2015 Winners
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
BEST PRACTICES AWARD
Kane County Planning Cooperative
Kane County, Illinois
An Award of Excellence to Kane County, Illinois, in the Best Practices category for the Kane County Planning Cooperative. The Kane County Board has utilized a "health in all policies" approach to planning since the adoption of the Kane County 2040 Plan and the launch of the Kane County Planning Cooperative (KCPC) in 2012. The KCPC's implementation strategy, which is based on integrating Kane County's Health, Transportation and Development Department planning efforts, has been ongoing and has had recent success in implementing the Kane County 2040 Plan. The overarching theme of the 2040 Plan — Healthy People, Healthy Living and Healthy Communities — provides a unified vision for the County as they strive to achieve their primary goal of having the healthiest residents in Illinois by the year 2030.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AWARD, LARGE JURISDICTION
Open Space, Parks and Trails Master Plan
Adams County, Colorado
An Award of Excellence to Adams County, Colorado, in the Comprehensive Plan — Large Jurisdiction category for the Open Space, Parks and Trails Master Plan. The plan for Adams County provides a vision that was lacking for the County to address tremendous changes that have occurred as urbanization has rapidly spread to rural areas. The Master Plan update provided the opportunity to be forward thinking about the parks, trails and recreation needs of residents for the next ten years, and propose a new role of open space to serve as a garden for a metropolis. The strategies provided within the Master Plan chart a course to preserve natural resources, address issues of food production and preservation of local agriculture, and include opportunities for residents to experience the outdoors in natural settings. This plan strikes a balance between the multitude of urban and rural community values and adapts the open space and parks program to the present and future needs of the changing population.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
PLANNING PROJECT AWARD
Pike & Rose
Montgomery County, Maryland
An Award of Excellence to Montgomery County, Maryland, in the Planning Project category for the Pike & Rose project. Pike & Rose is a 24-acre community located a quarter mile from the White Flint Metro station in North Bethesda, Maryland. This mixed-use development replaces the outdated, 1960s Mid-Pike Plaza and, in doing so, is significant to the planning field in being one of the nation's first projects to transform a functioning strip retail center and acres of surface parking into a vibrant, walkable neighborhood. Pike & Rose is a place designed to attract a convergence of lifestyles in order to make suburban living more interesting and exciting. The planned 3.5 million square feet of offices, housing, restaurants, retail and amenities are designed to serve diverse constituencies within the metropolitan Washington, DC area.
AWARD OF MERIT
BEST PRACTICES AWARD
Westchester 2025 Comprehensive Plan Base Studies Program
Westchester County, New York
An Award of Merit to Westchester County, New York, in the Best Practices category for the Westchester 2025 Comprehensive Plan Base Studies Program. As part of Westchester 2025: Plan Together, the County's long-range land use planning initiative, the Westchester County Department of Planning created a new program to facilitate the preparation of municipal comprehensive plans in the County. This tool assembles maps, charts, figures and analysis, in the form of web-based data sets representing the "base studies" that planners have always used to draft comprehensive plans. The project is a shared services program that saves municipalities money and facilitates community planning.
AWARD OF MERIT
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AWARD, LARGE JURISDICTION
Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan, Montco 2040
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
An Award of Merit to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the Comprehensive Plan — Large Jurisdiction category for the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan, Montco 2040. The Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan, Montco 2040, shaped around three major themes: connected communities, sustainable places, and vibrant economy, was developed through a dynamic and innovative two-year community planning process. Plan implementation guidance for the initial year was developed as part of the plan adoption. Montco 2040 will be implemented in a variety of ways. Many goals will be implemented directly by the County, but many will also be implemented by the County's partners, such as local municipalities, PennDOT, the Turnpike Commission, SEPTA and other government agencies.