Gov. Gregoire Announces 2008 Smart Communities Awards

For Immediate Release: June 5, 2008

Everett, Bremerton, Newcastle, Kirkland, Sumner, Adams County accomplishments recognized.

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire announced the winners of the 2008 Governor�s Smart Communities Awards for creating livable communities. The awards will be presented at a ceremony and reception today at 4 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall.

�As Washington works to position itself in the global economy, the work of local governments and their partners in creating vibrant, quality communities is vital to our success,� said Gregoire. �The leadership of these award winners help make Washington a great state to live and do business.�

The winning cities were Everett, Bremerton, Newcastle, Kirkland and Sumner, and a merit award was given to Adams County.

�The Smart Communities award winners reflect the wide variety of efforts that make up effective growth management planning,� said Juli Wilkerson, director of the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED). �Communities can move forward when good, collaborative work like this is being accomplished.�

Washington�s comprehensive Growth Management Act has been in place for 17 years. It offers tools to local communities to help them determine how to achieve their vision for the future.

"This is an impressive body of work by many communities," said Leonard Bauer, managing director of Growth Management Services for CTED. "The plans and projects include some of the best recent examples of creativity and innovation in developing livable communities."

2008 Smart Communities Awards

Smart Vision Award � Comprehensive Planning
City of Everett � 2006 Update of the Everett Comprehensive Plan
City of Bremerton � Downtown Regional Center Sub-area Plan

Smart Choices Award � Implementation of a Comprehensive Plan
City of Newcastle � Pulling Plans and Policies into 3-D
City of Kirkland � Incentives for Housing Choice

Smart Partnerships Award � Development Project to Implement a Plan
City of Sumner � Town Center Implementation Project

Judges� Merit Award
Adams County � Strategic Planning for Economic Development

CTED is the lead state agency charged with enhancing and promoting sustainable community and economic vitality in Washington. For more information, visit www.cted.wa.gov.

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For more information on the Smart Communities Awards or the Growth Management Act, visit www.cted.wa.gov/growth. Click on �What�s New� for information on the awards program.