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Project Summaries
On this page are summaries of the technical assistance projects conducted under the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program. The reports from each technical assistance visit will be added to this page as they are completed.
Click here for reports from the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance for Coastal Communities, done in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
- Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island
- Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia
- California Department of Transportation
- Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- College Park, Maryland
- Denver, Colorado
- Driggs and Victor, Idaho
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Laconia, New Hampshire
- McCall, Idaho
- Miami-Dade County, Florida
- New York City, New York
- Sanitation District No. 1, Northern Kentucky
- Spokane, Washington
- Taos, New Mexico
- Valley Metro Transit, Phoenix, and Mesa, Arizona
Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island
Site visits: Dec. 7-9, 2005 and Mar. 6-7, 2006
In November 2005, the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) released The Aquidneck Island West Side Master Plan, which was the result of years of public meetings, discussions, and visioning exercises. The West Side Master Plan was produced by a broad stakeholder coalition and was meant to support important, common interests in shaping the future of the West Side. As one of the first steps to implement the vision laid out in the West Side Master Plan, the AIPC and Rhode Island Sea Grant applied to the SGIA program to help them develop options and tools. The EPA team's discussions with town and city planning staff, municipal board and commission members, and the AIPC staff resulted in a consensus that the most useful assistance under this project would be zoning options for mixed-use development and design review.
The EPA team developed approaches for mixed-use zoning standards, design guidelines, and review processes in three communities, including some options for future growth in specific sites in each community. The team also developed strategies to improve the West Main Road corridor, shared by all three communities. For each of the sites, and for development review in general, the team emphasized the importance of density, design, and a mix of uses to create the lively, compact village centers envisioned by the West Side Master Plan.
EPA project manager: Lynn Richards (202-566-2858, richards.lynn@epa.gov)
Local contacts: Tina Dolen (401-845-9299, tina@aquidneckplanning.org), Executive Director, Aquidneck Island Planning Commission
Pam Rubinoff (401-874-6135, rubi@gso.uri.edu), Rhode Island Sea Grant
Report: Implementing the Aquidneck Island West Side Master Plan (PDF) (120 pp, 3.1M, About PDF)
Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia
Site visit: Jan. 10-17, 2009
As the Atlanta region grows, older adults are becoming an ever-increasing segment of the population. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), a local organization working on growth and development issues, understands that the region needs to develop a land use strategy that accommodates the needs of older adults along with the general population. Part of this strategy includes compact, walkable neighborhoods where seniors can live near services and social opportunities in existing communities. Such neighborhoods will mean that seniors and other residents can drive less in their daily activities, which can help reduce air pollution from automobiles, and they also help preserve open space from development, which protects environmental resources and recreational areas. ARC requested SGIA assistance for a policy analysis to devise a housing-focused land use strategy that can provide additional opportunities for older adults. The city of Fayetteville and Fayetteville Senior Services will serve as the local model for this process.
Support and Partners: Local support during planning and implementation includes the Atlanta Regional Commission, the city of Fayetteville, and Fayetteville Senior Services. Other partners include the Fayetteville Downtown Development Authority and the Main Street Tourism Association.
EPA project manager: Brett Van Akkeren (202-566-2865, vanakkeren.brett@epa.gov)
Local contact: Kathryn Lawler (404-668-0432, klawler@atlantaregional.com), Aging Division of the Atlanta Regional Commission
California Department of Transportation
Site visits: Sept. 17-18, 2008 and June 16, 2009
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) wants to help Californians get around more easily and cost effectively. This project seeks to develop a "smart mobility scorecard" that evaluates the transportation options available for urban, suburban, and rural residents. The scorecard will be used to evaluate and provide input to local and regional land use plans to assess whether a community is being designed in a way to provides transportation choices. Where these choices exist, Caltrans will invest its resources and funding to support them. Examples would include investment in transit-oriented development, bike lanes, and safe routes to school programs. These investments will help reduce pollution from automobiles. Caltrans requested SGIA assistance to develop this scorecard and determine how to apply it.
