Our Better Models Awards

VALLEY CONSERVATION COUNCIL HONORS CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

( Lexington, VA) - In a ceremony in Lexington on March 21, 2006, the Valley Conservation Council (VCC) honored the best construction projects in the region, naming the winners of this year’s Better Models for Development awards. In addition, the City of Lexington and its planning director received special recognition for the consistently high standards of development they have achieved over the years.

Better Models awards recognize new development that contributes to community character and that protects environmental and historic features while adding economic vitality. This is the sixth year that VCC has made such awards, which take their criteria from VCC’s publication Better Models for Development in the Shenandoah Valley. For information on the principles of better development and on previous winners, visit valleyconservation.org. VCC established the awards program to recognize recent development projects that best add to the region’s quality of life.

Based in Staunton, VCC is a non-profit citizens’ organization and land trust serving 11 counties from Frederick to Botetourt. VCC’s mission is to promote land use that sustains the farms, forests, open space, and cultural heritage of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.

This Year’s Better Models Award Winners:

Excellence in Design for Urban Infill - Amherst Street & Meadow Branch Avenue Area Plan , City of Winchester

This award honors the city and the developer for their roles in reaching a development design for a key infill site. The combination Comprehensive Plan update and developer proffer will result in a mixed-use, walkable community, a focal point and gathering place in the western end of the city. Carefully designed for both function and aesthetics, the project includes elements of commercial, mixed use, and residential development along a boulevard, as well as sensitivity to adjacent historic Glen Burnie. A new boulevard will connect major roads and build the first portion of the city’s planned Green Circle bikeway and trail. Participants in the project were city planning staff and commission, property owners Clinical Properties & G.F. Smith Estate, and developer JEM.

Outstanding Urban Residential Design - Old Y Lofts, City of Staunton

The Old Y Lofts project rehabilitated a vacant landmark building in the center of downtown Staunton into 18 residential condominiums. This striking five-story Italian Renaissance Revival building was constructed in 1914 as a YMCA and public library. The addition of high-end residential units in the city core further boosts the round-the-clock vitality of this vibrant downtown. The developer was Robin Miller and Associates, with architectural services provided by Frazier Associates of Staunton.

Outstanding Public Reuse of a Historic Building - Hardesty-Higgins House, City of Harrisonburg

The Hardesty-Higgins House, the city’s second oldest building (1849) and one of its most important historically, had been abandoned and neglected for decades until 2003 when the City of Harrisonburg, led by the Department of Economic Development, purchased the property. A complete renovation not only preserves the building’s historic features, but showcases them to the community and visitors. The Hardesty-Higgins House is now home to offices, the Valley Turnpike Museum, the Harrisonburg Visitors Center, and a tea room, and is a stop on the Virginia Civil War Trail.

Outstanding Urban Park - Liberty Park, City of Harrisonburg

Liberty Park is a new urban park built as a gateway to the city’s master plan for Blacks Run greenway. It was built on a former gravel parking lot, and is the first of a string of proposed parks around the stream that aim at restoring natural habitat within the city. The park uses the local bluestone featured in many of Harrisonburg’s venerable old buildings, provides gardening opportunities for the elderly and handicapped, and boasts a rain garden to address stormwater pollution. The project was coordinated by a local nonprofit group, Friends of Blacks Run Greenway (FBRG); ownership and maintenance will be shared between the city and the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Town Planning Award for Growing In, Not Out - Town of Stephens City

This award recognizes how the Stephens City’s 2005 Comprehensive Plan and the location and composition of the Stephens Landing subdivision demonstrate the principle of extending villages and towns. The Stephens Landing project adjoins the town core, adding a mixture of housing in a manner that reflects the historic streetscape and expands the road grid, concentrating housing in order to leave 15 acres of open space, and providing a walking and biking trail. This design reflects the town’s plan for a ‘traditional neighborhood development’ district and is part of its plan for an extensive network of pedestrian and bike ways. Town Manager Mike Kehoe and other town officials worked with the developer Long Companies of Middleburg on the Stephens Landing design. The town’s comprehensive plan was produced by Sympoetica.

Outstanding Riparian Protection and Trail Project - Woods Creek Stream Restoration and Watershed Protection, City of Lexington

In response to concerns over water quality and pollution in Woods Creek, the City of Lexington developed a comprehensive Woods Creek Watershed Improvement Plan that has led to many projects, including planting rain gardens as part of parking lot retrofits, establishing bioinfiltration areas, creating a wetland inside a dry stormwater management pond, and stabilizing large swathes of streambank. Educational outreach and community involvement has been an essential part of this process. The City of Lexington, Rockbridge County and Washington and Lee University have all contributed funding and participated in project planning.

Gold Standard Leadership Award - Bill Blatter

Bill Blatter, Lexington’s director of planning and development, has been the driving force in achieving the high development standards achieved throughout the city. His vision was behind many of the initiatives that have garnered Better Models over the years and it was through his skill and persistence that they were implemented successfully. He also lives what he preaches. He won a Better Models award for his own conservation design subdivision in Rockbridge County.

Gold Standard Community Award - City of Lexington

For its outstanding commitment to better development, the City of Lexington was honored with the Gold Standard Community Award, the first time such an award has been made. Lexington has won five Better Models awards, every one of them exhibiting the best of what development can be. The city consistently has integrated such quality of life goals as environmental protection, historic preservation, and compatibility with community character into the design of new development. Given particular recognition, in addition to the planning director, were City Council and Planning Commission, and City Manager Jon Ellestad.

