April 4, 2008 – The Smart Growth Education Foundation recognized leaders in the development community for embracing Smart Growth Practices during the annual Smart Growth Community Excellence Awards program. The program was open to builders, developers, local governments and non-profit organizations in an 11-county region consisting of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark and Summit Counties.

KS Associates developed and sponsors one of the awards — the Smart-Growth-Friendly Community Award — to recognize a community for creatively and responsibly planning for future growth. This year’s winner is Summit County. According to Jeffrey R. Keefe, P.E., P.S., director of KS Associates' Land Development Group, "Summit County was selected based on its General Land Use Development Plan. The plan calls for a wider range of housing choices that mitigate the environmental costs of auto-dependent development, the efficient use of infrastructure resources, creating a better jobs/housing balance, and generating a strong foundation of support for neighborhood services."

The complete list of award winners includes:

• Precedent Setter Award, Community or Non-Profit – Oberlin College.

• Precedent Setter Award Honoree, Builder, Developer, Architect – Paul Volpe, City Architecture.

• Multi-Family Development, Less Than 50 Units, Cuyahoga County – Forest City Land Group, Rockport Square, Lakewood, Ohio.

• Multi-Family Development, 50 Units or More, Cuyahoga County – City Architecture, Park Lane Villa, Cleveland, Ohio.

• Mixed-Use Development, 50 Units or More, Cuyahoga County – The City of Shaker Heights, Shaker Town Center Transit-Oriented Redevelopment, Shaker Heights, Ohio.

• Mixed-Use Development, Less Than 50 Units, Summit County – City Architecture, Northside Lofts, Akron, Ohio.

• Development Proposal, Cuyahoga County, Gold Winner – Forest City Land Group, Rockport Square, Lakewood, Ohio.

• Development Proposal, Cuyahoga County, Gold Winner – City Architecture, Upper Chester Neighborhood Development Plan, Cleveland, Ohio.

• Green Building, Residential – Galehouse Construction, Starr Residence, Medina, Ohio.

• Green Building, Sustainable Site Practices – Cawrse & Associates, Proposed Cawrse Office Site, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

• Smart-Growth-Friendly Community Award – County of Summit, Sustainable Development/Smart Growth Projects.

• Best of Show – City Architecture, Park Lane Villa, Cleveland, Ohio.

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