Support and Partners: Caltrans will work with staff of the state Housing and Community Development Department to coordinate distribution of funds according to the smart mobility scorecard.
EPA project manager: Clark Wilson (202-566-2880, wilson.clark@epa.gov)
Local contact: Chris Ratekin (916-653-4615, chris.ratekin@dot.ca.gov), Senior Transportation Planner, California Department of Transportation
Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut
Site visit: May 14-16, 2009
The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) has been a long-time proponent of the environment, social, and economic benefits of smart growth. CRCOG recognized an opportunity to integrate renewed state efforts to add affordable housing with implementation of smart growth practices in its member municipalities. The state of Connecticut seeks to identify and encourage locations for affordable housing that are close to transit and job centers. To accomplish this, the state offers municipalities financial incentives to enact "incentive housing zones" that encourage affordable housing development. CRCOG requested EPA assistance with technical policy analysis and public participation processes to develop and promote model smart growth regulations that include provisions for incentive housing zones in rural, suburban, and urban areas in the Capitol region.
Support and partners: Towns of Bloomfield, Manchester, South Windsor, and Tolland; Partnership for Strong Communities; University of Hartford; and American Farmland Trust
EPA project manager: Danielle Arigoni (202-566-2859, arigoni.danielle@epa.gov)
Local contact: Mary Ellen Kowalewski (860-522-2217 ext. 222, mkowalewski@crcog.org), CRCOG Director of Community Development
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Site visit: May 2-4, 2006
By 2030, the Cheyenne region could have 56,000 new residents. To make sure that growth benefits the entire community, Cheyenne residents have been working together to articulate a vision for growth and development. The result is PlanCheyenne
, a new comprehensive plan for the region that encourages growth in existing neighborhoods and downtown and promotes new neighborhoods that are built according to smart growth principles. The city requested assistance from EPA to: 1) identify policy options that would implement PlanCheyenne; and 2) illustrate development that would help to achieve the community's goals articulated in PlanCheyenne.
The city held a public design workshop to formulate a development plan consistent with PlanCheyenne and to identify policy options that the city could pursue to achieve its development goals. The resulting development plan envisioned a new neighborhood with a mix of housing types, a walkable and vibrant main street district, new parks and neighborhood schools, and bike paths and streets that are safe and comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars. Workshop participants also identified possible changes to the city's development and transportation rules and processes that could make it easier and more economically viable for developers to build the kinds of places and neighborhoods that residents desire.
EPA project manager: Adhir Kackar (202-566-2846, kackar.adhir@epa.gov)
Local contact: Matt Ashby (307-637-6271, mashby@cheyennecity.org), Urban Planning Director, Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization
Report: Implementing PlanCheyenne: Strategies and Opportunities for Smarter Growth in Cheyenne (PDF) (52 pp, 6.7 MB,About PDF)
College Park, Maryland
Site visit: Jan. 19-21, 2006
Residents and local leaders in College Park expressed a vision in the city's 2002 Sector Plan for development along U.S. Route 1 that is walkable and bikeable, lively and functional, that enables a range of businesses (new and existing) to complement one another, and that manages traffic while serving as a gateway to the community and the University of Maryland. However, after four years of implementation efforts, the vision is still not being realized. As part of its response to this situation, the city of College Park requested assistance to understand the disconnect between the vision for the Route 1 corridor and current development and to get the tools to address it.
In response to the city's request, and drawing on best practices from around the country, local data, and the expertise of local residents and professionals, the EPA assistance team worked with local partners to develop options for the city and county to help move the Route 1 corridor toward the vision. The team's report was approved by the city council. Many of the options were discussed with county officials, who have direct influence over site planning.
In the months following the report's approval, the city of College Park implemented two of the key options outlined in the report: preparing a form-based code to better direct the redevelopment of the commercial corridor, and undertaking a transportation demand management study to identify appropriate measures for reducing traffic congestion, including the feasibility of a Route 1 trolley. The city is exploring other elements, such as enhancements to the development process, with county officials.
