Show Your Love for What Makes Your Community a Great Place to Live:
Idaho Smart Growth Now Accepting Nominations for the
8th Annual Grow Smart Awards

Nominations accepted until April 30, 2012

What makes your community a great place to live?  A great historic building that has been renovated for re-use?  A school that has incorporated green building practices?  A neighborhood or housing development where you can walk to shops, jobs, and school?  Whether it is a brand new project or one that has been around for years, nominate your favorite example of smart growth today!

Idaho Smart Growth is now accepting nominations for their eight annual Grow Smart awards.   Idaho Smart Growth’s Grow Smart awards recognize the innovative work of communities, builders, planners, architects, organizations, and developers whose work exemplifies smart growth principles.

Winners are selected by the Grow Smart Awards Jury, a diverse group of community leaders and professionals knowledgeable about Smart Growth principles.

The jury evaluates nominated development projects using smart growth principles as identified. Smart growth principles include:

• Provide a variety of Transportation Choices
• MixLandUses
• Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
• Create walk-able neighborhoods
• Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration
• Foster distinctive communities with a strong sense of place
• Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective
• Preserve open space, parks, farmland, natural beauty, and environmentally critical areas
• Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities
• Adopt compact Building Patterns and efficient Infrastructure Design

 Nominations are being accepted until April 30, 2012.
Anyone may submit a nomination. It is important to note that ALL projects are eligible, not just recently completed projects.
An application and instructions can be downloaded on our website www.idahosmartgrowth.org or by contacting Idaho Smart Growth at 208.333.8066 or Rachel@idahosmartgrowth.org. All completed applications must include a $50 processing fee.
Past award winners can be viewed at http://idahosmartgrowth.org/index.php/projects/awards/

ALERT! Funding Available for Open Space Acquisition

Thanks to provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill, a program within USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry was created called the ‘Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program.’ This is intended to provide funds to cities, land trusts and tribes to purchase forested lands fee simple. Approximately $3.15 million will be available to help primarily in acquisition of additional forested park land. Grants of up to $400,000 will be awarded, with a 50/50 match required. Details have just been published in the Federal Register and applications are due in to the State Foresters office by May 15, 2012. Please visit www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/cfp.shtml or email communityforest@fs.fed.us for additional information.

CLICK HERE to read the latest from the Spokesman Review on the oil and gas legislation

Click here to read the latest news on the oil and gas bill

The Idaho Chapter of the APA recently responded to the proposed Oil and Gas Bill.  Click on the following link to read the letter.

Oil Gas Letter 1-23-12

Click here to read the full article regarding an important recent Supreme Court Case

Congratulations to three Idaho communities who were recently awarded grants.  City of Kimberly received a technical assistance grant from Smart Growth America, City of American Falls received a transportation grant from the federal Department of Transportation, and Fremont County was awarded funding under the Sustainable Communitiies Planning Grant Program.  Click below to read the full details.

Press Release for 3 Grant Awards in Idaho 12-19-11

Looking for a reason to attend the 2012 APA National Confernce in April?  CLICK HERE to read about an exciting mobile workshop opportunity presented by the Small Town and Rural Planning Division.

The College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls is offering a
free workshop for all planners on correctly siting residential wind turbines
and suggestions for writing ordinances addressing residential turbines.
The workshop is offered by Dr. Ross Spackman, Director of the CSI Environmental
Technology Program, who is currently the head of the wind energy program at
CSI.  The workshop will include an “in class” portion and a brief tour the
current wind turbine technology. This will be an important workshop for any
planner that wants to address the question of equitably siting wind turbines in
residential areas, including rural subdivisions.  Here are the workshop
details:
LOCATION: CSI campus in Twin Falls, Evergreen
Building, Room A-24
DATE: December 9, Friday
TIME: 2:00 pm- 4:30 pm
TOPIC: Planning for residential wind turbine
siting and drafting ordinances addressing residential wind turbines

There is adequate parking outside the Evergreen Building and
the room is easy to find.

Please click below to read the proposed Safety Aviation Act.  This proposed legislation includes revisions to multiple sections of the Local Land Use Planning Act.  Please contact your regional representative of the Idaho APA board with your comments.  Your regional representative’s name and contact information can be found here.

Aviation Safety Act-LLUPA