Hermosa Beach Wins 3 Awards For PLAN Hermosa General Plan

HERMOSA BEACH, CA – The City of Hermosa Beach was honored with three awards for PLAN Hermosa, the city's integrated General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan, by the California Association of Environmental Professionals, American Planning Association’s Sustainable Communities Division and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). PLAN Hermosa was praised for its work toward creating a more sustainable community by addressing new and emerging topics, like climate change and sea level rise, and thoughtfully engaging the community through diverse outreach methods, according to the press release.

The plan was developed over a four-year period with extensive community input before it was unanimously adopted by the City Council in August. It sets a long-term vision and provides policy direction and guidance to residents, City staff, decision-makers and the community on what investments the City will make in its infrastructure, how the community can preserve its small town character and where changes are needed to grow the local economy and create local jobs, according to the press release.

“These awards are a testament to the collective work of the community, staff, consultants, and commissions who helped shape this document,” Hermosa Beach Mayor Jeff Duclos said. “The most collaborative document this City has ever produced, PLAN Hermosa establishes goals and measurable actions to achieve the vision of a community that is the small town others aspire to be – a place where our beach culture, strong sense of community and commitment to sustainability intersect. The document carries out that vision through thoughtful and carefully crafted policies that connect the dots between sustainability and the built environment.”

Hermosa from FWFocus on Vimeo.

The California Association of Environmental Professionals, a nonprofit association with a common interest in serving the principles underlying the California Environmental Quality Act, presented its “Outstanding Planning Document Award” to PLAN Hermosa on March 26.

The American Planning Association’s Sustainable Communities Division honored PLAN Hermosa with one of its “Awards for Excellence in Sustainability” in the category of Community Sustainability or Resilience Plan at the 2018 National Planning Conference in New Orleans on April 23. The Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities, according to the press release. The Sustainable Communities Division awards honor projects, plans, policies, individuals and organizations whose work is dedicated to supporting sustainable communities, the press release said.

PLAN Hermosa was one of “seven exemplary and innovative planning projects” honored by SCAG in the Integrated Planning category on May 3 at their 2018 Regional Conference and General Assembly, according to the press release. SCAG noted that in combining its two key planning documents, the General Plan and the Local Coastal Program, PLAN Hermosa “raises the bar for General Plan updates in Southern California.”

The annual conference is attended by more than 900 of Southern California’s elected officials, policymakers, and staff and includes the 2018 SCAG Sustainability Awards, noted by the organization as “the region’s highest honors for projects that promote and improve mobility, livability, prosperity and sustainability in Southern California,” the press release said.

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