A Visioning Partnership Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP Director of Regional Planning George Washington Regional Commission RiversideQuest: Regional Population Ranking (of 21 regions) George Washington Region: Overview 5 local govts., 1,401 square miles 55 mi. from National Capital, 60 mi. from State Capital 3 military bases (all effected by BRAC) 2 nd largest military historical park system in the US, historic downtown 2000 population = 241, population = 309, population = 592,696 Northern Virginia Land Use and Development Trends (1992, 2001, 2005) Mid-Atlantic Regional Population Growth: GW A Region With a New Identity Yet Still A Region Divided between 2 MSAs With Current & Future Commuting Trends That Preclude MSA designation Future Population Growth Driven by Positive Net Migration = Future Residents with No Ties to Regional Historical Traditions Local Govts Seeking to Integrate Regional Transportation & Land Use Planning A Region That Needs a Common Vision! Literature & Market Review of Regional Planning & Development Simulation Models Is there something out there that functions like SimCity on a regional scale to stimulate public discussion about how the region could or should develop & change? GWRC Partnership with Envision Sustainability Tools GWRC approached by Envision to be 1 of 2 early adopter US partners to use MetroQuest or RiversideQuest [GWRC & DRCOG (Denver)] GWRC gets discounted software, training & support services GWRC gives program market exposure and provides objective feedback to interested parties as well as user comments to developers for future enhancements Achieving a Regional Vision 1.Engage state and local elected officials to introduce the RiversideQuest tool, facilitated by Envision 2.Hold public workshops throughout the Region to get public & stakeholder input on Regions future 3.Develop a regional vision statement from public workshop input 4.Present vision statement to local elected County Boards & City Council, regional stakeholders 5.GWRC adoption of regional vision statement 6.GWRC undertake elements of regional comprehensive policy plan Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP Envision Sustainability Tools Vancouver, B.C.