Funding partners: City of College Park, Prince George's County
EPA project manager: Kevin Nelson (202-566-2835, nelson.kevin@epa.gov)
Local contact: Terry Schum (301-277-3445 ext. 228, tschum@collegeparkmd.gov), Director of Planning, City of College Park
Report: Achieving the Vision: Options for the College Park U.S. Route 1 Corridor (PDF) (75 pp, 4.8 MB,About PDF)
Denver, Colorado
The city of Denver launched the Living Streets Initiative to transform arterials in the city into vibrant, active, pedestrian- and transit-friendly places. They asked for EPA’s help to better understand how the concept of living streets could apply to commercial corridors throughout the city. They also requested assistance to identify policies and actions that would help the city better coordinate land use transportation planning and investments and implement the living streets effort. The EPA team’s report presents three principles and design strategies to implement living streets along commercial corridors in the city and region: (1) reduce the number of lanes dedicated to cars; (2) create a pedestrian- and transit-friendly streetscape; and (3) relate development to the street. The report also identifies policy actions that can support living streets in Denver.
Support and Partners: Mayor John Hickenlooper and managers of the city of Denver's Community Planning and Development & Public Works Departments.
EPA project manager: Adhir Kackar (202-566-2846, kackar.adhir@epa.gov)
Local contact: Crissy Fanganello (720-865-3026, crissy.fanganello@denvergov.org), Department of Public Works, City and County of Denver.
Report: Implementing Living Streets: Ideas and Opportunities for the City and County of Denver (PDF) (71 pp, 6.0MB).
Driggs and Victor, Idaho
Site visit: Oct. 23-26, 2006
The cities of Driggs and Victor, two small communities in Idaho's Teton County, partnered with Valley Advocates for Responsible Development, a local nonprofit organization concerned about growth issues, to request an analysis of the barriers and opportunities for infill redevelopment. The consulting team conducted a market overview for Teton County and the cities of Victor and Driggs to ground the discussion of the regulatory barriers to infill development. Next, the team analyzed the existing policies, codes, ordinances, and design guidelines that provide the structure for new development and redevelopment. The team also looked at the policies and context related to the pedestrian environment, parking, and other transportation issues that influence land development patterns. Finally, the team conducted a visioning exercise for development in downtown Victor.
Funding partners: City of Driggs, City of Victor, Valley Advocates for Responsible Development
EPA project manager: Matthew Dalbey (202-566-2860, dalbey.matthew@epa.gov)
Local contacts: Cari Golden (208-787-2940,
victcitycg@tetontel.com), Planning and Zoning Administrator, City of Victor
Kathy Rinaldi (208-354-1707, kathy@tetonvalleyadvocates.org), Executive Director, Valley Advocates for Responsible Development
Doug Self (208-354-2362, pzdriggs@pdt.net), Planning and Zoning Administrator, City of Driggs
Report: Growing Our Own Communities (PDF) (59 pp, 2.9M, About PDF)
Appendices A and B: Victor and Driggs SGIA Overview and Full Market Overview (PDF) (53 pp, 347K, About PDF)
Appendices C and D: Connectivity Primer and Example of Downtown Parking Guidelines (PDF) (32 pp, 859K, About PDF)
Appendix E: Small Lot Zoning Discussion and Design Guidelines (PDF) (34 pp, 3.4M, About PDF)
Appendix F: Planned Development District/TND Design Guidelines (PDF) (29 pp, 6.5M, About PDF)
Appendices G and H: Discussion of the Huntsman Springs Preliminary Site Plan and Additional Resources (PDF) (7 pp, 232K, About PDF)
Greensboro, North Carolina
Site visit: May 2, 2008
Through its Greensboro Connections 2025plan, the city of Greensboro has articulated a vision for future growth that makes best use of infill opportunities in its historic urban core. Greensboro's seven colleges and universities drive the city's economy and physical development, particularly in and around downtown. The public- and private-sector decisions on how best to serve these institutions and their staff, faculty, and students will have a dramatic effect on the type, pattern, and scale of investment in Greensboro's existing communities. The city asked EPA for assistance in engaging the colleges and universities in a collaborative effort to improve economic and community development.
