH, TRYING TO MAINTAIN FINANCIAL STABILITY THROUGH AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, UH, DEAL WITH THE FACTS OF LIFE OF BUFORD COUNTY, THAT WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASING INCOME, UH, ARRIVAL OF RETIREES, THE ONGOING TOURISM, UH, BUSINESS.
SO YOU'RE KIND OF LIKE ONE OF THESE CHINESE, UH, UH, GUYS WITH THE PLATES THAT ARE TRYING TO JUGGLE A LOT OF THINGS, RIGHT? YEAH.
WELL, I GUESS THAT'S ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
YOU KNOW, WE REALLY SEE OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE IN A WAY IS AN ECONOMIC DRIVER.
AND SO RECOGNIZING THAT, YOU KNOW, PLACES A LOT MORE IMPORTANT, IT'S NOT ICING ON THE CAKE, IT'S REALLY WHAT DRAWS PEOPLE HERE.
AND SO IF WE, UM, GETS TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN NO LONGER HARVEST OYSTERS OR LOCAL WATERS OR SEA SHRIMP BOATS, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED NOW, THOSE THINGS MAY EVENTUALLY START TO ERODE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UM, ATTRACTIVENESS OF THIS PLACE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IS SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE'RE WE'RE PLANNING.
AND I WOULD SAY A LOT OF OUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN, HOW DO WE MAKE THAT BALANCE? AND SO PART OF IT HAS BEEN THROUGH REALLY TAKING A CAREFUL LOOK AT, UM, STORMWATER RUNOFF.
THAT'S A LOT OF EFFORT HAS BEEN PUT INTO THAT.
AND IT'S BEEN A LEARNING PROCESS WHERE WE HAD A ONE, WE HAD ONE WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, CLEANING UP THE WATER AND THEN LETTING IT DRAIN INTO OUR MARSHES.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE FOUND OUT THAT JUST THAT LARGE INFLUX OF A FRESHWATER, NO MATTER HOW CLEAN IT WAS, WAS STILL STRESSING OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR BRACKISH WATER AND THE, IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT.
SO THE, THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE THERE.
AND SO WE HAD TO RETHINK OUR WHOLE APPROACH TO STORM WATER AND ALLOW MORE OF IT TO BE, UM, ABSORBED ON SITE, YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN RUSHING INTO OUR WATERWAYS.
SO IT'S BEEN A LEARNING PROCESS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT ALL OF THAT IS, IS MEETING THE SCHOOL OF HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO GROW AND PROTECT THE THINGS THAT WE VALUE IN THE COUNTY.
AND THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROJECT FOR DECADES NOW IN BUFORD COUNTY.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS PROBABLY 20, 30 YEARS AGO, UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE INTRODUCTION OF, UH, PERMEABLE SURFACES FOR PARKING.
AND THIS WAS BACK WHEN YOU DID MOVE THAT SETBACK REQUIREMENT FROM 20 TO 50 FEET.
AND THAT WAS IN PART BECAUSE OF, UH, DIFFERENT AREAS THAT MIGHT HAVE SEPTIC SYSTEMS THAT COULD ESSENTIALLY
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GO INTO THE WATERWAYS.UH, SO YEAH, IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO MAINTAIN THIS BEAUTY OF THE LOW COUNTRY, UM, FOR OUR VIEWER SHARE, UM, WHAT YOUR TAKE IS ON JUST HOW BIG A PART AGRICULTURE AND, AND AQUA CULTURE ARE STILL HERE, BECAUSE I NOTICED IN THE CULTURE SECTION OF THIS, YOU WANTED TO, UH, MAINTAIN, UM, THE, THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY AND THEIR DESIRE TO CONTINUE FARMING AND FISHING.
UH, SO TELL OUR VIEWERS EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF THAT IS STILL GOING ON IN BUFORD COUNTY.
