In consultation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), EPA selected the 32 communities through a competitive process. Each community chose a specific, proven tool to be the focus of the assistance from a list that included zoning code reviews, walkability assessments, economic and fiscal health assessments, complete streets evaluations, water quality audits, and sustainable design guidelines. The City of Deerfield Beach will receive guidance in using smart growth to produce fiscal and economic health. At an upcoming day-long session with EPA-funded, private-sector experts, the city along with key stakeholders, will explore the selected tool, as well as other ways to make progress toward community goals for environmentally responsible, economically healthy development.
“In this economic climate, the city is looking for new ways to maintain services with a significantly smaller budget,” said Planning and Growth Management Director Gerald Ferguson. “This training will focus on how smart growth can stimulate private investment, provide fiscal stability in times of economic uncertainty, reduce the tax burden, and spur job creation.”
The Building Blocks program is part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a joint effort between EPA, HUD, and DOT to coordinate federal actions on housing, transportation, and environmental protection. This interagency collaboration’s primary goal is to invest federal funding more efficiently in infrastructure, facilities, and services that meet multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives.
Mayor Peggy Noland believes this assistance comes at an essential time for Deerfield Beach. “Across the board, we have to do more with less. This is an opportunity for city leaders to bring together stakeholders from both the private and public sectors, so that we can develop plans for our future.”
In addition to Deerfield Beach, the selected communities are Bemidji, Minnesota; Bluffton, South Carolina; Cambridge, Maryland; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Dover, New Hampshire; Erie County, New York; Essex, Connecticut; Fitchburg, Wisconsin; Granville, Ohio; Helena, Montana; Hellertown, Pennsylvania; Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania; Kayenta Township, Arizona; Lincoln, Nebraska; McKinney, Texas; Muskegon, Michigan; Nashville/Davidson, Tennessee; Northampton, Massachusetts; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Portland, Maine; St. Louis, Missouri; Pike’s Peak Council of Governments, Colorado; Ranson, West Virginia; Reedsburg, Wisconsin; Renton, Washington; Rockport, Texas; Shelburne, Vermont; Spencer, North Carolina; Syracuse, New York; and Wichita, Kansas.
EPA received 354 letters of interest requesting assistance through the Building Blocks program. This level of interest shows how many places around the country want to improve their development planning to spur economic development while safeguarding the environment and public health.
The workshop date for Deerfield Beach will be announced in the coming weeks.