Friday, March 18, 2011

Amy Owsley: Where do we want to go with our towns?

Focus Exercise

1. Do you feel there is a vibrant future for your and other Eastern Shore towns? What are the strongest forces influencing?
  • Expansion of local businesses draw people in
  • Larger size attract mores new people, has infrastructure and a vibrant future
  • Planning efforts is one of the strongest forces influencing vibrant towns
  • A growing awareness of growth control and getting the right people elected with a strong downtown are strong forces influencing the vibrant future of the Eastern Shore
  • Strong downtowns are defined by no empty stores with diverse stores that cater with a range of affordability
  • Vibrancy is not sprawl, it is what brings the community together
  • Long term Sustainability
  • Home ownership is a strong force on a vibrant future
2. What characteristics define our Eastern Shore towns and make them unique from other places?
  • Connection to landscape
  • people
  • life style
  • community events
  • architecture
  • scale
  • water
  • natural history
  • Being Local
  • artistic community
  • friendliness
  • historic buildings
  • safety
  • wildlife
  • diversity
  • recreational opportunities
  • economic diversity
  • isolation
  • mom and pop stores
  • resource based economy
  • farming
3. Solutions for Vibrant towns
  • strong preservation ordinances
  • regional vision
  • Diversifying farms
  • consistency in vision
  • Educate outsiders on the principles of the community
  • Building a New Economy
  • focusing on assets and building on them
  • more political weight
  • people need to know how to get involved
  • leadership with vision
  • Engage the public

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