Gov. Chris Gregoire Friday announced the City of Tacoma has received a Smart Choices Award for its effort in creating a livable community in Washington state. The City received the award for its project updating the mixed-use centers comprehensive plan related to neighborhood centers.
The nominees and award winners are considered models for other communities in planning for smart growth. Their work demonstrates innovative and wise use of land use, resource management and transportation planning resources to deliver a clear and long-term benefit to the community; effective city-county partnerships and significant public participation; and the incorporation of key components in their growth plans such as affordable housing, density that supports transportation and reduces vehicle miles traveled, and downtown revitalization that draws people and business to support economic vitality in traditional business districts.
Other city winners include Bellevue, Vancouver, Snoqualmie, Chehalis, and Duvall. Partnership awards were given to Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham for work on their county-wide Housing Action Taskforce, and to Skagit County for a county-wide urban growth area open space plan. The judges also selected the cities of Seattle and Hoquiam, and Grays Harbor County for merit awards.
“As Washington recovers from this downturn in the economy, the work of local governments and their partners in creating vibrant, quality communities is vital,” said Gov. Gregoire. “The leadership of these award winners helps to make Washington a great state in which to live and do business.”
The Governor’s Smart Communities Awards to counties will be presented June 16 at the Washington State Association of Counties joint district meeting in Grand Mound. City winners will receive awards at the Association of Washington Cities annual conference in Vancouver on June 24.
“The 2010 Governor’s Smart Communities Award winners reflect the wide variety of efforts and collaborations that make up growth management planning in Washington,” said Rogers Weed, Director, Washington State Department of Commerce. “Communities can move forward economically when good, collaborative work like this is being accomplished.”
The 2010 Governor’s Smart Communities Award winners and categories are:
Smart Vision Award / Comprehensive Planning
— Skagit County-wide Urban Growth Area Open Space Plan
— City of Bellevue Bel-Red Subarea Plan
— City of Snoqualmie Downtown Master Plan
Smart Choices Award / Implementation of a Comprehensive Plan
— Whatcom County and City of Bellingham Housing Action Plan
— City of Tacoma Mixed-use Centers Update Project
— City of Chehalis Renaissance Project Downtown Revitalization Plan
Smart Partnerships Award / Development Project to Implement a Plan
— City of Vancouver Waterfront Development Master Plan
— City of Duvall Main Street Reconstruction Project
Judges’ Merit Award
— City of Seattle Neighborhood Planning Outreach & Engagement
— Grays Harbor 2020 Vision and Action Plan: Building a Sustainable Grays Harbor
— City of Hoquiam Residential Sidewalk Partnership program
Other 2010 Nominees
— Kittitas County / Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan GMA Compliance
— City of Everett / Everett Marshland subarea plan
— City of Olympia / Imagine Olympia Public Participation Program
— City of Sammamish / Shoreline Master Program
— City of Fife / Prescription pill and drug disposal program (P2D2)
— City of Orting / Orting Downtown Vision Plan
— City of Woodinville / Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
— City of Fife / City of Fife LID (low impact development) codes
— City of Auburn / One Main Street Professional Plaza
