Fullerton’s Transportation Center Specific Plan Project has been presented with the “Sustained Leadership Award” by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).This is the fourth major honor the plan has received in recent months.
In September, Fullerton received the “gold” designation for the plan under the state Housing and Community Development Department’s “Catalyst Projects for California Sustainable Strategies Pilot Program.”
Just last month, the Transportation Center Specific Plan Project received two awards: a “Vision Award” from the Urban Land Institute’s Orange County/Inland Empire Section; and an “Outstanding Neighborhood Planning Award” from the American Planning Association’s Orange Section.
The latter award is granted to a plan, program or design that demonstrates innovative planning principles and measures that create sustainable neighborhoods with lasting value.
The SCAG award is part of the organization’s Compass Blueprint award program promoting sustainability and “green” design and building practices. The awards recognize projects that demonstrate “excellence and achievement in four key elements: livability, mobility, prosperity and sustainability.”
Fullerton was one of nine Southern California communities to be honored under the program. Fullerton’s plan, according to SCAG, was selected because “it sets the stage for sustainable growth not only for the Transportation Center, but for the surrounding area, as well.”
The Transportation Center Specific Plan project is a blueprint for the further development of the 39-acre Transportation Center into a vibrant, mixed-use, transit-oriented community.
Elements of the project, which was developed with considerable citizen involvement, include multi-family housing for various income levels, commercial and office space, and a small hotel.
Jay Eastman, Fullerton senior planner, said the purpose of the plan “is to create a sustainable transit-oriented neighborhood near the Fullerton Transportation Center, which serves approximately 3,000 passengers daily. The plan includes enhancements to the OCTA bus transfer facility, which will be integrated with the train station and a new public parking structure.”
Community Development Director Al Zelinka added the Transportation Center Specific Plan differs from traditional approaches to land use planning by “utilizing a ‘form-based code,’ which will better address the unique character of a high-density, pedestrian-oriented, historic environment.
“The form-based code creates a vision of how the community will be built, thereby increasing developer and community certainty, and reducing project processing times.”
Further information about the plan or the “Sustained Leadership Award” may be obtained by calling Eastman at (714) 738-6549, or by emailing him at jaye@ci.fullerton.ca.us.
Source: City of Fullerton
No comments:
Post a Comment