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July 24, 2009
Dave Byron, APR
Community Information Director

VOLUSIA COUNTY RECEIVES SMART GROWTH AWARD

Volusia County Government recently was honored with a Department of Community Affairs’ Planning Excellence Award at the 2009 Growth Management Implementation Workshop in Orlando. The award was presented by Secretary Tom Pehlam to recognize the county’s Smart Growth Initiative mapping efforts which resulted in the creation of the Environmental Core Overlay (ECO) – previously known as Map “A.”

The effort involved extensive collaboration in identifying the county’s most environmentally sensitive lands, according to Frank Bruno, Volusia County Chair.

“Partners in this process included county government, all 16 municipalities, the Volusia County School Board, the Volusia Council of Governments, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development, and several committees, interest groups and dedicated members of the public,” said Bruno.

“This unwavering effort has resulted in a significant step forward in the protection of a valuable interconnected system of environmentally sensitive areas, containing nearly 300,000 acres, now identified as ECO lands. Innovative planning practices are being created to manage growth in an environmentally responsible manner while respecting property rights, development interests, and economic concerns.”

According to Greg Stubbs, director of the county’s Growth Resource and Management Department, communities increasingly consider smart growth, open space preservation, and habitat protection as essential quality of life components. “The designation of the ECO lands is the first step in the county’s efforts to implement Smart Growth,” he said.
For more information about Volusia County’s Smart Growth Initiative, please visit www.volusia.org/smartgrowth.

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