Harnessing Huntsville Plan Second Award 3/5/2015 City of Huntsville,Texas Mail-Press Release-City Plan Wins Award
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Press Release - City Plan Wins Award
Lee Woodward <Iwoodward@huntsvilletx.gov> Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 8:25 AM
To: Lee Woodward <Iwoodward@huntsvilletx.gov>
On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 8:22 AM, Lee Woodward <Iwoodward@huntsvilletx.gov> wrote:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Huntsville has been honored with a second award for its Harnessing Huntsville's Potential Report.
The result of the H-GAC Housing and Economic Development Case Study and conducted as part of the Our
Great Region 2040 project, the plan is the recipient of a 2015 National Merit Award for Outstanding Small
Town or Rural Plan from the American Planning Association's Small Town and Rural Planning (STaR)
Division. The City of Huntsville's project partners were the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), Design
Workshop, and Franklin Associates.
Harnessing Huntsville's Potential outlines a strategy for the city to capitalize on development opportunities
where land is available. The study also provides a clear framework for addressing other priority issues, such
as creating affordable housing options; increasing and diversifying the labor pool; and promoting business
development, retention, and expansion.
APA's STaR Division Awards Committee informed the City that the case study plan was chosen for a Merit
Award because of its unique case study approach and that the committee had been impressed with the
breadth of strategies outlined in the plan, the extensive business involvement, the way the plan was laid-out,
and how the images helped make the plan user-friendly.
H-GAC included the following in their information on the plan, "Our Great Region 2040 is a high-level plan that
presents big ideas and proposes strategies to move the H-GAC region toward achieving the vision of being
one of the world's greatest places to live, work, and succeed by the year 2040. During the development of the
plan, six case studies were selected from a variety of entities to examine overarching issues of regional
importance. Together, they provide a tool box of actions and practices that can be used by other communities
across the region as they respond to similar challenges and opportunities. Case studies were conducted in
Bay City, Brazoria County, along Cypress Creek Greenway, Galveston, Houston, and Huntsville.
City Neighborhood Resources Director Dr. Sherry McKibben worked with a dedicated group of citizens and
staff and the project partners who produced the award winner by reaching out into all parts of Huntsville.
1 am very proud of what our community accomplished with this plan and am thrilled that all our hard work is
being recognized with this national award."
The plan was previously awarded the Waves of Change 2013 Long Range Planning Award by the Texas
Chapter of the American Planning Association in September 2013. Aron Kulhavy, Director of Community and
Economic Development, echoed at that time McKibben's praise of the consulting firm that helped garner the
project the nomination and win.
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3/5/2015 City of Huntsville,Texas Mail-Press Release-City Plan Wins Award
"The consultants did a great job guiding us through the process and putting together a great plan from
discussions with the community," he said. "In the end, we have a priority list that includes some great ideas
and projects and a plan in place to implement them."
For more information, contact McKibben at smckibben@huntsvilletx.gov or 936-291-5423, or Kulhavy at
akulhavy@huntsvilletx.gov or 936-294-5793.
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