APA-Iowa Planning Awards Categories
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2017 APA-Iowa Chapter Awards American Planning Association Iowa Chapter Making Great Communities Happen APPLICATION FORM Nominations for the APA – Iowa Chapter Planning Awards must be received at the submission e-mail address listed on page 2 by Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Any entries received after that date will not be considered for an award. I nominate ____________________________________________________________Historic West Des Moines Master Plan for a 2017 APA-IA Planning Award. This submission is to be entered in the category of: ________________________________________________Innovation in Economic Planning and Development ____________________________ Section A - Attachments The attachments outlined in the “Eligibility and Information” section of the 2017 Awards Rules and Awards Categories document are mandatory. Submissions lacking these attachments will not be considered. Applications must be submitted in a .pdf format, and must be submitted as one document. Section B - Submission Coordinator Please provide the name of an individual to act as your submission coordinator. The submission coordinator will work with APA-Iowa’s Awards Coordinator to obtain additional information and materials from winning entries in preparation for the annual awards presentation ceremony. Name: Christine Gordon Organization: City of West Des Moines Title: Housing Planner Street Address: 4200 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 1B City: West Des Moines State/Zip: Iowa 50265 Phone: 515-273-0770 E-mail: [email protected] 15 2017 APA-Iowa Chapter Awards Section C - Notification Please provide the names of up to two individuals, other than the nominator, to be notified in the event this submission is selected to receive an award. If this submission is for an individual, that person must be listed below as one of the two contacts. Name: Clyde Evans Affiliation: City of West Des Moines Street Address: 4200 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 1A City: West Des Moines State/Zip: Iowa 50265 Phone: 515-273-0770 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Mike Hoffman Affiliation: Teska Associates, Inc Street Address: 24103 W. Lockport Street Unit 107 City: Plainfield State/Zip: Illinois 60544 Phone: 815-436-9485 E-mail: [email protected] Section D – Nominator Please see the rules regarding eligibility to determine who may serve as a nominator. (This person could be the same person as the submission coordinator.) Nominator: Christine Gordon Affiliation: City of West Des Moines Street Address: 4200 Mills Civic Parkway Suite 1B City: West Des Moines State/Zip: Iowa 50265 Phone: 515-273-0770 E-mail: [email protected] 16 2017 APA-Iowa Chapter Awards Application Historic West Des Moines Master Plan Category: Innovation in Economic Planning and Development Summary of Entry (up to 200 words) The City of West Des Moines began a comprehensive planning effort for its oldest part of the city in the fall of 2015. The purpose of the plan was to make a good place better. The Historic West Des Moines Master Plan includes three key elements: (1) robust engagement; (2) thorough background analysis; and (3) development of specific solutions. The plan was unique in that it combined a traditional main street business district plan (Valley Junction) with a neighborhood plan for the surrounding residential area. An extensive survey of more than 1,000 participants, focus groups, public meetings, Steering Committee meetings, and input gathered at public events in the neighborhood all contributed to the final Master Plan. The Master Plan took a year to develop and was accepted by the West Des Moines City Council in September 2016. The plan includes short term and long-term action items. Attracting additional restaurants, the Phenix site redevelopment, community gardens, signs ordinance, parking education, and public art are all action plans recommended in the Master Plan. As of August 2017, the Implementation Committee has met three times, a new sign ordinance has been adopted, and the Phenix Elementary site redevelopment has started. Narration on how the entry satisfies the award criteria (maximum of 200 words per each item under category criteria) Originality and innovation Teska Associates, Inc. and the City of West Des Moines worked very closely on the development of the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan. The originality of the Master Plan was in its evolution. A variety of creative ways to involve and garner input from the public of all ages were employed, including a smartphone app, a website, chalkboard signs on the sidewalks, a booth at the Valley Junction Farmer’s Market, attending Jingle in the Junction (an event held during the holiday season), Madlibs, Mindmapping, and focus groups at the junior high and senior center in the area. The website alone had 11,215 views and 3,500 unique visitors. Between the website and app, there were nearly 200 subscribers, who opted in to receive project updates via email and push notifications. Also, an extensive survey was completed by more than 1,000 participants, and comprehensive focus groups were held at a research