By Jane Smith
The Community Kickoff featured all the trappings of an opening night performance.
The event was held at the Crest Theatre on the historic Old School Square grounds in Delray Beach. Mayor Cary Glickstein acted as master of ceremonies. He talked about the need for creative planning and sustainable progress for all, regardless of age, skin color or where they live.
In late September, he also reminisced about his recent visit to sister city Pesaro, Italy, where he did not see obesity or chronic health problems. Every street had two-way bike lanes, he said. Glickstein would like to see Delray Beach residents have a higher quality of life to go with their higher standard of living.
That means it’s time for a new comprehensive plan.
The city’s first one was adopted in 1989 and changed over the years. Glickstein often says Delray Beach is not the same city it was back then. That’s why five chapters will be added to the plan. They are: healthy community, sustainability and resilience, lifelong education, historic preservation and economic development.
The plan has a slogan: “Always Delray.” The city planning department tapped consultant Woo Creative, a Delray Beach marketing firm, to develop one that could serve as the brand throughout the 15-month process. Planners paid Woo Creative $4,800. The fee includes the cost of developing the logo and a style guide for using the brand in the comprehensive plan.
The selection of a steering committee was begun by asking the five city commissioners for three choices. As of late October, the committee was skewing white and older. Mark Stivers, the planner overseeing the process, said the city wants to find younger residents of color to serve on the committee or contribute to parts of it. The plan is really for them, he said. To that end, he’s asked the Parks and Clean and Safe staffs for recommendations.
The steering committee will meet monthly and community workshops will take place quarterly on the plan’s four sections: live, work, play and grow.
In late 2017, the result will be three documents: a formal policy guide that planners will use, a data/analysis component that will be updated continually and a pocket guide that every Delray Beach resident will “want to display.” It will be available in three languages spoken in the city: English, Creole and Spanish.
Planning Director Tim Stillings hopes residents will carry around the pocket guides and say, “Hey, look what my community created and I understand what it says."
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