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Mississippi
Biloxi S.G. Conference Told That Rapid Growth Is Gulf Coast Region's Greatest Challenge
The Gulf coastal region faces tremendous development and to make sure people like what they see by 2025, ''we have to start making decisions today,'' said Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Director William Walker as he opened the department's sixth annual Smart Growth conference in Biloxi, a warning echoed by the guest keynote speaker, Smart Growth Leadership Institute President and former Maryland Democratic Governor Parris N. Glendening, who stressed, ''We must have a real sense of urgency.''
With Director Walker especially concerned about the surge of condo construction along the coast, the former governor pointed out that sprawl, which has sprung from the interstate highway system and preferential suburban mortgage programs since the 1950s, has left large city sections boarded up.
The governor, reports Biloxi Sun Herald writer David Tortorano, told the audience of some 500 officials, planners, builders, bankers and others from across the nation that such growth threatens quality of life, the next most important factor for high-tech company location decisions after an educated workforce.
In related news, Sun Herald writer Karen Nelson reports that the chambers of commerce of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hancock County and Jackson County passed a resolution asking local government officials to consider smart growth in their condo permitting process.
''Cities and counties need some standard to use when confronted by developers,'' said Jackson County Chamber president Carla Todd, while Coast Chamber communication committee chairman Rex Kelly noted that the resolution encourages public-private cooperation on smart growth, to set consistent height, density, landscaping and other requirements for condo development. ''The hope is to do it collectively,'' he said. ''But there's nothing in the resolution that tells them (cities and counties) how to do it.'' -- Sun Herald
5/18/2005
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