2019 Governor's Smart Communities Awards
BERK projects win at the 2019 Washington Governor’s Smart Communities Awards!
Congratulations to the cities of Bonney Lake, Lakewood, and Tacoma, which received Smart Communities Awards for Smart Vision (Lakewood), Smart Housing Strategies (Tacoma), and Judges’ Merit (Bonney Lake)! The program recognizes achievements by local leaders who promote smart growth planning and projects that contribute to thriving communities, a prosperous economy, and sustainable infrastructure in Washington. BERK supported each of these projects, and we are so excited to see the cities recognized for their excellent work!
More about information about each project is below:
Bonney Lake Watershed Protection and Land Use Planning. BERK supported the City with subarea planning for four core districts – the Downtown, Mid Town, and Lake Tapps Centers and the Eastown Subarea Plan. Land use planning in these districts was coordinated with a citywide watershed planning effort and used a public health lens to maximize community benefits. BERK also delivered a pro-forma analysis to identify the economic impact of increased development and helped develop strategies to encourage new development in the Downtown Center. Public engagement included a popular series of community workshops and an interactive online platform.
Lakewood Downtown Subarea Plan. In 2018, Lakewood approved a Downtown Plan and code reflecting the community’s vision of growth and prosperity for the neighborhood. The Plan envisions a well-designed mixed-use place to live, work, and shop. The BERK team worked with City to develop a subarea plan code and planned action to move the City toward implementation of this vision. We led an extensive public outreach and engagement effort with multiple ages, language groups, property owners, and developer forums. View the materials online here.
Tacoma Affordable Housing Action Strategy. In 2018, the City of Tacoma partnered with other agencies, organizations, stakeholders, and community members to develop a comprehensive Affordable Housing Action Strategy (AHAS). The AHAS provides an actionable guide for increasing the housing supply, creating more affordable homes, preserving existing affordable homes, and removing barriers to access. To support this effort, BERK developed the Housing Market Policy Dashboard, an interactive mapping tool to explore potential impacts of policy scenarios on market-rate and affordable housing production in different neighborhoods across the city. Read more about it in our 2018 blog post.