Envision 2030 Closes in on Involvement Milestone
Access NorthGA
11/09/06
CUMMING - Envision 2030 has engaged more than 770 people so far in thinking about the future of Cumming-Forsyth County – and with additional efforts this month should involve more than 1,000 people.
Envision 2030 is a community visioning initiative that aims to identify what Cumming-Forsyth County citizens would like their community to look like and work like over the next 25 years, and make recommendations on reaching that vision. An important part of the process, organizers said, is engaging a cross-section of the community in thinking about the community’s future.
“With the numbers we’ve gotten so far – and their enthusiasm for thinking about where we should be headed – plus the people we’ll involve by the start of December, we should exceed our goal of involving 1,000 people in the visioning process,” Envision 2030 Co-Chair Carter Barrett said.
The visioning effort held eight public meetings at different locations around the county this fall. These meetings, plus a community leadership summit last March, have brought together more than 770 citizens to discuss Cumming-Forsyth County’s future and list ideas for improvement.
In the weeks ahead, organizers are taking an abbreviated version of the public meeting process to individual groups. “There are two groups we especially wanted to hear from,” said Envision 2030 Co-Chair Brett Berto. “One was senior citizens, and we’ve already held two meetings with senior groups, and the other is young people. We have three sessions with high-school students scheduled, one in each of Forsyth’s high schools.”
Finally, Envision 2030 has posted a public comment form on its web site that allows people who couldn’t make one of the public meetings to share their ideas. The web site is at www.envision2030.com.
“We’re confident that we’ll get more than 230 people involved in these meetings or through the web site,” Barrett said.
Among the major themes that people have voiced in the vision meetings:- There is strong support for a four-year college or university in Forsyth County.
- Citizens say they want different kinds of development in Forsyth County, including mixed-use developments, where retail, offices, entertainment venues and residential are close to one another.
- They strongly favor preserving green space and water quality in Lake Lanier.
- Citizens are proud of Forsyth County’s public school system but want to be sure it remains among Georgia’s best.
Envision 2030 is a year-long, citizen-led community planning initiative to envision – and plan for – Cumming-Forsyth County‘s development over the next 25 years.
It began with eight vision meetings in fall 2006 and will continue as a strategic planning process in early 2007. At every stage, citizens will be invited to join Envision 2030 meetings and planning groups – and to critique its reports and work products. Every document will be available on the Envision 2030 web site, www.envision2030.com.
Envision 2030’s final report will be available in June 2007.
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