Congrats to Three Cities, a Port and a County

Q: What do City of Hoquiam, City of Aberdeen, City of Sedro-Woolley, Port of Skagit, and Skagit County all have in common? 

A: They recently were named 2017 Governor’s Smart Communities Award Winners – and they are all MFA clients!

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee recently announced the 2017 Smart Communities Awards which included:

Smart Vision Award – City of Hoquiam and City of Aberdeen TimberWorks Resiliency and Restoration Master Plan.

This innovative partnership between two cities is focused on reducing the risk of flooding in their communities.  The study looks at both natural (green) and engineered (gray) solutions for infrastructure to manage stormwater and mitigate flooding.  MFA is continuing to support the clients in implementation by designing a high priority urban creek flood reduction and habitat restoration project.

Smart Choices Award – City of Sedro-Woolley, Port of Skagit, and Skagit County Subarea Plan and Planned Action EIS for the former Northern State Hospital.

This model public-private partnership applied planning tools to establish a framework for implementation of a community vision to transform a National Register Historic District property into a new Center for Innovation.  MFA is currently designing the first phase of redevelopment for a mixed-use campus including facilities for research and development, education, hospitality, high tech manufacturing, and public open space.

The communities also share common ground in that their award-winning projects demonstrate the power of partnerships, community engagement, and creative planning to achieve ambitious goals.

“These projects help create and sustain thriving communities. They facilitate the growth of local economies by creating “quality of place” that can help retain and attract business and broaden the economic growth around the state,” said Gov. Inslee.

Congratulations to these municipalities and organizations for promoting smart growth!

Click on the following links to read more about these projects:

http://www.thedailyworld.com/news/aberdeen-hoquiam-team-to-win-2017-governors-smart-communities-award/

http://www.commerce.wa.gov/news-releases/community-programs-facilities/2017-governors-smart-communities-award-winners-announced/