Susan Kenney is the President and founder of SGK Associates, Inc., which focuses on the planning and implementation of walkable and bikable communities. Ms Kenney is a Certified Professional Planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a Congress for the New Urbanism-CNU-Accredited Professional. She holds a Master of City Planning degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and received a Management and Planning Certificate from the National Charrette Institute.
Prior to SGK Associates, Inc., Ms. Kenney served as the first Town Planner hired for the Town of Juno Beach, Florida and served as the Department head and Planning and Zoning Director. She managed all planning and zoning activity, coordinated the design of roadways and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and initiated and coordinated the beautification of the Town. Most of the improvements and beautification were financed with grants, non-city public funding sources, and resident purchase programs that she initiated and applied for. Prior to this, Ms. Kenney was a city planner for the City of West Palm Beach, FL and worked on the Comprehensive Plan, Transportation planning, and on special projects such as the proposed convention center and the proposed waterfront market place.
While with the Town of Juno Beach, Ms. Kenney was the Chairperson of the Palm Beach County, FL Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (MPO BPAC) for six years and worked with the other Committee members, cities, county, and FDOT staff, to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Palm Beach County. She was also Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Plan Amendment Review Committee (an organization of Palm Beach County and City planning directors to improve planning coordination among local governments).
While a resident of North Palm Beach, FL Ms. Kenney served on their Planning and Zoning Board, and in Fort Worth, TX, she donated her services by initiating, organizing, and creating Safe Routes to School Plans for her community. These Safe Routes to School Plans involved the Schools, PTA’s, School District, City of Fort Worth Public Works and Transportation Dept., and community. These Plans resulted in the City applying for and receiving $366,000 for bicycle and pedestrian improvements to neighborhood schools.
Ms. Kenney enjoys working with residents, property/business owners, and public agencies, to make their communities safer, and more beautiful, walkable, bikable, healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable which results in communities being more Livable.
Selected Projects:
SGK Associates Projects
- Safe Routes to School Plan for Park Glen Elementary, Fort Worth, TX
- Safe Routes to School Plan for Parkwood Hill Intermediate, Fort Worth, TX
- Safe Routes to School Plan for Hillwood Middle, Fort Worth, TX
- Coordinated and managed a Charrette (brainstorming session) for three public schools and their neighborhood in the City of Fort Worth, TX,
- Walk-or-Wheel to School (WOW) Program – an encouragement program established for Park Glen Elementary, Fort Worth, TX.
- Bicycle/Pedestrian Access Study for two public parks in the City of Watauga, TX
Town of Juno Beach, FL
Bicycle and Pedestrian Related Projects:
- Applied for and received $1.3 million in Federal funds for a 5.3 mile bicycle and pedestrian project in Juno Beach and Jupiter, Florida which resulted in a regional recreational corridor along the beautiful ocean for Palm Beach County.
- Coordinated a concept Charrette for 600 acres of Environmentally Sensitive Lands that are adjacent to the Town of Juno Beach limits. The Charrette included participants from the staff and public of Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Palm Beach County. The Charrette generated ideas and concepts for bicycle and pedestrian users within this area.
- Developed a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian system.
- Developed typical roadway sections for all significant roadways. The roadway designs include bike lanes, sidewalks, and street trees on each of these roadways.
- Worked with Palm Beach County on the design plans for the widening of Donald Ross Road and the new bridge to include the Town’s adopted typical section and to achieve some architectural detail on the bridge.
- Coordinated the construction of sidewalk projects from the permitting process to construction completion.
Beautification and Landscape Projects:
- Coordinated the design and implementation of and applied for and received state grants in the following landscape projects for the Town of Juno Beach:
Donald Ross Road Street Tree Planting
Pelican Lake Park Phase I and II
Pelican Lake Park Phase III
U.S. Highway One Street Tree Planting (FDOT)
A-1-A (Ocean Drive) Street Tree Planting
- Created and coordinated a “Tree Planting Program” for Pelican Lake Park in Juno Beach. This program provided the funding for many of the trees in the park by offering residents and visitors the opportunity to purchase trees with an individualized plaque.
Redevelopment/Neighborhood Plans:
- Worked with the residents of three (3) historic beach cottage areas to create historic district zoning regulations for each of those areas.
- Worked with the residents of seven (7) different residential neighborhood areas to create a new set of distinct zoning district regulations for each of the neighborhoods.
Planning and Zoning General:
- Oversaw all planning and zoning activity for the Town of Juno Beach. Oversaw the beautification of the Town, through the landscaping of streets and public parks. Oversaw the planning of roadways, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities in the Town.
- Reviewed site plans, special exceptions, variances, rezonings. Wrote comprehensive plan amendments, zoning code revisions, and annexation reports. Rewrote much of the Zoning Code including but not limited to the Landscape code, Parking code, Sign code, Site Plan and Appearance Review Procedures and Standards, and Coastal Code for the Town of Juno Beach.
- Coordinated and managed many public meetings and a Charrette for the Town of Juno Beach, FL.
Coordination among Adjoining Cities and County
- Worked with FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation), Metropolitan Planning Organization for Palm Beach County, FL (MPO), the Village of North Palm Beach, FL, and the City of Palm Beach Gardens, FL to achieve bike lanes and a sidewalk on State Road A-1-A from MacArthur State Park to U.S. Highway 1 (2.1 miles) as part of a resurfacing project.
- Applied for and was designated one of Florida’s 150 Greenways for the 13 mile State Road A-1-A bicycle lane and pedestrian project from the Village of North Palm Beach, through the City of Palm Beach Gardens, Town of Juno Beach, and the Town of Jupiter in Florida.
- Worked with FDOT on the design plans for the widening of U.S. Highway One from North Palm Beach to Jupiter to include bike lanes. FDOT has included bike lanes on their proposed widening plans for U.S. Highway One.
Former Chairperson of Palm Beach County MPO BPAC
- As Chairperson of the Palm Beach County, FL Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (MPO BPAC) for six years, worked with the Palm Beach County Engineering Department and MPO to adopt new typical roadway sections for bicyclists and pedestrians for Palm Beach County. This resulted in paved shoulders being added with every new construction or repaving project.
West Palm Beach, FL
Selected Projects:
- Comprehensive PlanUpdate
- Recreation and Open Space Element of Comprehensive Plan
- Redevelopment: site preferences for proposed convention center and waterfront market place
- Transportation computer modeling
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