Paradise’s Long Term Recovery Plan wins Helen Putnam award for Excellence in Planning

The Town of Paradise recently received the esteemed 2022 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Planning and Environmental Quality from The League of California Cities.

This award was given for work on the Long Term Community Recovery Plan, a community-created plan developed by residents of the Ridge to guide Paradise through the next several years of regrowth.

Upper Ridge Community Plan receives national award

Congratulations to Butte County and the rest of the project team for this national recognition!

The American Planning Association (APA) Small Town and Rural (STaR) Planning Division has awarded the Butte County Upper Ridge Community Plan the 2022 Vernon Deines Award for Outstanding Comprehensive Plan for a Large Jurisdiction. This national award recognizes comprehensive plans or special projects that exhibit excellence in the development of a small town or rural neighborhood, community, county, or region.

After suffering devasting losses in the 2018 Camp Fire, the Upper Ridge community came together to develop a com- munity-supported, long-term vision for a thriving, resilient, and sustainable future. The fire’s devastation highlighted the area’s vulnerability to wildland fires and significantly impacted its landscape, community members, and priorities. The Upper Ridge Community Plan establishes a roadmap for rebuilding that addresses the community’s immediate needs while ensuring a healthier, safer, and more resilient future. Learn more about the project by visiting https://www.buttecounty. net/dds/urcp

The plan identified 39 recovery projects to help Paradise move forward after the most destructive fire in California history, the 2018 Camp Fire. With recovery estimated to last at least a decade, a strategic plan was vital to the successful restoration of homes, businesses, schools, water systems, parks, roads, and cultural heritage.

The plan was created through a dynamic public engagement process with several town meetings and workshops that captured residents’ ideas, visions, and goals for the future of Paradise.

The Helen Putnam Awards were established in 1982 by the League of California Cities, and are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements by California’s 482 cities.

“We knew we needed a plan to help navigate the restoration of the Town,” said Colette Curtis, Recovery and Economic Development Director. “But we knew it would only be successful if it was created by, and for, the residents of the Town.”

The creation of the plan was informed by a robust public engagement process including a number of town meetings and workshops, designed to capture residents’ ideas, visions, and goals for the future of Paradise.

Established in 1982 by the League of California Cities, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence is given annually and recognizes outstanding achievements by California’s 482 cities.