Tompkins County is a special place.  The combination of natural beauty, a vibrant central city, diverse rural communities, renowned educational institutions, and myriad cultural and recreational amenities add up to the best that upstate New York has to offer. Yet many of the things that county residents cherish most about this community could be undermined by unplanned development.  We must decide as a community whether to take charge of our own future and then determine how we can work together to bring about positive change.  

The Vital Communities Initiative of the Tompkins County Planning Department is an attempt to lay the groundwork for a future that identifies and builds upon the qualities that make Tompkins County such a wonderful place to live. The Vital Communities draft Development and Preservation Principles were drafted based upon months of discussion within the community and input from more than 35 municipal and civic boards, groups and organizations.  These Principles endorse the concepts of strong, cohesive neighborhoods and communities; housing choice and affordability; protection of natural resources; a diverse, vibrant local economy; and a comprehensive transportation system that includes viable alternatives to the automobile.  At scores of public meetings residents have told us that they want to preserve, encourage and replicate those things they like best about this community.  To reach such community goals requires communication, coordination and cooperation among all levels of government, as well as between government and the private sector.  Integration of private citizens, businesses and not-for-profit organizations into the Vital Communities process has been critical.  Staff and steering committee members have helped community members define their vision for the future and crafted a set of Principles that is broad enough to encompass those visions and focussed enough to serve as a useful guide for planners and decision-makers. 

The draft Development and Preservation Principles can play an important role in communicating community intent and in serving as a voluntary guide for coordinated and cooperative planning efforts.  As a first step in moving the Principles forward, the Tompkins County Department of Planning is committed to reviewing all of our programs to determine consistency with the Principles.  We plan to assist other county departments in conducting similar reviews. Later this year we will undertake an effort to develop a range of planning tools that will be available to municipalities and other organizations that wish to implement the Principles.   The Development and Preservation Principles will also provide a framework for ongoing planning efforts at the County level.  

Many existing programs in Tompkins County and throughout our communities already support the Vital Communities Initiative.  Some examples are first time homeownership, local commercial center revitalization, open space protection and economic development assistance.  Community agreement on the Vital Communities Initiative and Development and Preservation Principles will help enhance these efforts when the County seeks outside grant funding for these programs because grantors, whether state or Federal agencies or private foundations, look favorably on programs and projects that support broader community-based objectives.

In a series of guest columns over the next several weeks you will learn more about the Principles and hear why the Vital Communities Initiative is important to such diverse interests as home builders, environmentalists, service providers, and residents.  While each author has a unique perspective, the overriding theme is that, in a world where division and conflict are too often the norm, the Development and Preservation Principles provide a vision of the future that can unify this community behind those values we share.   

The Development and Preservation Principles provide a framework for ongoing dialogue and cooperation.  If we commit ourselves to these Principles, and to a process that includes periodic review of their effectiveness, we will help to ensure that our communities remain healthy, vibrant and vital.  

If you would like to discuss the Vital Communities Initiative in greater detail or comment on the draft Development and Preservation Principles, please attend the upcoming Vital Communities public meeting to be held on Thursday, April 11th at 7pm in the Beverly Livesay Conference Room (in the Tompkins County Human Services Building, 320 West State Street).  Or contact the Tompkins County Planning Department by regular mail (121 E. Court St., Ithaca, NY), telephone [(607) 274-5560], email (E-mail us) or the Internet (www.tompkins-co.org/planning/vci/).