High Growth Counties: Opportunities for Pinal

County

Pinal County Comprehensive Plan

Curt Dunham AICP

Partners for Strategic Action, Inc.

Comprehensive Plan Update Consultant

Peer Counties Qualifications

Rapid growth over past 20 years Impacted by one or more rapidly growing

metro areas Urban/agricultural/open space interface Preservation issues Bedroom community/commuting issues

Peer Counties Identified

Polk County, Florida Cobb County, Georgia Arapahoe County, Colorado

Polk County, Florida

County between Orlando and Tampa Long established agricultural area (citrus) Interstate 4 corridor (I-4) Population 550,000 2,010 square miles – Florida’s fourth

largest

Polk County, Florida

Polk County, Florida

Polk County – Current Issues

Addressing transportation travel patterns No dedicated funding source to address

transportation issues Prevent becoming a “bedroom” community Create jobs near people

Polk County – Good Decisions

Updated Comprehensive Plan to include sub-areas

Economic development is tied to land uses – consultants used have economic development expertise

Planning to create a better mix of land uses and bring services and jobs near residential areas

Polk County – Preserving Agriculture

Strong public desire Developed Polk County Land Stewardship

Program – a consortium of different interests

Alliance built between agricultural interests and environmental interests

Polk County - Transportation

Travel patterns – Interstate, Disney World Just entered into an agreement with

Orlando transit to tie into and provide new transportation services

Polk County – Economic Development

County not able to do much and not asked to

Include economic elements in land use planning

Support private non-profit Central Florida Development Council

Coordinate with other agencies through regional Municipal Planning Organization

Developed a county/city manager’s alliance that meets monthly

Much stronger collaboration to preserve long-term water supply

Polk County - Collaboration

Polk County – In Hindsight

Should have developed a dedicated funding source for infrastructure and roads

Now working a lot more closely with other governmental entities—this should have happened sooner

Cobb County, Georgia

Suburban Atlanta area Bedroom communities Historic areas (created from Cherokee County,

originally part of Cherokee Indian Nation) Interstate 75 Corridor (I-75) 600,000 of 670,000 residents are not within

municipalities (unincorporated county) 340.2 square miles

Cobb County, Georgia

Cobb County, Georgia

Cobb County Issues

Regional transit and commuting Need to expand transit and make better

regional connections of the roadway system

Redirect growth Protect “green space”

Cobb County – Good Decisions

Installed a sewer system for the entire county in the 1980s except where growth would be discouraged. Used infrastructure as a growth management tool and to protect water resources

Use of Community Improvement Districts to fund transportation projects

$4.1 million bond passed to begin to purchase green space

Cobb County – Issues

Small farms to residential Industrial areas along I-75 are starting to

change Growing Latino population Attempting to develop employment centers

to balance growth (residential, employment, commercial)

Cobb County – Economic Development

Counties in Georgia have similar powers as cities: Incentives Economic development department Very active in working with other entities and

organizations, such as chambers of commerce, in attracting firms and jobs

Cobb County - Collaboration

House Bill 489 mandates intergovernmental cooperation

Developed service delivery strategy to minimize duplication and improve effectiveness

Cobb County – In Hindsight

Voted down mass transit in 1970s – still paying for it! High costs of doing it now Communities that did join have very high

quality development around stations Lack of mass transit systems added to

commuting problems and congestion

Arapahoe County, Colorado

Denver Metro Area 35% urban,65% rural (urban population to

the West, rural population to the East) Interstate 70 Corridor (I-70) Population 550,000 803 square miles

Arapahoe County, Colorado

Arapahoe County, Colorado

Arapahoe County – Issues

State Land Department changing the rules Urban Growth Boundaries under constant

attack Total dichotomy of attitudes between West

and East County

Arapahoe County – Good Decisions

Worked to develop Urban Growth Boundary

Developed and stuck with Land Development Code

Use sub-area plans to plan for specific issues and needs

Arapahoe County – Agricultural Preservation

No dedicated funding Public desire to maintain No re-zoning of agricultural land Use special districts – they have held up

well

Arapahoe County – Economic Development

Not much of a role and not much pressure to do so

Support the South Metro Chamber of Commerce

Streamlined review process

Arapahoe County - Collaboration

Use a referral process Proposal within 2 miles of any governmental

entity are referred for review

Arapahoe County – In Hindsight

Should have completed Land Development Code sooner

Should have drafted plans to deal better with the changeover in leadership that will undoubtedly occur

Need to work to unify urban interests in the west with rural interests in the east

Opportunities for Pinal County

Stronger advocate for economic development

Integrate land uses with economic development concepts

Agricultural preservation Open space preservation

Opportunities for Pinal County

Regional transit Improved communication and

collaboration – unifying communities Creation of job centers to lessen

commuting Creation of dedicated funding sources and

proactive fiscal policies

Opportunities for Pinal County

Develop plans that will withstand change Act now, hesitation is very costly Learn from others and make reasonable

assumptions