The City of Centerville and Washington Township place a high value on community appearance. We don’t boast malls or tourist attractions; instead our community is recognized in the region as having a high quality physical environment. Evidence of this can be seen on road corridors, public buildings, bus shelters, residential subdivisions, parks, and in historic downtown.

When you are driving down the freeway in this community, you may have no idea how much a gallon of gas costs because we do not allow our businesses to erect signs 40 feet into the sky – and we consider that a good thing.

Our stringent zoning codes and ordinances call for such things as size restrictions and height placement specifications for signs, requirements for plants, landscaping and green space, and construction material specifications for commercial buildings. By law, we cannot deny individuals the right to develop their property, but Create the Vision gives us the ability to enforce it be developed in a high quality manner.

Community Appearance is the second goal in the Create the Vision Comprehensive Plan for Centerville and Washington Township. Create the Vision provides guidance for enhancing the appearance of residential neighborhoods, commercial areas, the natural environment, and public spaces.

Create the Vision is the guiding policy document for all land use and development decisions being made in our community, and was written to reflect the community motto: Centerville - Washington Township, a wonderful place to call home. Create the Vision was also based on the ten principles of Smart Growth.

Smart Growth policies and techniques are being implemented all across the country to protect air, water, and land resources and make communities more attractive to businesses, residents, and visitors.

The Smart Growth Network is a group of private, public, and non-governmental partner organizations seeking to create smart growth in neighborhoods, communities, and regions across the United States.

Create the Vision’s Community Appearance goal is: To obtain a high quality physical environment that enhances the unique residential community, supported by small business, preserves open space and historic character, and improves public areas including entryways, streets, and edges of the community.

This is parallel to the Smart Growth principle to foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place. This principle encourages communities to set standards for development that correlates to community values of architectural beauty and distinctiveness. By creating high-quality communities, there is a greater likelihood that buildings, and therefore entire neighborhoods will retain their economic vitality and value over time.

As this community continues to grow, because of Create the Vision you will continue to see more public art, more outdoor seating areas at eating establishments, and improved and enhanced community entryways.

Create the Vision’s focus on community appearance is to encourage public gathering, create a stronger sense of identity for the community, and to connect current and future residents to the community’s past. By utilizing ideas and images unique and special to Centerville and Washington Township, we are creating a sense of place for the community that establishes a connection between the past and present.

Thank you for joining me this month in the Create the Vision column. I am the Project Manager for Create the Vision and if you missed last month’s column, you may read it on our website at www.createthevision.org.