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Jason Segedy, the director of AMATS, will be the chairman of the board of directors for the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium (NEOSCC) in 2012.

The NEOSCC is a three-year planning program funded largely by a highly competitive, first of its kind, $4.25M federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative.  The Sustainable Communities Initiative is an interagency collaboration among HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  The consortium was established in January 2011.

Segedy

“I believe that we can – and must – make smart investments in our infrastructure, while remaining good stewards of the environment and of the tax dollars with which we have been entrusted.”

– AMATS Director Jason Segedy –

AMATS is one of the key leadership organizations of the 31-member group whose members are a unique mix of communities, county governments, planning agencies and various civic-oriented groups.

The consortium will develop a coordinated and integrated approach to land use, transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental planning in the 12-county Northeast Ohio region consisting of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, Stark, Trumbull and Wayne counties.

“This is an exciting time to be involved with this effort.  The consortium represents a tremendous opportunity for Northeast Ohio to reassess the way that we have been doing business for the past 60 years.  I am hopeful that we can collaboratively find a way to grow our region’s economy, protect the environment, improve our infrastructure, and create stronger, more cohesive local communities; while actually reducing the cost to local taxpayers.  I believe that we can – and must – make smart investments in our infrastructure, while remaining good stewards of the environment and of the tax dollars with which we have been entrusted,” Segedy says.

Segedy also has high hopes that the consortium can help to reintegrate land use and transportation decisions.  “We can begin to create a built environment where walking, biking, and using public transportation again become a viable option for the majority of our residents; where roads are designed to accommodate a variety of modes of transportation; and where commercial buildings and residential spaces retain their utility, but regain a sense of dignity and an appealing design aesthetic,” Segedy observes.

Segedy served as the consortium’s vice chairman during 2011.  He was elected to serve as chairman during the consortium’s January board meeting.  Mahoning River Corridor Initiative Manager Dan Mamula was elected to serve as first board vice chairman and Medina County Commissioner Stephen Hambley was elected to serve as second board vice chairman.

Source: Patch