The University Roundtable, led by Mayor Yvonne Johnson, grew out of this assistance. Presidents, chancellors, and deans from all seven institutions, along with representatives of economic development agencies, neighborhood groups, historic preservationists, and local government officials, participated in a one-day meeting to begin the collaboration. The roundtable workshop found consensus around five strategic approaches for Greensboro to better leverage its colleges and universities:
- Re-envision Greensboro as a "college town";
- Collaborate on physical development projects;
- Create economic development partnerships;
- Enhance the colleges and universities' role in promoting neighborhood stability, and;
- Address sustainability and respond to climate change.
Funding partner: City of Greensboro
EPA project manager: Danielle Arigoni (202-566-2859, arigoni.danielle@epa.gov)
Local contact: Russ Clegg (336-373-2349, russ.clegg@greensboro-nc.gov), Project Manager, City of Greensboro
Report: Collaborating on Greensboro's Future: The University Roundtable and Next Steps (PDF) (31 pp, 3M, About PDF)
Report appendices (PDF) (96 pp, 8.3M, About PDF)
Laconia, New Hampshire
Site visit: Dec. 11-13, 2006
A booming tourism industry and a strong market for vacation and retirement homes have put substantial growth pressures on the city of Laconia. At the same time, three existing neighborhood centers are in need of reinvestment and rejuvenation. In response, the city engaged the public in adopting a new master plan designed to protect water resources, create walkable neighborhoods, and strengthen the neighborhood centers. The city asked the EPA assistance team to generate a vision and supporting policy ideas for each of the three neighborhood centers. Laconia's goal is to encourage reinvestment in these neighborhoods while maintaining its small-town charm and keeping the new growth consistent with the goals of its master plan.
Funding partner: Main Street Laconia
EPA project manager: Tim Torma (202-566-2864, torma.tim@epa.gov)
Local contact: Shanna B. Saunders (603-527-1264, saunderss@city.laconia.nh.us), Director, City of Laconia, Planning and Zoning
Report: Laconia, New Hampshire -- Three Neighborhoods, One Vision (PDF) (83 pp, 2.8 MB,About PDF)
McCall, Idaho
Site visit: Oct. 24-27, 2005
Concerned with growth pressures and the potential for development inconsistent with McCall's character along the new East-West Loop Road, the city applied to EPA for assistance in creating a vision for development at two sites along the road. Instead of allowing strip development along the loop road that would detract from the city's character and possibly clog the road with traffic, the city sought to plan for attractive and functional development that could serve the surrounding neighborhoods.
EPA assembled a team to work with city officials, local leaders, community representatives, and others to create a vision for the development at two sites along the road. As part of those meetings and consultations, the team prepared concept plans illustrating approaches that would help produce the results that McCall is seeking near the Loop Road. Community leaders decided to adopt designs from this workshop in their comprehensive plan.
EPA project manager: Mary Kay Bailey (202-566-2859, bailey.marykay@epa.gov)
Local contact: Roger Millar (208-634-3458, rmillar@mccall.id.us), Community Development Director/Deputy City Manager, City of McCall
Report: Connecting McCall: Concept Plans for Lardo and West Valley (PDF) (53 pp, 5.1 MB,About PDF)
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Site visit: Summer 2009
With growing concern about Miami's expansion into areas adjacent to Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade County officials are seeking solutions to direct growth to already-developed areas. The county requested EPA assistance for policy analysis regarding management and oversight of its Urban Development Boundary (UDB). In the past, the UDB has been amended to accommodate growth, but officials want to investigate how to use it more effectively to guide growth and development toward existing areas and protect sensitive environmental areas. This project will provide a key test for understanding how to balance development and conservation goals through smart growth principles.
