Gov. Gregoire Announces 2010 Smart Communities Awards

For Immediate Release: June 4, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the winners of her 2010 Smart Communities Awards for creating livable communities in Washington state.

�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 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.

City winners are Bellevue, Tacoma, Vancouver, Snoqualmie, Chehalis, and Duvall. Partnership awards are 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.

Duvall, Chehalis and Snoqualmie were recognized for their downtown improvement projects. They also awarded the cutting-edge work by Bellevue on its Bel-Red Subarea Plan, Tacoma for its Neighborhood Centers project, and Vancouver on its Waterfront Redevelopment Plan.

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.�

Many of the projects included collaborations between government and the private sector.

Washington�s comprehensive Growth Management Act has been in place for 20 years. Using it as a framework, local communities plan and implement their vision for the future. For more information on the Governor�s Smart Communities Awards or the Growth Management Act, visit www.commerce.wa.gov/growth.

Commerce is the lead state agency charged with enhancing and promoting sustainable community and economic vitality in Washington State. For more information, please visit www.commerce.wa.gov. To learn about locating or expanding a business in Washington, visit www.choosewashington.com.

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2010 Governor�s Smart Communities Award Winners

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