A community vision is an image of a community's future. It is a means of articulating and describing a desired outcome ‑‑ a place where participants agree they would like journey together. Visioning is an opportunity for community members to focus on the future without dwelling or being hindered by the past.

Indeed, only by imagining the future can a community figure out how to get there.

And that’s just what we’ve done together as a community in Atlantic Beach.

A comprehensive, collaborative four-month visioning process facilitated in large part by Atlantic Beach resident Linda Lanier concluded on Dec. 13 when the City Commission adopted the following community vision statement:

In Atlantic Beach, we have a strong sense of belonging and safety. Our citizens and government care deeply about community character, and we understand that unified support is required to preserve it. We are graced with the functional beauty of our beach, our marsh, and our tree canopy. Our shady streets and multi-use paths connect our welcoming neighborhoods and vibrant local businesses. Our city supports our diverse, multigenerational, socially linked community with green spaces, active lifestyles, parks, and programming.

Who authored this 2040 vision statement? The entire community, essentially.

City staff distributed a questionnaire in utility bills, at all committee and advisory meetings, city commission meetings, on the city’s website, newsletters, social media outlets, and at the customer service counters. The goal was to gather thousands of ideas from every neighborhood and business in Atlantic Beach. And in the end, nearly 800 questionnaire responses were submitted.

Staff gathered citizens’ answers and identify the most prevalent themes and compelling ideas. Members of the City’s committees and advisory boards were then called upon to assist staff in reality testing and prioritizing the themes. Then, the City Commission put the finishing touches on the community vision statement.

It’s really nice finally having a vision.

We hope our community will continue to be engaged so that, together, we remain fairly focused on the future.

The COAB 2040 Vision: How we got here

• Step 1 (Completed – September-October 2021): City staff distributed a questionnaire in utility bills, at committee and advisory meetings, city commission meetings, on the city’s website, newsletters, social media outlets, and at the customer service counters. The idea was to gather thousands of ideas from every neighborhood and business in Atlantic Beach; we are very pleased to have received 785 questionnaires. 

  Here is the questionnaire

Question 1 responses

Question 2 responses

Question 3 responses

Question 4 responses

Question 5 responses

• Step 2 (Completed – October-November 2021): Identify themes. Staff (assisted throughout this process by AB resident Linda Lanier) reviewed the questionnaire responses and identified a drumbeat of what seems to be resonating from the community members (via their survey responses) – what they love, what they are worried about, etc. 

• Step 3: (Completed – November 2021): Members of the City’s committees and advisory boards were called upon to help with this stage of the process by completing a new survey that emanated from the results of the citizen questionnaire responses. This exercise assisted staff in reality-testing, prioritizing themes and drafting a proposed Vision Statement. Indeed, staff feels that our community – not staff – fashioned this proposed Vision Statement. We are pleased to report that 28 of 38 (74 percent) of board and committee members participated in the survey. 

Board and committee member survey

Survey responses

Proposed vision statement

• Step 4: (Completed - Dec. 13, 2021) Development and approval of the finished product: The City Commission finalized and approved the community vision. The target date is Dec. 13. 

For information on the City's community visioning project, visit www.coab.us/vision; or contact Deputy City Manager Kevin Hogencamp at khogencamp@coab.us or (904) 247-5804.