NEWS AND UPDATES
Archived, December 2004
Hey, Wait a Minute! This Thing looks Different...
The Office of State Planning Coordination has undertaken a
web site update, adopting the "common look and feel" web templates
created by the Delaware
Government Information Center in an effort to improve
public access to state agency data and information.
The State Planning site update was designed to keep the wide variety of data and information that has always been available through the State Planning site. Some pages, mostly those that have not needed to be updated recently or those that are well down in the mine of planning information, will retain their older design. Pages that are off the beaten path will be updated on a continuing basis over the first part of 2005. Some pages may be removed entirely.
Please have a look around and let
us know what you think of the new design, what we've missed,
what's broken, and what other information you'd like us to
consider adding to the site. Please share your thoughts with
Mike Mahaffie, by e-mail or by telephone, at (302) 739-3090.
(Starting Anew 12/29/04)
Eden Hill Project Reviewed by State Planners
Planning experts serving on Delaware's Preliminary
Land Use Service (PLUS) committee reviewed plans for the
redevelopment of Dover's historic Eden Hill property (PDF
map) at their December 22 meeting. A final report will
be drafted once committee members submit their written comments,
but preliminary reaction has been positive, as noted in a
State
News story on December 23. According to Dave Edgell, the
Office of State Planning Coordination "circuit rider
planner" for Kent County, the Eden Hill plans appear
to meet the Livable Delaware principles outlined in the Better
Models for Development in Delaware publication.
(Noted 12/23/04)
Planning Continues for 2005 Delaware GIS Conference
The Conference Planning Committee for Delaware
GIS 2005: Creating Information, Sharing Knowledge continues to
prepare what promises to be an exciting event focused on the use and
sharing of spatial data in Delaware. Registration is expected to open
in mid-January. A Call
for Papers and a Call
for Posters have been issued and exciting pre-conference workshops
and (new for 2005!) post-conference field trips are in the works.
The Conference is set for April 21, at the Atlantic Sands Hotel, in
Rehoboth Beach. Those interested in being honored as sponsors or in
marketing their wares as vendors at the event should contact Sandy
Schenck or James Hoff.
(Noted, with excitement 12/23/04)
White Clay Creek Symposium Set for April
The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will hold
a White
Clay Creek Symposium on Tuesday, April 14, at the University
of Delaware's Clayton Hall, in Newark. Nationally recognized
author and photographer
Rick Darke will give the keynote address, "The Livable
Landscape." The symposium will focus on the watershed's
outstanding historical, geological, and biological resources
and on the roles of residents, recreational users, and government
officials in protecting those resources.
(Noted 12/23/04)
2005 Livable Delaware Advisory Committee Meetings Scheduled
A schedule of meetings of the Governor's Advisory Council
on Planning Coordination -- known as the Livable
Delaware advisory committee -- has been set for 2005.
The Council will meet on February 14, April 11, June 13, August
8, October 3, and December 12 starting at 1:00 p.m., in the
Paradee
Center, on Transportation Circle, in Dover. This schedule
is, of course, subject to change. Any changes will be posted
on the planning-related
meetings page.
(Posted 12/16/04)
DNREC Awards Coastal Resources Grants
The DNREC Coastal
Programs office has awarded
thirteen grants to communities, public agencies and nonprofit
organizations to improve community planning, natural resource
management and the reuse of already developed sites. Among
the grant awards were grants to the City of Dover, to inventory
trees and open spaces and develop a community green infrastructure
plan, and to the the City of Wilmington and the Southbridge
Civic Association, to inventory brownfields and underutilized
sites and develop a plan for reuse and redevelopment.
(Noted 12/14/04)
2005 PLUS Meetings Scheduled
A schedule
of application deadlines and meeting dates for 2005 for
state agency review of land use change proposals under the
Preliminary
Land Use Service (PLUS) has been posted. Two meeting dates
have been chosen for each month in 2005, based on experience
in 2004 which indicates that, most months, two sessions are
needed. The second meeting date for each month is considered
"tentative" until final agendas are prepared at
the start of each month.
(Posted 12/7/04)
University of Delaware Offers Local Government Leadership Workshops
the University of Delaware Institute
for Public Administration offers a series of workshops
in 2005 for credit towards the Certificate in Local Government
Leadership and the Delaware Planning Education Certificate.
The workshops are:
- February 10 -- Planning Your Community's Future (“Planning
101”)
- March 3 -- You Can Manage Growth: The Local Planning Toolbox
- April 12 -- Land-Development Administration
- May 11 -- Community Design
All of the workshops will be held at the University of Delaware
Paradee
Center, on Transportation Circle in Dover, from 9:00 a.m.
to noon. There is a cost of $35 per person and preregistration
is required.
(Noted 12/7/04)
Regional Smart Growth Alliance Featured in Philadelphia Business
Journal
The December 3 edition of the Philadelphia Business Journal
includes a report, Where
to go for 'smart growth' advice, on the Delaware
Valley Smart Growth Alliance (DVSGA). The report details
the assistance the Alliance offers to both developers and
local governments to support smart growth land-use policies.
The Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination is a sponsor
of the DVSGA.
(Noted 12/6/04)
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