Tuesday November 11, 2008

Oswego a Winner in 'Smart Growth Coastal City Awards' Competition

The Great Lakes Commission and NOAA Coastal Services Center have selected Oswego among three winners for the “Smart Growth Coastal City Awards” for 2008, according to the Oswego Community Development Office.

Three communities were chosen from a total of 25 nominations to be developed into case study examples of smart growth in the Great Lakes region, Joining Oswego are Porter County, Ind. (Lake Michigan) and Ashland, Wis. (Lake Superior).

These communities are selected based on the number of smart growth elements demonstrated by their programs and planning documents.

The selected communities also represent diversity in lake basin and population size.

Listed below are the smart growth elements:

• Mix land uses and ensure that working waterfronts and water-dependent uses remain a viable and stable part of this mix;

• Take advantage of compact building design to optimize waterfront and water-based activities in targeted areas;

• Provide a range of housing opportunities and choices to meet the ends of both seasonal and permanent residents;

• Create walk-able waterfronts and shoreline communities with visual and physical access to and along the waterfront for public use;

• Foster distinctive, attractive, disaster-resilient communities with a strong sense of place while protecting, preserving, and enhancing waterfront and coastal heritage;

• Preserve open space, natural beauty, coastal features and dynamic processes by protecting critical ecological systems;

• Strengthen and direct development to existing communities and encourage suitable waterfront revitalization;

• Provide a variety of transportation choices including ferries and other water-borne modes to complement land-based options;

• Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective through consistent policies and coordinated permitting processes;

• Promote community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions, including stakeholders who represent the public trust legacy of coastal waters.

A total of 25 communities were nominated to be developed into case study examples of smart growth in the Great Lakes region.

Becky Pearson, senior program specialist at the Great Lakes Commission, said the city of Oswego was nominated because it has some real, on-the-ground waterfront revitalization projects.

Mary Vanouse, Community Development director in Oswego, gave a presentation on Oswego's revitalization and restoration efforts at the Great Lakes Commission New York Land Use Roundtable in 2007 that demonstrated how the principles of “Smart Growth” were beginning to take shape in the community.

The three communities are selected based on the number of smart growth elements demonstrated by their programs and planning documents.

The selected communities also represent a diversity in lake basin and population size.

Oswego was determined to demonstrate eight out the 10 smart growth elements.

Randolph Bateman, mayor of the city of Oswego, said, "The city of Oswego is at a critical juncture. The forces for economic development at our international port and mixed-use waterfront residential development will need a balanced approach to preserve our coastal uses for the public while simultaneously safeguarding our historic port district. We are honored to have been selected from the many coastal cities along the Great Lakes for this team of specialists to focus on the opportunities for 'Smart Growth' on Lake Ontario."