ECOS Steering Committee recommends regional plan to GBIC, CCRPC

An all-inclusive economic development and land use plan for Chittenden County is close to being realized. After a year and a half of goal-setting, research and strategy development, the 65-member Steering Committee of the ECOS Project have endorsed the draft of the new integrated regional plan. At the final convening of the Steering Committee on January 30, the members unanimously voted to advance the plan for adoption.
The next step in the process is for the governing boards of the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) to hold public hearings, and then vote for adoption later this spring. The first CCRPC Public Hearing will be on March 20th, 2013 at 6:00pm at the Sheraton in South Burlington. The CCRPC and GBIC will hold a 30-day public comment period for the ECOS Plan from February 19 to March 20, 2013.
The ECOS Plan integrates the Chittenden County Regional Plan, the Chittenden County Metropolitan Transportation Plan, and the County’ s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy into one. The new integrated Plan not only takes into consideration economic development and land use planning, but also health, education, transportation, housing, and natural resources. For the past year and a half, a 65-member steering committee, along with numerous topic-specific committees, have been working to do analysis, create benchmarks, and develop strategies for reaching the goal of a healthy, prosperous community.
The process has resulted in eight cross-cutting strategies and multiple actions aimed at addressing concerns across sectors. Important issues like climate change and transportation are integrated into several different strategies, rather than treated as separate issues from the economy, health and growth in our village centers.
The 8 key strategies in the Plan are:
1. Improve and strengthen economic systems
2. Concentrate growth in town/village centers
3. Improve water safety and quality
4. Invest in working lands
5. Focus on optimal health and personal safety
6. Equip residents with the education and skills they need to thrive
7. Develop financing and governance systems
8. Ensure equity across all activities
Joe Speidel, Local Government and Community Relations Director at the University of Vermont, who has been involved as a member of the Leadership Team, puts an emphasis on the process: ‘ The ECOS Plan is different than other sustainability plans because it focuses on how we do our work together as well as what we will do. It's important that we have carefully worked on the structure and process of bringing diverse stakeholders together in a way that is new for our county. We can only work on solving complex problems by having all of the people around the table who need to be there.’
Martha Maksym, Executive Director of United Way of Chittenden County and member of the Leadership Team of the ECOS Project, sees how the process is critical for addressing our challenges. ‘ As we look at the 21st century healthy community initiatives, ECOS has stepped in to fill that role. Participating in the development of the ECOS plan once again reminds us all that we need economic success, environmental soundness and social health and well-being - all three - to truly be a healthy, sustainable community.’
The ECOS Project, which stands for Environment, Community, Opportunity, and Sustainability, is
a once-in-a-generation opportunity to engage citizens, organizations and municipalities in a conversation about the future of our communities and the region as a whole. The Steering Committee for the ECOS Project is made up of all 19 municipalities and 45 partner organizations in Chittenden County.
Funded with a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Project (with co-sponsorship from the EPA and U.S. DOT), the project is designed to support efforts to plan and implement regional sustainable community development initiatives. The project is now one giant step closer to one integrated plan instead of many for Chittenden County.
More information, copies of the draft, and details about the planning process are also available at www.ecosproject.com.