Port Orchard revitalization plan an award winner

EDAW, Inc., was among those recently recognized by the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Planning Association of Washington’s 2005 Joint Awards Program.

The association’s Rural/Small Town Plans Honor Award went to EDAW, Inc., for its “Port Orchard Economic Development Plan.” The Port Orchard Economic Development Plan resulted from a six-month study to identify opportunities for the revitalization of the Port Orchard’s historic downtown.

More than 60 pages long, the document includes a detailed color profile of 20 projects EDAW said will serve as catalysts for the continued economic redevelopment of downtown Port Orchard.

For every project, EDAW lists the project’s location, its timeframe, which group or governmental entity should take responsibility for the project, its economic benefit in the community, a description and step-by-step instructions for completing the project.

A collaborative effort comprised of local citizens, business owners, Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel, the Port Orchard City Council’s Economic Development Committee, and staff — together with the Sandy Fischer and Jill Sterrett of EDAW, Inc. and Greg Easton Property Counselors – created a plan that reflects community values and establishes specific steps that the local community can take to achieve a successful downtown.

“I think this award is about the process we used, the involvement of the citizens and the depth of the plan,” said Councilmember Rita DiIenno, chair of the Port Orchard Revitalization Team (P.O.R.T.). “(Before this award), we really never did have an official way to applaud (the P.O.R.T.’s) hours of effort working with EDAW to put the plan together.”

The council has now adopted six of the 20 catalyst projects recommended in the plan.

Each year, Washington’s two planning associations come together to solicit award submissions from throughout the state. Twenty-two projects were submitted this year in eight categories. Seven received Merit awards, the top honor, and five Honor Awards were also presented. The Port Orchard project received an Honor Award.

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