	Our Better Models Awards VALLEY CONSERVATION COUNCIL HONORS CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT ( Lexington, VA) - In a ceremony in Lexington on March 21, 2006, the Valley Conservation Council (VCC) honored the best construction projects in the region, naming the winners of this year’s Better Models for Development awards. In addition, the City of Lexington and its planning director received special recognition for the consistently high standards of development they have achieved over the years. Better Models awards recognize new development that contributes to community character and that protects environmental and historic features while adding economic vitality. This is the sixth year that VCC has made such awards, which take their criteria from VCC’s publication Better Models for Development in the Shenandoah Valley. For information on the principles of better development and on previous winners, visit valleyconservation.org. VCC established the awards program to recognize recent development projects that best add to the region’s quality of life. Based in Staunton, VCC is a non-profit citizens’ organization and land trust serving 11 counties from Frederick to Botetourt. VCC’s mission is to promote land use that sustains the farms, forests, open space, and cultural heritage of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. This Year’s Better Models Award Winners: Excellence in Design for Urban Infill - Amherst Street & Meadow Branch Avenue Area Plan , City of Winchester This award honors the city and the developer for their roles in reaching a development design for a key infill site. The combination Comprehensive Plan update and developer proffer will result in a mixed-use, walkable community, a focal point and gathering place in the western end of the city. Carefully designed for both function and aesthetics, the project includes elements of commercial, mixed use, and residential development along a boulevard, as well as sensitivity to adjacent historic Glen Burnie. A new boulevard will connect major roads and build the first portion of the city’s planned Green Circle bikeway and trail. Participants in the project were city planning staff and commission, property owners Clinical Properties & G.F. Smith Estate, and developer JEM. Outstanding Urban Residential Design - Old Y Lofts, City of Staunton The Old Y Lofts project rehabilitated a vacant landmark building in the center of downtown Staunton into 18 residential condominiums. This striking five-story Italian Renaissance Revival building was constructed in 1914 as a YMCA and public library. The addition of high-end residential units in the city core further boosts the round-the-clock vitality of this vibrant downtown. The developer was Robin Miller and Associates, with architectural services provided by Frazier Associates of Staunton. Outstanding Public Reuse of a Historic Building - Hardesty-Higgins House, City of Harrisonburg The Hardesty-Higgins House, the city’s second oldest building (1849) and one of its most important historically, had been abandoned and neglected for decades until 2003 when the City of Harrisonburg, led by the Department of Economic Development, purchased the property. A complete renovation not only preserves the building’s historic features, but showcases them to the community and visitors. The Hardesty-Higgins House is now home to offices, the Valley Turnpike Museum, the Harrisonburg Visitors Center, and a tea room, and is a stop on the Virginia Civil War Trail. Outstanding Urban Park - Liberty Park, City of Harrisonburg Liberty Park is a new urban park built as a gateway to the city’s master plan for Blacks Run greenway. It was built on a former gravel parking lot, and is the first of a string of proposed parks around the stream that aim at restoring natural habitat within the city. The park uses the local bluestone featured in many of Harrisonburg’s venerable old buildings, provides gardening opportunities for the elderly and handicapped, and boasts a rain garden to address stormwater pollution. The project was coordinated by a local nonprofit group, Friends of Blacks Run Greenway (FBRG); ownership and maintenance will be shared between the city and the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Town Planning Award for Growing In, Not Out - Town of Stephens City This award recognizes how the Stephens City’s 2005 Comprehensive Plan and the location and composition of the Stephens Landing subdivision demonstrate the principle of extending villages and towns. The Stephens Landing project adjoins the town core, adding a mixture of housing in a manner that reflects the historic streetscape and expands the road grid, concentrating housing in order to leave 15 acres of open space, and providing a walking and biking trail. This design reflects the town’s plan for a ‘traditional neighborhood development’ district and is part of its plan for an extensive network of pedestrian and bike ways. Town Manager Mike Kehoe and other town officials worked with the developer Long Companies of Middleburg on the Stephens Landing design. The town’s comprehensive plan was produced by Sympoetica. Outstanding Riparian Protection and Trail Project - Woods Creek Stream Restoration and Watershed Protection, City of Lexington In response to concerns over water quality and pollution in Woods Creek, the City of Lexington developed a comprehensive Woods Creek Watershed Improvement Plan that has led to many projects, including planting rain gardens as part of parking lot retrofits, establishing bioinfiltration areas, creating a wetland inside a dry stormwater management pond, and stabilizing large swathes of streambank. Educational outreach and community involvement has been an essential part of this process. The City of Lexington, Rockbridge County and Washington and Lee University have all contributed funding and participated in project planning. Gold Standard Leadership Award - Bill Blatter Bill Blatter, Lexington’s director of planning and development, has been the driving force in achieving the high development standards achieved throughout the city. His vision was behind many of the initiatives that have garnered Better Models over the years and it was through his skill and persistence that they were implemented successfully. He also lives what he preaches. He won a Better Models award for his own conservation design subdivision in Rockbridge County. Gold Standard Community Award - City of Lexington For its outstanding commitment to better development, the City of Lexington was honored with the Gold Standard Community Award, the first time such an award has been made. Lexington has won five Better Models awards, every one of them exhibiting the best of what development can be. The city consistently has integrated such quality of life goals as environmental protection, historic preservation, and compatibility with community character into the design of new development. Given particular recognition, in addition to the planning director, were City Council and Planning Commission, and City Manager Jon Ellestad.	Nominate a Project for this year's Awards 5th Annual Better Models winners 4th Annual Better Models winners The Rural Rustic Roads pilot project in Augusta County was a 2004 Better Models Award winner.
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