If you are in Florida and you are involved in land planning or real estate development, you probably know all about Seven50 already; if not, you're about to get acquainted with Seven50 since it's making history.

What is Seven50?  From its website, Seven50 describes itself as:

The Southeast Florida Regional Partnership (SFRP) is a voluntary, broad-based and growing collaboration of more than 200 public, private, and civic stakeholders from the Southeast Florida region of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. The Partnership has united to leverage resources and coordinate strategic long-term planning to drive competitiveness and prosperity for the region. SFRP seeks greater opportunities for sustained job creation, access to affordable housing, a better menu of transportation options, and more people-friendly, environment-friendly places to live.

The Partnership and Seven50 are explained on the site as:

The Partnership is developing Seven50, a seven county, 50-year Southeast Florida Prosperity Plan that will reflect regional agreement around priority investments in key areas of importance toSoutheast Florida’s future. When considered together, these issues will coalesce into a coherent strategy and investment plan in support of the future sustainability and economic prosperity of our communities and region. Seven initial work groups have been identified along issue areas:

• Education, Workforce & Economic Development
• Development Patterns (Housing, Transportation, Healthy Communities)
• Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture
• Climate Resiliency
• Community Assets and Culture
• Inclusive Regional Leadership and Equity
  

Outcomes  

The HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative is the region’s best opportunity to develop consensus around a strategic vision and investment plan that will chart the course to a brighter and more prosperous future for Southeast Florida’s residents and in turn, Florida. It is expected that this strategic vision and the Seven 50 will:

• Serve as the framework for future federal, state and local investment;
• Support and advance the efforts of individual counties, municipalities and other regional partners whose plans and projects further the implementation of the Seven50 Plan; and
• Enhance the ability of the Southeast Florida Region to secure resources needed for critical infrastructure projects that further regional sustainability and economic prosperity.
  

“Preferred Sustainability Status” for certain federal grant programs has already resulted in millions of dollars in additional investment inSoutheast Floridathrough its Partnership member organizations.

 Last week, Delray Beach hosted a historic event involving Seven50: around 500 leaders in real estate - from environmental activists to government honchos to land planners and the like, met together and began the process of gathering public input into the creation of a fifty year (50) plan for the future of seven Florida counties, planning how these areas would grow from now until around 2060.

Things like transportation needs, protecting the environment, suburb growth, and much more will be considered as the Seven50 group plots out how best to balance lifestyle and wildlife concerns with economic needs. 

From project director Marcela Camblor:

“Seven50 is an investment plan that will help guide the allocation of federal and other dollars into the region in order to help ensure economic prosperity and the best-possible quality of life for Southeast Florida’s residents. While Seven50 will be designed to ensure the brightest-possible future for the region in the next 50 years, its impacts will be felt in the near future as early as five years from today.”

 

The counties involved are: Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River.  If you are interested in being involved in this historic project, then go to here for details on how to join a forum or otherwise contribute.