Projects, Visions Lauded at 27th Annual Community Design Awards Program

The Planning Commission recognized 16 projects for their contributions to the quality of life in Hillsborough County at the Planning Commission’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration and 27^th Annual Community Design Awards held Thursday, April 16, at the Tampa Convention Center in Downtown Tampa. Top honors went to three projects.  

In the category of Master Planning and Urban Design, the City of Plant City, the Plant City Planning and Zoning Department, and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. were recognized with an Award of Outstanding Contribution to the Community for the Northeast Plant City Master Plan.  The Northeast Plant City Area Master Plan was adopted by the Plant City City Commission as a proactive vision plan to guide development in a 20-square-mile multi-jurisdictional area experiencing development pressure.  The plan was uniquely prepared with the participation of representatives from two counties, two cities, three planning agencies, the School Board, and Florida Department of Transportation.  Guiding principles that incorporated smart-growth planning principles and a development suitability map were used in developing the final plan that included roadway improvements to relieve development impacts to I‑4.  The plan includes the impact-fee calculation needed to fund implementation of the plan’s transportation improvements. 

In the category of Environmental Projects, Quest Ecology, Inc. shared honors with the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department and Audubon of Florida with an Award of Outstanding Contribution to the Community for Monitoring Neotropical Migratory Songbirds at Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve.  Quest Ecology and its partners have established a long-term monitoring program for neotropical migratory songbirds at Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve.  The program includes an educational outreach program to inform the public about the decline in neotropical migratory songbird populations and what can be done to prevent or minimize the decline.  Volunteers are working to determine local stopover species-specific habitat use by neotropical migratory songbirds and develop recommendations for future restoration projects in order to incorporate a wider array of species that may not be listed by the State or Federal Wildlife Services, but are known to be in decline.

In the category of Commercial, Public, or Quasi-Public Projects, Harvard Jolly Architecture along with the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners took home an Award of Outstanding Contribution to the Community for Town N’ Country Commons.  The new Town ‘N Country Commons, is a unique facility in that it combines a library, senior center and head start facility under one roof, and is sited adjacent to a four-acre neighborhood park.  This new two-story, 45,000 square foot facility replaced an aging one-story library.  The senior center shares approximately half of the first floor area with the head start component, while the library occupies the entire second floor.  The first floor also features dividable meeting rooms that all three components can share or utilize during alternate times.

Awards of Excellence were given to:

• Hillsborough Achievement and Resource Center and Rojo Architecture for the Center for Life Development in the category of Commercial, Public, or Quasi Public projects.
• RMC Property Group, R.R. Simmons, and Publix Super Markets for the Publix Greenwise Super Market Hyde Park in the category of Commercial, Public, or Quasi Public projects.
• WilderArchitecture, Inc., Hillsborough County Public Schools, and Allstate Construction, Inc. for Sergeant Paul R. Smith Middle School in the category of Commercial, Public, or Quasi Public projects.
• Walbridge, E. Verner Johnson and Associates, and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for the Tampa Bay History Center in the category of Commercial, Public, or Quasi Public projects.
• Florida Department of Transportation, City of Tampa, and the Federal Highway Administration for the Interstate 4 Historic Preservation Mitigation Project in the category of Historic Preservation/Restoration.

• RHC and Associates, Inc., Atelier Architecture, JBD Construction, and Hillsborough County Schools for DeSoto Elementary School in the category of Historic Preservation/Restoration.

• Atelier Architecture, Walbridge, and Hillsborough County Schools, for Orange Grove Middle Magnet School in the category of Historic Preservation/Restoration.
• Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Jacobs Engineering for the TBARTA Public Engagement and Education Program in the category of Public Participation.
• City of Temple Terrace Parks and Recreation and the USF School of Architecture and Community Design for Riverfront Park Pavilion in the category of “Green” Projects.

Awards of Merit were given to:

• City of Tampa, Cooper Johnson Smith Architects, and Mofatt & Nichol Engineering for the Marjorie Park Marina Building in the category of Public Projects.
• City of Temple Terrace and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for Serena Park Native Trees Arboretum in institutional Commercial, Public, or Quasi-public Projects.
• City of Tampa, USF School of Architecture and Community Design, the Florida Center for Community design and Research, and L.A. Design, Inc for the East Tampa Ponds Revitalization Program in Environmental Projects.
• USF School of Architecture and Community Design for the conceptual student studio project of Canopy Park Village in Master Planning and Urban Design.

Planning Commission Chairman Bruce P. Cury, presented the Chairman’s Award the United Citizens' Action Network (U-CAN).  Comprised of concerned citizens and citizen groups across Hillsborough County, U-CAN actively participates in the development and planning process.  With over 300 members, U-CAN works to ensure growth is controlled and encourages county leadership to consider the interests of existing residents primarily in all growth management decisions. U-CAN stands up for citizen participation in planning decisions and continuously follows actions related to land use and transportation planning.

Planning Commission Executive Director Robert B. Hunter, FAICP, presented the Executive Director’s Award to Mr. Stuart Rogel, President & CEO and the Tampa Bay Partnership for its diverse partnership of public and private leaders. Working in tandem with the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and citizenry of the seven-county Tampa Bay Region, the Tampa Bay Partnership led the One Bay initiative that developed a regional vision to help realize a sustainable, high-quality Tampa Bay region for decades. The result was a unified vision for quality and sustainable growth critical to meet the needs of the 3.2 million new Tampa Bay region residents expected by the year 2050.

Twenty-five projects were entered in ten categories. Judges who reside outside Hillsborough County and who are prominent in the fields of planning, architecture and landscape architecture reviewed the entries and determined the winners.

Nearly 275 guests were present at the Tampa Convention Center to watch as ABC Action News Anchor Brendan McLaughlin emceed the Community Design Awards Program. ABC Action News, Tampa Electric, and Straley Robin & William Law Firm were major sponsors of the event.