WELL, IT IS STILL GOING ON AND MORE IN THE RURAL AREAS OF THE COUNTY, BUT, UM, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF HISTORY, I MEAN, WE HAVE SURVIVED ON THE LANDS AND THE SEA, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO FISH THE LOCAL WATERS SHELLFISH, AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO WORK THE LAND.
AND THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S SUSTAINED, YOU KNOW, EVEN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NOT HAD MANY OTHER RESOURCES THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO LIVE OFF THE LAND.
AND SO WE SEE THAT SOMETHING ESSENTIAL TO, ESPECIALLY THE RURAL AREAS FOR OUR COUNTY TO BEING ABLE TO PRESERVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RULE OF THE COUNTY THAT MAY MEAN MAKING SURE THAT ZONING, OR YOU DON'T HAVE REGULATORY BARRIERS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, UM, BEING ABLE TO FARM PROPERTY, UM, PROVIDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE WATER FOR PEOPLE WHO WISH TO, YOU KNOW, GET OUT ON, ON BOATS AND, AND DO FISHING, UM, IT MAY MEAN TAKING A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IF IT IS HELPING A WORKING WATERFRONT.
AND I REALIZED THAT THAT THINGS LIKE THAT GET A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY HAS A, A LONG-TERM LEASE WITH THE OYSTER FACTORY IN BLUFFTON, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS, UH, KIND OF A WAY OF BEING ABLE TO PRESERVE SOMEONE WHO IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE, IN THE, IN THAT INDUSTRY.
WELL, WE'VE GOT ABOUT A MINUTE AND A HALF LEFT, AND I WANTED TO TOUCH ON ONE LAST SUBJECT BECAUSE THIS IS A LOFTY GOAL.
UH, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET SOME, UH, VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD.
AND SO ONE OF THE AREAS YOU TALK ABOUT IS TRANSPORTATION AND FOSTERING, MORE WALKING, MORE BICYCLING, UH, IS THIS REALISTIC IN A SOCIETY WHERE, UH, EVERYBODY FEELS THEY'RE ENTITLED TO ONE CAR FOR ADULT? WELL, WE LOOK AT IT IN A WAY AS, UM, CHOICES, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW FOR A LOT OF RESIDENTS, YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE A CHOICE OTHER THAN TO DRIVE BECAUSE THINGS ARE TOO FAR AWAY.
BUT BY INTRODUCING WHETHER IT'S A SAFE BIKE FACILITY, UM, THEN THAT OPENS UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT ANOTHER MODE OF TRANSPORTATION.
SO I PUT IN MY OWN PERSONAL LIFE, I LIVE IN PORT ROYAL, THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL, EVEN ONCE THE FIRST SECTIONS OPEN UP, OPEN UP THE WHOLE POSSIBILITY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO, TO BIKE, TO WORK, WHICH IS FIVE MILES AWAY.
I, I HAD NO DESIRE TO GO ALONG REBUILT ROADS, BUT ONCE THERE WAS A SAFE FACILITY I WOULD CONSIDER, AND I WOULD SAY, THERE'S A LOT OF RESIDENTS WHO MIGHT MAKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S NOT COMMUTING CHOICES, BUT THEY MIGHT GET OUT ON THE ROAD MORE, OR THEY MIGHT RUN MAYBE ONE ERRAND OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO HAVING THAT AS A CHOICE, AS A POSSIBILITY, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, NOT ONLY ADDRESSES THE, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC, BUT IT ALSO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE AND IT BENEFITS PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD TALK ABOUT, SO, SO MUCH MORE ROB MERCHANT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ROB MERCHANT IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BUFORD COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT.
AND WE APPRECIATE HIS BEING HERE.
WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF COASTLINE.
AND I THINK THAT NEXT MONTH WE MAY BE TALKING TO JARED FREELUX, WHO IS THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OF ENGINEERING.
WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT AIRPORTS AND TRANSPORTATION.
AND, UH, SOME OF THAT STORMWATER THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, SO WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US FOR THAT EDITION OF COASTLINE.