Support and partners: Florida Atlantic University, Biscayne National Park, Builders Association of South Florida, Trust for Public Land, Funders'; Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, and the Agricultural Practices Studies Advisory Board
EPA project manager: Kevin Nelson (202-566-2835, nelson.kevin@epa.gov)
Local contact: Subrata Basu, AIA, AICP (305-375-2594, basus@miamidade.gov), Interim Director, Department of Planning and Zoning, Miami-Dade County
New York City, New York
Site visit: Summer 2009
New York City's vision for urban sustainability, PLANYC, creates a framework for advancing comprehensive green development in communities throughout the city. While the plan provides general guidelines for accomplishing smart growth and green building, the city is eager to develop specific criteria and guiding principles that will help residents, city staff, and entrepreneurs address the intersection between environmentally conscious and economically sound building principles. The Mayor's Office of Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development requested EPA assistance to identify ways to implement the sustainability strategies outlined in PLANYC in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Stakeholders anticipate the project will result in the identification of neighborhood-based, innovative practices and policy strategies that support green building techniques and smart growth approaches to the construction of affordable housing and community revitalization. The project will include public engagement through charrettes and a policy analysis component.
Support and partners: Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Pratt Area Community Council, Bridge Street Development Corporation, North East Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation
EPA project managers: Matthew Dalbey (202-566-2860, dalbey.matthew@epa.gov) and Corey Buffo (202-566-2857, buffo.corey@epa.gov)
Local contact: Melissa Lee (212-618-8707, mlee@sbs.nyc.gov), Mayor's Office of Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development
Sanitation District No. 1, Northern Kentucky
Site visit: Mar. 31-Apr. 3, 2008
Sanitation District No. 1 strives to find and use innovative practices for protecting and improving water quality. Faced with rapid growth pressures and a burdened combined sewer system that frequently overflows, the sanitation district has identified solutions that allow for sustained economic growth without exasperating overflows or harming water quality.
EPA assembled a team to create a green infrastructure handbook to help Northern Kentucky communities manage and reduce their stormwater runoff while still allowing the region to grow and prosper. The handbook includes land use policies and strategies that both address stormwater concerns and create attractive, walkable neighborhoods. The handbook also illustrates innovative site-level design strategies that reduce runoff from development and how they could be successfully applied in Northern Kentucky.
The strategies, policies, and designs illustrate the handbook's goal—to provide communities in Northern Kentucky environmentally responsible planning and design alternatives that can reduce water pollution, decrease runoff volume, protect aquatic habitat, and have the additional community benefit of creating more interesting places to live, work and play.
Funding partner: Sanitation District No. 1
Partners: City of Covington, Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers, Campbell County Fiscal Court, and Boone County Fiscal Court
EPA project manager: Clark Wilson (202-566-2880, wilson.clark@epa.gov)
Local contact: Jim Turner (859-578-7461, jturner@sd1.org), Program Manager, Sanitation District No. 1
Part 1: Chapters 1-4 (PDF) (45 pp, 3.5M, About PDF)
Part 2: Chapters 5-6 (PDF) (52 pp, 5M, About PDF)
Part 3: Appendices (PDF) (21 pp, 2.2M, About PDF)
Spokane, Washington
Site visit: Jan. 17-20, 2007
The city of Spokane adopted the University District Master Plan in August 2005. The plan focuses on creating greater bicycle and pedestrian opportunities, encouraging infill development, restoring the Spokane River, and improving accessibility within the district and to adjacent neighborhoods and downtown. The city requested assistance to identify market opportunities for smart growth development in the district, and present policy options that would implement the University District Master Plan.
EPA assembled a team to complete a market analysis of the University District and work with city officials, local leaders, community representatives, and others to explore development opportunities for the Riverpoint campus -- a key development opportunity site in the University District. The team's analysis revealed that there is significant market potential to develop the Riverpoint campus as an urban, pedestrian-friendly place. The team's final report presents the results of the market analysis and identifies policy options for a vibrant and pedestrian-friendly Riverpoint campus.
