September 11, 2006

Rebuilding Henderson Point, Mississippi, After Katrina

Volunteer planning team to guide creation of town center rebuilding plan

CHICAGO—Virtually every structure in Henderson Point, Mississippi, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. A five-member volunteer planning team will work with residents September 13-19 to create a town center rebuilding plan to guide area redevelopment for the next 20 years.

The team also will help facilitate a county-sponsored town hall meeting to gather resident input on rebuilding on Saturday, September 16, at 10:30 a.m. at the West Harrison Civic Center.

"The team's assistance will help facilitate the planning process in Henderson Point," said Patrick Bonck, zoning administrator for Harrison County. "With the team's contributions, Henderson Point can begin to rebuild safely and efficiently, while maintaining its community character."

The planning assistance team is sponsored by the American Planning Association's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners. The team was requested by APA's Mississippi Chapter and Harrison County.

Tim Chow, AICP, a planning and development consultant, will lead the volunteer team: "We look forward to helping Henderson Point plan and redevelop its devastated town center."

Team members include:

• Fleming El-Amin, II, AICP, Land Use Planner, Triangle Transit Authority, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
• Randy Gross, Director, Randall Gross/Development Economics, Washington, D.C.
• Angela Brooks, AICP, Associate Director of Real Estate Development, Heartland Housing, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
• David Boyd, FAICP, Senior Planner, MSA Professional Services, Madison, Wisconsin

The teams' proposals will be incorporated into a long-range community plan for Henderson Point, which is being developed as a result of collaboration between Ohio State University and Harrison County. "The planning assistance team will be a valuable asset to the planning process by providing their unique expertise and focus on the town center," noted Jennifer Cowley, Project Manager and Assistant Professor with Ohio State University.

Partial funding is being provided by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to Ohio State University and through the Mississippi Coastal Impact Assistance Program (administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District).

The volunteer planning assistance teams bring together planning experts from around the country. This is the second volunteer team this year to work in the Gulf Region.

Learn more about APA's American Institute of Certified Planners Planning Assistance Teams at www.planning.org/cap/katrinapat.htm.

Contact:
Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org
Jennifer Cowley, AICP, Ohio State University, 614-247-7479; cowley.11@osu.edu