ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) announced Plum Creek as the recipient of the 2013 APA Florida Award of Excellence in the Best Practices Category for its Envision Alachua process.
The APA Florida Best Practices award is intended for a specific planning tool, practice, program, project or process that is a significant advancement to specific elements of planning. This category emphasizes the results and demonstrates how innovative and state-of-the-art planning methods and practices helped to implement a plan.
“The awards committee selected the Envision Alachua project for the very public and transparent visioning process to master plan approximately 65,000 acres owned by Plum Creek in Alachua County,” wrote APA Florida President Brian Teeple, AICP, in a letter nominating the Envision Alachua project for an APA National Award.
“The committee specifically noted the commitment that Plum Creek has made to the all-inclusive nature of the process, engaging residents from all over Alachua County, including those whose voices are typically not heard in the planning process,” he added.
Plum Creek launched Envision Alachua in 2011 to discuss future economic, environmental and community opportunities in Alachua County on lands owned by the company. The process is designed to be:
- A holistic approach to sustainable conservation and economic development;
- An opportunity for a unique partnership and collaboration between the public and private sectors; and
- An open dialogue with community leaders representing economic development, business, local government, education, environmental, conservation and residents in Alachua County.
The award was presented yesterday during the APA Florida Conference held in Orlando, Fla. To learn more about APA Florida, visit www.floridaplanning.org.
For more information about Envision Alachua, visit www.EnvisionAlachua.com
About Plum Creek
Plum Creek is among the largest and most geographically diverse private landowners in the nation with approximately 6.3 million acres of timberlands in major timber producing regions of the United States and wood products manufacturing facilities in the Northwest. For more information, visit www.plumcreek.com.
About the American Planning Association – Florida Chapter
The American Planning Association – Florida Chapter, provides statewide leadership in the development of sustainable communities by advocating excellence in planning, providing professional development for its members, and working to protect and enhance the natural and built environments. For more information, visit www.floridaplanning.org.
