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Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Communities Selected in 2012
EPA developed the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program in response to communities' requests for help in achieving their development goals. Through this program, EPA provides technical assistance from private-sector experts to help communities find the best tools and resources to plan for growth in ways that sustain environmental and economic progress and create a high quality of life. Click here for more information about the SGIA program.
The 2011 Request for Letters of Interest for SGIA closed on October 28, 2011. Five projects were selected from this nationwide application process. EPA will organize multidisciplinary teams to provide direct technical assistance as specified by the community. Under the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will partner with EPA on these projects.
The recipients are:
- State of Vermont
- Madison County, New York
- San Francisco, California
- Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington
- Billings, Montana
State of Vermont
The state of Vermont experienced major damage to roads, houses, and businesses due to flood impacts from Hurricane Irene in fall 2011. Vermont's Department of Housing and Community Affairs, along with the Agency of Natural Resources, Agency of Transportation, and the Mad River Valley Planning District, has requested assistance with recovering from flood impacts and planning for long-term resilience to future disasters. This project will focus on how to coordinate recovery across several small villages in the Mad River Valley, as well as help state agencies review their program structure and state policies to improve floodplain management and plan for more responsible future growth.
EPA project manager: Stephanie Bertaina (202-566-0157, bertaina.stephanie@epa.gov)
Madison County, New York
Madison County is a rural area in upstate New York with a mix of small towns, large areas of farmland, and the small city of Oneida. The Madison County Department of Health, Planning Department, city of Oneida, and other partners have requested assistance to develop a tool that can be used to implement smart growth in a rural setting. The tool would adapt the document Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities for both Madison County and the city of Oneida. There is potential to expand lessons learned from this project and create a national rural smart growth code review tool.
EPA project manager: Megan McConville (202-566-2353, mcconville.megan@epa.gov)
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California has requested assistance from EPA to develop a citywide district energy plan with near-term pilot projects. EPA will help San Francisco develop a set of case studies on cities that have adopted district energy programs, including successful precedents of how to integrate energy planning into the urban development process, and how to devise a method for delivery and parcel selection. San Francisco has chosen two possible locations in downtown—the Transbay Transit Center and the Central Corridor area—that will be pilots as the city and its partners create an implementation strategy with policy options, a regulatory framework, and partnership plans.
EPA project manager: Abby Hall (415-972-3384, hall.abby@epa.gov)
Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington
The Spokane Tribe of Indians in eastern Washington has asked for EPA's assistance with creating a comprehensive water infrastructure plan for sewer, waste, and drinking water. The project will focus on water and sewer system challenges in the community of Wellpinit, including water shortages in summer, drinking water delivery, recurring pipe and pump failures, and design and maintenance of sewage management systems. The EPA assistance will link to a HUD Community Challenge Planning Grant the tribe received in 2010. The water plan will help form the foundation for future housing, transportation, and economic development planning.
EPA project manager: Abby Hall (415-972-3384, hall.abby@epa.gov)
Billings, Montana
The city of Billings, Big Sky Economic Development Authority, and the Billings School District 2 have requested technical assistance to develop a model for collaborative planning that will incorporate school siting policies with planning for infill and revitalization, affordable housing, and increased transportation choice. The assistance will lead to a strategy that aligns the city's infill redevelopment efforts with school facility siting policies that support the revitalization of the core neighborhoods in Billings. This project provides a model for determining how the EPA Voluntary School Siting Guidelines can be implemented at the local level.
EPA project manager: Regina Langton (202-566-2178, langton.regina@epa.gov)
For more information about these projects or about the SGIA program, contact Abby Hall (hall.abby@epa.gov, 415-972-3384).