 VOLUME XX, ISSUE 6 JUNE 2007
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IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR – KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
It seems that time just keeps on moving faster and faster, and that has certainly been true with my term as Chapter President. A lot was accomplished over the past two years, but there is still much more to be done. I am confident that the Washington Chapter (WA-APA) will continue its great work with incoming President Joe Tovar at the helm. In addition to Joe Tovar, congratulations to the new officers: Vice President Scott Greenberg and Treasurer Derek Chisholm. They have an exciting two years ahead of them. I also want to thank Nicole Faghin, Paul Krauss, and David Pyle for their interest in running for office. One of the many benefits of being Chapter President is that one gets to meet so many talented and dedicated people. I applaud all of the great planning work being done by all of you, and want to state my belief that our Washington Chapter’s membership epitomizes the APA slogan of “Making Great Communities Happen!” I want to express my extreme gratitude to outgoing Vice President Shane Hope, outgoing Treasurer Steve Davenport, and current Secretary Bill Grimes (whom will be continuing on for a second term). I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill my duties as Chapter President over the past two years without their extraordinary assistance and enthusiasm! I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the Washington Chapter Board of Directors is astounding! The Chapter's Board of Directors is exceptional and does a tremendous amount of hard work. This past fall, WA-APA put a lot of time, energy and money into fighting I-933, the so-called “property rights” initiative. With Joe Tovar as President-Elect and Chair of the Chapter's ad hoc Committee on Regulatory Fairness and the efforts of many of you, we helped defeat that ill-conceived initiative. The Legislative Committee (Co-Chairs Esther Larsen and Josh Peters, along with past co-chair Ivan Miller) has worked to help WA-APA become a respected voice on GMA and planning issues in Olympia. The Chapter's annual fall conferences have always been top notch, with the 2006 conference in Yakima being no exception to the rule (thanks in large part to 2006 Conference Chair Michael Kattermann); just wait until you see how spectacular this year's Joint Oregon/Washington State Chapters fall conference will be in Tacoma on October 3-5 (Washington's 2007 Conference Co-Chair Peter Huffman). The Professional Development Committee (Chair Nancy Eklund) continues to do a fantastic job in preparing our members for the AICP exam, with WA State's extremely high pass rate being the envy of many. Every year, the Scholarship Committee (Chair Paul Inghram) awards a $3,000 scholarship to a planning student at Eastern Washington University and a planning student at the University of Washington. Most of you probably aren't aware that the our Chapter is the fourth largest APA state chapter in the U.S., with much of that due to the diligent efforts of the Membership Committee (Chair Anna Nelson). The WA-APA/PAW Annual Awards program is being ably coordinated by Awards Committee Chair Bob Sokol (whom served double duty this year by also serving as Nominations Committee Chair). The Community Planning Action Committee (Co-Chairs Kristian Kofoed and Paula Reeves), which provides short-term “pro bono” planning services to small communities, will have expanded its assistance this year to three communities (compared to one city over each of the last two years). Finally, I want to thank the Section/District presidents, the other Committee chairs, the ex officio board members, and Chapter Administrator Andrew Estep. In conclusion, thank you for the honor of electing me and allowing me to serve you as the Chapter’s President over the past two years! That’s it for now. Keep on planning! 
CHAPTER ELECTS NEW MEMBERS TO THE WASHINGTON CHAPTER BOARD In April, the Chapter held elections for the positions of Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Nominating Committee consisted of Bob Sokol, Nominating Committee Chair; Bill Grimes, Chapter Secretary; and Barbara Robinson, Peninsula section member. The members of the Committee were chosen in part to give the committee geographic diversity. Avery high quality slate of candidates was identified. Over 200 members participated in the election, continuing an upward trend in member participation. The following candidates were elected:
The new Board members will assume their roles on July 1, 2007. At the same time, Joe Tovar will assume the position of Chapter President, with Steve Butler moving into the role of Past President. The new Board members are looking forward to serving on the Board. “I'm honored to have been elected as vice-president”, says Scott Greenberg. “I'm looking forward to working with my fellow board members and membership to educate our citizens and build lasting coalitions around the benefits of good planning.” Derek Chisholm expresses similar sentiments, “I am eager to serve all of the sections, the statewide organization, and to keep Southwest Washington connected.”
2007 APA/PAW JOINT AWARDS PROGRAM
For the past 21 years, The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and the Planning Association of Washington (PAW) have jointly sponsored the annual planning awards program. The goal of this program is to bring public attention and recognition to public and private sector planning efforts throughout Washington State. The program also recognizes student planning projects in university planning programs. In past years, separate award categories have included:
The 2007 Joint Award Program Announcement will arrive via e-mail and U.S. mail shortly. The deadline for submittals will be in July. The Award winners will be announced at the 2007 Joint Conference of the Washington and Oregon Chapters of the APA to be held October 3-5, 2007 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in Tacoma, Washington. For more information on the 2007 Award program, please contact Bob Sokol, AICP at bobhsokol@earthlink.net. Over the next several issues of the newsletter, award winners from 2006 will be highlighted. The Chapter website (http://www.washington-apa.org/events/awards/index.shtml) also includes a summary of all of the award winners for the past several years. This month, we will take a closer look at the honorable mention award winners in the Rural/Small Town Plan and Implementation Plan categories. Honorable Mention – Rural/Small Town Plans
The Orting Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan was produced to create a policy basis for establishing level of service standards, current and future needs, and financing strategies. A parks impact fee system was subsequently adopted, and successful grant applications have been awarded. This initiative is a model for other small towns in several ways. It was accomplished with a process tailored for the culture of the community. In addition to the planning requirements to achieve certification by the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, it also complies with the GMA mandate for parks elements. And, it features a step-by-step methodology for assessing needs and identifying solutions that can be easily amended as the Town grows and develops. National parks and recreation standards have proven to be overly generic for many towns. In Orting’s case, the landscape and history informed the process and pointed towards the desired scale and intensity of local needs. Further, the opportunities provided by the regional Foothills Trail connecting city neighborhoods, adjacent communities, and the region provided a much different perspective on linking city spaces and facilities in conjunction with other public spaces such as schools and private recreation areas. As the City worked to define current shortfalls and future needs, it engaged the community in considering alternative means to meet the needs. This led to adoption of comprehensive plan policies for level of service standards, capital facilities strategies, and the park impact fee system that is now generating funds for implementation. Honorable Mention Award – Implementation Plans
Strategically located in downtown, Kent Station is a $100 million, 470,000 square foot urban village on 18.2 acres. Beginning with land acquisition in 2001, a 17-month land entitlement process, and start of construction in July 2004, the City and Tarragon have made extraordinary efforts to bring this project to its current Phase III of completion. The project is bringing into downtown Kent a healthy mix of locally owned and operated tenants and national businesses. Callison Architects designed a project that is modern yet reflects Kent’s agricultural past. As of March 1, 2007, Phases I and II of the project are open and discussions have begun on Phase III which is expected to include over 145 units of residential. The project budget indicates a successful public/private partnership: Public Investment
Private Investment
REMINDER Last year the board approved a new chapter-only group membership opportunity. This membership is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@buckgordon.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the first of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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