2013 Award Winners

2013 APA Florida Project Awards Awards of Merit Florida TOD Guidebook CATEGORY:

Best Practices

The Florida TOD Guidebook provides statewide guidance and research designed to advance transit-oriented development (TOD) in Florida. The Guidebook includes a review of literature, best practices, and case studies; original research to develop and match up the variety of TOD “place types” with the many different transit types and scenarios found in Florida; model comprehensive plan policies and land development regulations (LDRs); and implementation guidance. The Guidebook provides a resource base for local governments, agencies, the private sector, and the public to better understand how to produce land use conditions to better correspond to and reinforce transportation investments, particularly transit.

PROJECT AWARDS

The Lake Alfred Downtown Master Plan CATEGORY:

Neighborhood Planning

The City of Lake Alfred’s downtown was recently bisected by a realignment of US Highway 17/92. The Lake Alfred Downtown Master Plan is a cross between a longterm vision document and an immediate change through short-term and long-term action projects, with potential revenue streams identified. Residents, business owners, and even school children participated in the crafting of the Plan through an extensive outreach program. Ultimately, the Lake Alfred Community chose a unique pedestrian boulevard experience with a walkable mixed-use future development so that their City will achieve their vision to be a vibrant place where people feel welcomed.

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College Park District Action Plan CATEGORY:

Student Project

The College Park District Action Plan is the work of eleven graduate students in the Florida State University (FSU) Department of Urban and Regional Planning. It envisions the transformation of the area between FSU and Downtown Tallahassee into a vibrant, urban place where Town and Gown meet to live, work, and play. The Plan achieves this through four strategies for redevelopment of the District: Enhancing Comfort and Image, Upgrading Infrastructure, Improving Transportation Facilities, and Encouraging Infill Development.

With numerous site-specific recommendations, the implementation of this plan will hopefully lead to an exciting destination in Tallahassee with a unique sense of place.

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APA Florida 2013

PROJECT AWARDS Rosen Centre, Orlando Florida September 10-13, 2013

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2013 APA Florida Project Awards

2013 APA Florida Project Awards

Awards of Excellence

Awards of Merit

Nathan Benderson Park Project

Thornby Park and Playground

CATEGORY:

Planning Project

CATEGORY:

Grassroots Initative

Nathan Benderson Park was a former unimproved borrow pit lake that is being transformed into a 600-acre regional park with a world‐class rowing venue. The project is a partnership of the county, state, private developer, recreation experts, rowing clubs, and local citizenry. A sports tourism opportunity was identified in the park design, in which the rowing element plays an important role in attracting international attention for world-class competitive events. The park’s events bring in economic, quality of life and health benefits that far exceed the financial investments.

The historic Thornby property is 40 acres of Old Florida-style woods and huge native trees on the St. Johns River – Florida’s only American Heritage River. The property is home to wetlands, historic artifacts and an old railroad trestle. Thirteen years ago, a proposed land use change would have put hundreds of condominiums on the property.

A nine-year grassroots struggle to maintain the existing density of one per acre led to public purchase in 2009 and development of park facilities over the next four years.

Today, Thornby Park is a City of Deltona public park and a “boundless” (completely handicapped-accessible) playground.

Envision Alachua

CATEGORY:

CATEGORY:

Best Practices

In response to a request from Alachua County to prepare a master plan for the 65,000 acres it owns in the county, Plum Creek, one of the largest land-owners in the nation, chose a pro-active approach that emphasized a robust stakeholder and community engagement process known as Envision Alachua.

Plum Creek convened a Task Force representing economic development, business, local government, education, faith-based, environmental, and conservation communities. To maintain transparency, the Envision Alachua meetings, workshops and events were open to the public and professionally videotaped. The videos, along with meeting agendas, summaries, presentations and other materials are posted on the project website. The resulting product was a document that articulates a long-term vision for Plum Creek’s lands in Alachua County and the goals and guiding principles to support implementation.

Awards of Merit NE 6th St/Sistrunk Corridor Neighborhood Enhancement and Revitalization Project CATEGORY:

Planning Project

The NE 6th St./Sistrunk Corridor Neighborhood Enhancement and Revitalization Project is a comprehensive revitalization of the area of Fort Lauderdale that was home to its original African American community and business district. The widening of Sistrunk Boulevard resulted in both the loss of the business corridor and deterioration of the surrounding neighborhood areas. A sustainable, community driven Implementation Plan and investment in this 1,300 acre area by the Fort Lauderdale CRA, starting with a $15 million enhancement of NW 6th Street (Sistrunk Blvd) and NE 6th Street, changed the street into a distinctive, walkable destination.

Volunteer Beach Stewardship Program Grassroots Initiative

The City of Marco Island Volunteer Beach Stewardship Program, which commenced its mission in May 2012, strives to educate and inform the beach going public of proper beach etiquette and stewardship of its 6-miles of white sand coastline. Like many other Florida communities, the City recognized that its citizens and visitors needed to understand the importance of these resources but, given budgetary constraints, needed to rely on volunteers to help with this education. The program was comprehensive and took a friendly, educational tactic instead of a regulatory one. Beyond just being prepared with information regarding stewardship of the natural resources, the Beach Stewardship volunteers are also trained as local economic ambassadors, prepared to provide information about local sites, events, and directions.

Planning for Climate Change: Broward County Climate Change Element CATEGORY:

Comprehensive Plan -Large

The Climate Change Element of the Broward County Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2013 provides a framework for integrating the economic, environmental, and social factors of climate change. A county-wide strategy, based on local vulnerability and consistent with regional efforts, the Element aims to mitigate the causes and address the local implications of global climate change to build a sustainable, climate resilient community.

The Element builds on existing planning initiatives, such as the Broward Climate Change Action Plan, takes a comprehensive view of the challenges of climate change, and may act as a template for consideration by other jurisdictions.

InVision Tampa CATEGORY:

Best Practices

The City of Tampa, with the benefit of significant community input, provided a view toward its future as a successful and competitive waterfront city through its InVision Tampa Center City Plan. The Plan places downtown and the close-in neighborhoods on a path toward a 21st century model of livability, sustainability, and economic vitality based on five Building Blocks: a re-imagined and refocused waterfront; livable connections where streets are neighborhood-focused, connected, and calm; an urban pattern that is built to support transit; strong and livable Center City neighborhoods that are vibrant, diverse, safe, sustainable, and unique local places; and a mixed-use, walkable downtown core repositioned as a desirable local place for people to live.