Mississippi Rebuilding
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Current Ideas

Cottages become a growth industry

Governor's Commission report

Final team reports


January 18, 2007
Cities in Transition

August 23, 2006
Katrina Plus One
The Katrina Cottage Story

April 26, 2006

Six Months of Progress

January 16, 2006

Affordable Houses Address Gulf Needs

January 11, 2006

Katrina Cottage Unveiled

December 19, 2005
An Abundance of Follow-Up
Moss Point Mini-Charrette

December 3, 2005
CNU Teams Return

November 17, 2005
Final Team Reports Are Released


October 18, 2005
Journal: A Tremendous Start

October 17, 2005
Journal: Time's Up
Team Presentations

October 16, 2005
Journal: Community Input
Draft Community Plans
Architectural Designs

October 15, 2005
Journal: Plans Emerge

October 14, 2005
Journal: Focus on Design
Draft Community Plans

October 13, 2005
Journal: Teams Visit Communities
Draft Goals and Objectives

October 12, 2005
Journal: Renewal Forum Begins

Prelude
Governor Enlists CNU


GIS Database

Current Ideas: Goals/Objectives

Early Working Group Recommendations 10.13.05
Forum participants formed working groups based around the Commission’s key issue Committees Thursday, establishing a wish-list of sorts – goals, objectives and working recommendations. On Friday, Forum designers begin to conceive and illustrate ideas that help satisfy the working goals. This work in progress will be reviewed and commented on by local officials on Saturday and then revised for Monday’s final presentations.

Transportation
Goals: Improve regional and local connectivity. Reduce vehicular dependence.
  • Complete and fund the implement­ation of CSX railroad relocation.
  • Implement east/west corridor on CSX right of way with lightrail and boulevard.
  • Ferry at bays for pedestrians and vehicles. Coordinate with public transportation at landings.
  • Calm Highway 90 traffic; convert to parkway boulevard section.
  • Enable trolley transit along coast­al route/parkway.
  • Explore radical concepts, such as abandoning bay bridges.
  • Explore development of additional east/west and north/south connections, considering evacuation routes, transit and multimodal connections.
  • Provide a vehicular connection from airport to Highway 90, and transit con­nection to airport.
  • Provide cruise ship port accessi­bility.
  • Create inland seafood port.
  • Plan and write ordinances to im­plement continuous waterfront walkway extending boardwalk in front of the casinos and other private waterfront properties.
Affordable Housing
Goals: Increase supply of affordable housing. Facilitate rebuilding of ex­isting stock.
  • Change zoning to allow outbuildings and temporary trailers on a single family site.
  • Allow live/work and residence over professional office and retail.
  • Allow for adaptive reuse of ex­isting buildings.
  • Encourage modular/prefabricated structures with individual identity.
  • Design housing with simplified eco­nomical shapes.
  • Reopen mobile home plants to build modular housing.
  • Create legislation for transfer of development so homeowners can swap land for higher ground.
  • Engage Habitat for Humanity and other volunteer groups.
  • Convince FEMA to allow residents to choose to accept risk and not require flood insurance or higher foundation re­quirements.
  • Keep vernacular architecture.
  • Create a levee system to eliminate requirements to raise structures.
  • Adopt policies such as inclusive zoning for medium and high density housing development.
Zoning Codes
Goals: Encourage rebuilding and infill in existing coastal urban cen­ters. Establish SmartGrowth parameters for outlying areas. Rebuild and create transit-oriented pedestrian-friendly mixed-use communities.
  • Establish form-based codes to ac­commodate transitions between densities and building types.
  • Define community identity.
  • Encourage walkable mixed-use devel­opment, consider single-use as a variance.
  • Implement new form-based code as temporary alternative to current zoning to transition to permanent code.
  • Map transect zones for each town and county.
  • Develop a system of land value transfers, for instance, purchase of development rights (pdr), transfer of development rights (tdr), easements, tax abatements, etc.
  • Train local planners, architects, developers in form-based coding, and educate the public.
  • Establish special design guidelines for properties along scenic Highway 90.
  • Establish design guidelines for properties adjacent to wetlands.
  • Establish parameters for special districts such as the harbor, new sea­food park, etc.
Building Codes
Goals: Establish state-wide build­ing code (international building code, standard code etc). Uniform and con­sistent building codes across jurisdictions to facilitate rebuilding.
  • Prioritize regulations for six coastal county codes responding to need for wind loads.
  • Educate legislators, public, elect­ed local officials, media.
  • Establish Governorʼs Commission to implement uniform code.
  • Enlist support from construction coalition, insurance commission, finan­cial institutions, fire marshals, super­visors.
  • Address improvements for existing structures.
  • Address exemptions for historic structures.
Regional Environmental
Goals: Improve environmental quality in community development. Appropriate locations for building. Improved accom­modation and management of solid waste. Restoration of natural resources. Im­proved waste-water treatment.

Location issues
  • Identify sites of destruction that should not be rebuilt.
  • Establish a system of land val­ue transfers: purchase of development rights (pdr), transfer of development rights (tdr), easements, tax abate­ments, etc.
  • Identify sensitive open space that should be protected.
  • Identify preferred places for de­velopment.
  • Encourage compact development to enable open space preservation.
  • Establish land-use plans to reflect above.
Management of solid waste
  • Reduce waste volume by sorting by type.
  • Use existing landfill sites for tem­porary staging and sorting.
  • Remove concrete for recycling.
  • Identify other opportunities for reuse of debris.
  • Encourage new industry to salvage architectural elements.
  • Identify and secure land for future waste needs, including future catastrophic events.
  • Consider a facility to integrate water and solid-waste treatment.
  • Create eco-industrial park.
  • Create incentives to conserve ca­pacity.
  • Promote solid-waste education and eco-tourism.
Natural Resources
  • Promote water conservation and building codes.
  • Protect and renew barrier islands for use of dredged storm material.
  • Create wetland habitats with dredged material.
  • Use recycled concrete to protect sensitive shores and create fishing reefs.
  • Develop management plans for inva­sive species.
  • Promote transportation choices to reduce vehicular dependence and improve air quality.
  • Restore select recovered areas to natural state.
  • Promote storm-water management through county-wide district.
  • Require erosion control during con­struction.
  • Adopt dark sky and noise regula­tions.
  • Promote beauty.
Wastewater
  • Upgrade and relocate waste-water plants to sites deeper inland.
  • Upgrade waste-water collection sys­tem and outfalls.
  • Establish county-wide waste-water management.
  • Adopt state legislation to allow counties and municipalities to have higher septic standards.
  • Identify funding source to support enforcement.