Editor's note: This letter comes from Jonathan Verity, chairman of Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, a group that interacts with many key projects underway in Beaufort such as the Boundary and Bladen Streets planning and new master plan. They have a meeting this Thursday at 5 p.m. See that agenda here.

As the newly-named chairman of the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, I’d like to provide some clarity about who we are, what our mission is, and how we are going to get there.

The Commission is made up of nine members, all from the private sector except for one City Council member, Mike McFee. We are appointed for two-year terms renewable by the City Council. Through public/private partnerships and other collaborative efforts with stakeholders, we are charged with matching public and private assets to opportunities within the community.

To do this work, we have three working committees:

- Finance Committee, with a goal of understanding the possible options for funding the projects we develop.
- Commercial Redevelopment Committee, which focuses on commercial opportunities and commercial in-fill.
- Residential Development Committee, which focuses on workforce housing, both new and rehab, as well as other infill opportunities.

After City Council recently reviewed our charter, we no longer are involved with the Beaufort parking issue, although a portion of the parking revenues can be used to help fund our projects if approved by the City Council.

We meet at 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at City Hall, and the public is invited. We welcome your ideas and input. The members of the commission include myself; Michael McNally, vice chair and chair of Residential Redevelopment Committee; Martin Goodman, chair of the Commercial Redevelopment Committee; Wendy Zara, chair of the Finance Committee; Edwin Barnhart; Pat Case; Henrietta Goode; and Keith Waldrop.

If you have any questions, a good place to find more information about the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission is www.cityofbeaufort.org