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 Since
its inception, Envision Coastal Alabama has served as the foundation for
successful regional planning efforts that continue to unify and
strengthen the future of coastal Alabama. Armed with the foresight and
dedication of hundreds of volunteers, this 12-year visioning process has
transformed the way in which this region addresses the impact of growth
and quality of life in our coastal area.
Over a decade ago, Envision launched a regional dialogue between
grassroots interests, governmental entities, community stakeholders and
elected officials that grows stronger every passing year. Serving as the
backdrop for our new regional identity, the Envision process has created
a public forum, giving area partners the opportunity to openly address
coastal Alabama’s community and economic development future. This
regional perspective has bridged communications with interests on both
sides of the bay as we work to improve our community’s overall quality
of life and physical well-being.
Envision’s focus on partnership building provides a platform for
community problem solving that encourages area stakeholders to think
beyond their corporate boundaries and consider what is best for the
overall region. These critical partnerships have resulted in
collaboration among key regional development interests that in the past
have had very little interaction. Public and private sector entitles are
now working together jointly to develop solutions to many of our
community’s most pressing regional development issues. As a direct
result of this collaborative approach, many successful initiatives are
now evident throughout the area. Examples of such initiatives range from
regional transit coordination between Mobile’s Wave and Baldwin County’s
BRATS systems, to the development of affordable housing efforts led by
the non-profit organization DASH for the Gulf Coast.
As coastal Alabama continues to benefit from unprecedented economic
development, the importance of striking a balance between future growth
and quality of life remains a high priority issue for this region.
Maintaining this balancing act is no easy task. However, Envision’s
ongoing emphasis on regional cooperation and coordination has brought
coastal Alabama one step closer to defining the community’s shared
vision for future growth. While community leaders may not always agree
on the individual solutions to our regional problems, the Envision
process has shown the importance of establishing a shared vision of
sustainability as we plan for our region’s future. The future success of
this region will depend upon our ability to reach consensus as we work
for the greater good.
Serving as this year’s overarching theme, we will work to renew
partnerships with our community volunteers and partners. As a volunteer
community based organization, the strength of Envision has always
centered on its dedicated group of volunteers. Their commitment has
remained a cornerstone of this regional partnership. Consequently, one
of our goals is to continue to expand our base of volunteers as we
embark upon new regional development initiatives that will continue to
benefit the coastal Alabama community.
As customary with any strategic visioning process, Envision Coastal
Alabama in the upcoming year will once again revisit its mission as we
continue to work toward regional sustainability. This process will
follow Envision’s previously defined model for consensus-building that
encourages focused dialogue with area stakeholders, grassroots
organizations and key development interests. By learning from the
examples set by other communities we further recognize the importance of
a regional dialogue that addresses our area’s growth issues and even
specific impacts on the future of our state.
Mike Hofto works for Leavell Investment Management and will serve as the
Mobile County chairperson of Envision this year. He can be reached at
mhofto@leavellinvestments.com. Donna Watts works for the South
Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and will serve as the Baldwin County
chairperson of Envision this year. She can be reached at
donna@southbaldwinchamber.com.
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