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Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Communities Selected in 2007
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.
The 2007 call for applications for SGIA closed on March 8, 2007. The following communities were selected from this nationwide application process. EPA will organize multi-disciplinary teams that will provide direct technical assistance as requested by the community.
The communities selected are:
- Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia
- California Department of Transportation
- City of Denver, Colorado
- City of Greensboro, North Carolina
- Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky
- Valley Metro Transit with the cities of Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona
Learn more about the SGIA program. For more information, contact Ilana Preuss (preuss.ilana@epa.gov, 202-566-2853) or Kevin Nelson (nelson.kevin@epa.gov, 202-566-2835).
Atlanta Regional Commission
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.
California Department of Transportation
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 (HCD) Department to coordinate distribution of funds according to the smart mobility scorecard.
City of Denver, Colorado
Denver's Downtown-Cherry Creek corridor is a significant route for the region. Along it are dense urban neighborhoods, a major employment and retail center, suburban neighborhoods, and commercial strips. Because this route will carry more traffic as the region grows, local officials want to improve the corridor to better connect the region and link transit nodes. By encouraging compact, dense, mixed-use redevelopment of the land along the corridor and the land immediately adjacent to it, the city will help create a more pleasant and inviting walking and biking environment and will expand transit use. Giving people transportation choices besides driving can help reduce air pollution from automobiles. To implement these goals, the city requested SGIA assistance for policy analysis and public participation to explore options to improve the Downtown-Cherry Creek corridor with street design that accommodates automobiles, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit, and better coordination of land use with transportation.
Support and Partners: Mayor John Hickenlooper and managers of the city of Denver's Community Planning and Development & Public Works Departments.
City of Greensboro, North Carolina
Civic leaders recognize that growth is coming to Greensboro, and they want that growth to go in their downtown and inner neighborhoods. Putting more development in the center of the city will preserve land on the edge of town, as well as make it easier for people to walk, bike, or take transit. This infill development will also use existing infrastructure and help to preserve water quality. To encourage this type of development and satisfy market demand, the city requested SGIA assistance for public workshops focusing on infill-related design issues in four neighborhoods, addressing topics related to universities, neighborhood planning, housing shortage, historic preservation, and pedestrian amenities.
Support and Partners: Support will come from neighborhood and community groups working with the city to update the Land Development Ordinance. Other partners include a coalition of real estate and building industry stakeholders.
Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky
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 wants to identify solutions that allow for sustained economic growth without exasperating overflows or harming water quality. Local leaders recognize that development that reduces infrastructure needs, preserves open space, and encourages infill can reduce impacts on water quality. The project will examine how the district might modify regulations to protect overflows from development, what types of best management practices and smart growth strategies are effective in areas with steep slopes and poor-infiltrating soils, and how the district can encourage developers to adopt more sustainable practices.
Support and Partners: Campbell County Planning and Zoning Commission, Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, and Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers. Local universities will be involved.
Valley Metro Transit with the cities of Phoenix and Mesa
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 is being built in the most densely populated areas of the Phoenix metropolitan areas and is expected to 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 establishing local TOD land use regulations under Arizona law. Establishing these regulations will help communities plan for new light-rail lines and will generate support for the light rail program.
Support and Partners: Phil Gordon, Mayor of Phoenix; Ken Hawker, Mayor of the city of Mesa; Executive Director of METRO; the Arizona Planning Association; the Arizona Stardust Center; and others.