facility in the area. All of these methods were aimed at gathering as much input from a variety of input. And all of the methods could be duplicated easily in other communities. Implementation The Historic West Des Moines Master Plan was accepted by the West Des Moines City Council in September 2016. Since then an Implementation Committee has been formed to prioritize the action items and move forward with implementation. The Implementation Committee is a scaled back version of the Steering Committee which was instrumental in the creation of the Master Plan. To date, several action items have already been completed or are underway, including the Phenix School site redevelopment into 17 mixed income apartments; a new sign ordinance adopted in early 2017; the creation of the Property Improvement Fund and the Regulatory Compliance Fund; three new restaurants opening this fall, one more at the beginning of 2018; bookstore opening by the end of September, National Register approved at the state level and forwarded to the National Park Service, finalist for National Trust/National Main Street major grant, established internal District Improvement Grant matching program; and the City is developing a program for parklets. The entire process for the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan from inception to implementation has been a public process and model of good planning practices. Integration A significant aspect of the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan was to review previous plans completed for the area, including plans for streetscape, marketing, and public art. Those previous efforts were taken into consideration in the development of the Master Plan and incorporated wherever appropriate. The City of West Des Moines is beginning the process of updating their comprehensive plan, and the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan will be an essential base framework for the area as addressed in the City’s comprehensive plan. Engagement The Historic West Des Moines Master Plan would not be a success without the involvement and participation of the public in the process and formation. Engagement efforts included an app; a website; focus groups with people of all ages and backgrounds; an extensive survey with over 1,000 responses; public meetings; attendance at special events such as Jingle in the Junction and Farmer’s Market; a steering committee made up of residents, business owners, city council members, planning and zoning board members, and city staff; idea chalkboard; walking tour; open houses; and one-on-one interviews. Every one of these efforts was an aspect of planning and a method to teach the public about planning and its process, as well as gather input. Effectiveness and results The purpose of the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan was to make a good place better. The Master Plan has already begun accomplishing this. The Master Plan has also brought the community closer together. People are working together now that had not worked together in the past. Plans are being made to make the area even better. Three new restaurants will be opening yet this year and another in early 2018. Restaurants were a high priority for almost everyone who gave input into the Master Plan. The area currently has eight restaurants and bars, and with the addition of four new ones within 18 months of completing the plan, this increases the number of restaurants by 50%. The addition of restaurants is a monumental accomplishment for the area, and the Master Plan deserves a portion of the credit. There will be more accomplishments as time progresses. Some of the action items are broad and extensive; they will require extensive funding and time. With that said, the City is committed to the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan and its implementation. August 14, 2017 American Planning Association A Main Street Iowa community since 1987 Iowa Chapter 2017 Awards Program To Whom It May Concern, BOARD OF DIRECTORS Historic Valley Junction is the gathering place that is the heart and soul of West Des Moines—a delightful mix of old and new, bridging generations with unique shops, President vibrant events and a walkable hometown feel. The mission of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation (HVJF) is to inspire and enhance the evolution of the original Historic Valley Junction district by preserving and sharing our history; attracting and Vice President supporting small businesses; and engaging and connecting the community. As a leading Main Street Iowa district since 1987, this district is well-known for our com- Treasurer munity events, destination marketing and our 160 independently-owned businesses. Secretary On behalf of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation, it is my pleasure to write a letter of support for the City of West Des Moines and the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan. Directors Conducted from Summer 2015—Fall 2016, the Historic West Des Moines Master Plan involved hundreds of residents, business owners, property owners and inter- ested citizens through focus groups, online and in-person interviews, community meetings, interaction events and widespread marketing efforts.