Concerned Friends of Fernandina

Concerned Friends of Fernandina is a grassroots citizens group formed to inform and involve residents wanting to

preserve the small town identity of Fernandina Beach and its natural beauty.

"With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed." -- Abraham Lincoln

Waterfront Florida Partnership Committee page: (Also see "Issues" page: Riverfront )

Committee meets click here

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Waterfronts Florida Partnership Committee
Meeting: Second Wed of every month, 5:00 p.m., City Commission Chambers
NAME	ADDRESS	TELEPHONE	TERM

To see current members click here

11 May 06 Meeting update & summary

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for Saturday, June 10th as this will be an all-day workshop at City Hall that will hone in and focus on the critical issues for the Waterfronts area.

Thanks to all of you that showed up at last night's (Thurs.) Waterfront workshop. It was a very productive session that was facilitated by Dr. Tom Taylor.

It was one of the best Charette-like sessions to date, and Dr. Taylor was an excellent facilitator. The meeting produced some new ideas, and everyone who participated did so with vim and vigor.

The June 10th meeting is where Dr. Taylor's expertise will be crucial to bridge the divergent views between private property rights and the community interests. The discussion on allowable height and allowable density will most likely be some of the more contentious issues so if these issues that will affect the future of our city matter to you, please attend.

More information will be coming with exact times, etc. as soon as it is available.

Also discussed at the meeting was the need to get a broader cross section of the community to attend and have input into these sessions. It seems these meetings aren't getting the airplay in the newspaper that's needed to alert people so anything you can do to spread the word will be appreciated.

Here is a brief recap of the process that was followed for those unable to attend:
The "waterfront" area was divided into 4 main parts: (1) privately-owned
waterfront property; (2) city-owned waterfront property; (3) Centre St. and immediate vicinity; and, (4) privately-owned land lying east of Front St. in the CRA district.

For each area, attendees were asked to project themselves to 2015 and write down what they treasured about each of the above areas and/or what they desired to see in those areas at that future point in time.

Then we were asked what we would like to see for the entire area with
regards to: (1) Cultural and recreation events; (2) Economic development
and tourism/business promotion; (3) Environmental protection/education; and (4) Hazard mitigation planning and programs. Again, a wide range of
suggestions, and some good ones that we hadn't heard before.

Interestingly, at least to me, when #3 the environmental protection issue was discussed there were few suggestions. In fact at one point the room fell absolutely silent. That says to me that when it comes the physical side of creating and building development and to creating cultural events there is alot of interest and enthusiasm, but when it comes to our unique environment- it gets taken for granted and there is little awareness for its protection or for improving it.

In the final segment of the evening, we were asked to identify the key
issues for the CRA. A list of about 10-12 issues was developed. Then each
person had to vote on their Top 3 issues from the list.

The three issues were: (1) zoning; (2) funding/grants/economic analysis; and, (3) Design Standards. We then discussed each of these items in more detail identifying the components or questions regarding each.

All of this is being written up in a report and will be published on the
City website soon. If you want an electronic copy, contact Catherine
Hartley in the Planning Dept. (277-7325 or chartley@fbfl.org and request that you be placed on the distribution list.

julie ferreira

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Concerned Friends of Fernandina