Funding partner: City of Spokane Economic Development
EPA project manager: Adhir Kackar (202-566-2846, kackar.adhir@epa.gov)
Local contact: Brian Jennings (509-625-6986, bjennings@spokanecity.org), Brownfields Coordinator, City of Spokane Economic Development
Report: Spokane's University District: Policy Options for a New Urban Center (PDF) (41 pp, 1.9M, About PDF)
Appendix A: Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Visit (PDF) (5 pp, 63K, About PDF)
Appendix C: Key Issues Briefing Paper (PDF) (7 pp, 604K, About PDF)
Appendix D: Riverpoint Campus Development Program (PDF) (5 pp, 2.5M, About PDF)
Appendix E: Retail Oriented Street Case Study (PDF) (5 pp, 257K,About PDF)
Appendix F: Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Case Study (PDF) (5 pp, 293K, About PDF)
Taos, New Mexico
Site visit: Dec. 7-9, 2005
The town of Taos requested EPA assistance to help make development along New Mexico State Highway 68, the Paseo del Pueblo Sur commercial corridor, stronger economically and more attractive. Through meetings with residents, town staff and officials, property owners, and others, a vision for the corridor emerged. Residents were particularly concerned with preserving Taos' unique character and making it easier to get around town.
Based on the community's goals, the EPA team developed a number of steps the town can take to transform both the feel and the function of the corridor, including:
- Better managing traffic through a combination of strategies, including alternate routes in a connected street network, access management, transportation demand management, better pedestrian and bicycle facilities, better public transit, and more efficient parking management;
- Establishing a distinct character for sections of the Paseo through street design, which also makes the road safer and more pleasant for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists; and
- Making the Paseo a community center by creating nodes of activity, mixing land uses along the corridor, and using building and site design that reinforces Taos' unique sense of place.
The town plans to use the EPA team's report to work with the New Mexico Department of Transportation on its scheduled redesign of part of the Paseo, to formalize neighborhood associations, to develop a green infrastructure plan, and to complete its Land Use Master Plan. In the meantime, the town uses the report to educate the community about growth and development issues.
EPA project manager: Megan Susman (202-566-2861, susman.megan@epa.gov)
Local contact: Matthew Foster (505-751-2037, mfoster@taosgov.com), Long Range Planner, City of Taos
Report: Taos Smart Growth Implementation Assistance: Concepts for the Paseo del Pueblo Sur Corridor (PDF) (77 pp, 4.6M, About PDF)
Valley Metro Transit with the cities of Phoenix and Mesa
Site visit: April 14-17, 2008
The Phoenix metropolitan area is the eighth fastest-growing region in the country. Communities comprising the metropolitan area are responding to the growth by expanding transit service and enacting local ordinances promoting more compact, mixed-use, and transit-oriented development (TOD). Light rail opened in December 2008. It was built in the most densely populated areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area with the expectation that it would alleviate congestion on heavily traveled commuter corridors. This investment in rail will help to reduce the projected increased air pollution caused by automobile use as the region grows. The partnership requested SGIA assistance for policy analysis to provide options for encouraging TOD along the newly opened light rail and future extensions under Arizona law. EPA led a group of national experts to help the local team and its supporters identify and analyze appropriate non-regulatory and regulatory tools and incentives supported by elected officials that can be implemented by Phoenix and Mesa to promote TOD. Furthermore, this project illustrated the financial impact of implementing these tools in metropolitan Phoenix. The tools applied here are universal and have broad success and viability in communities around the country.
Support and Partners: Phil Gordon, Mayor of Phoenix; Ken Hawker, Mayor of the city of Mesa; Executive Director of METRO; Local Initiatives Support Corporation; the Sonoran Institute; the Urban Land Institute; the Arizona Planning Association; the Arizona Stardust Center; and others
EPA project manager: Kevin Nelson (202-566-2835, nelson.kevin@epa.gov)
Local contacts: Ben Limmer (602-322-4487, blimmer@metrolightrail.org), Valley Metro Rail
Sandy Zwick (602-495-8232, Sandra.zwick@phoenix.gov), City of Phoenix
Mike James (480-644-5075, Mike.James@mesaaz.gov), City of Mesa