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Published Thursday, August 06, 2009 in Local

ARC takes nominations for Regionally Important Resources

As part of its Plan 2040 initiative, the Atlanta Regional Commission is developing a plan for the protection and management of Regionally Important Resources within the 20-county Atlanta region.

The 20-county region includes Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton counties.

These valued resources can be land, water, buildings or other landmarks of geographical, environmental or historical significance.

ARC is accepting nominations through Sept. 18. Anyone, including local governments, state and federal agencies, local land trusts, conservation organizations and the general public, can nominate resources to be considered.

Nominations will be reviewed by ARC staff and other stakeholders around the region. A final set of Regionally Important Resources will be selected and then ARC will create a map cataloguing the RIRs for submission to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Designation as a Regionally Important Resource does not create a new regulatory requirement to protect an RIR. It does suggest that the area should have an enhanced level of management, and careful consideration should be given to new development in the area.

RIRs will be accounted for as ARC develops future regional plans and will be a primary consideration in ARC's role as a planning and review agency. In the future, identified and adopted resources will need to be accounted for in local development and transportation plans.

The following criteria will be given priority in the review of all proposed nominations:

1. Preserves water quality and quantity by protecting drainage, flood control, recharge areas, watersheds, buffers, etc.

2. Creates or preserves active or passive greenspaces, including trails, gardens and informal places of natural enjoyment in areas currently underserved by greenspace.

3. Protects wildlife habitat by creating, buffering or preserving habitat areas and corridors.

4. Preserves areas that have historical or cultural value by virtue of history, place or time period represented.

5. Preserves significant working agricultural or forest resources and/or creates opportunities for local food production.

6. Areas that contribute to region-wide connections between existing and proposed regional resources.

E-mail bcalvert@atlantaregional.com or visit www.atlantaregional.com/plan2040 to submit nominations.

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