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EPA Smart Growth Achievement Award 2014Masterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque bretri All- America City 11111! 2007 • 2012 • 2013 CONTACT: Roy D. Buol, Mayor 563 - 564 -5455 rdbuok cityofdubuque.orq NEWS RELEASE Jan. 30, 2014 — For Immediate Release Dubuque Receives EPA Smart Growth Achievement Award DUBUQUE, Iowa — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Dubuque a recipient of its 2013 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol will accept the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 5. "This year's winning projects show that smart growth approaches are having a visible impact on communities across the country—large and small, cities and suburbs, towns and rural places," said US EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "They show that the choices communities make about how they develop can protect people's health and the environment while contributing to local economic growth. Most importantly, they show other communities that the path to a sustainable future is just around the corner." Competing in the "Corridor or Neighborhood Revitalization" category, Dubuque was selected for revitalization efforts in the Historic Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood. Winning entries were selected based on their effectiveness in creating sustainable communities; showing innovative smart growth planning and implementation; establishing a robust public involvement process; generating partnerships among public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders; and serving as national models. "I look forward to accepting this award on behalf of all the community partners who have and continue to work together to improve these critical parts of our community," said Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol. "The residents, property owners, and stakeholders in both the Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood should be extremely proud that their efforts are being recognized at the national level as an example for other communities to replicate." Once considered the nation's largest millwork district, Dubuque's Historic Millwork District housed dozens of companies, employed over 2,500, and connected downtown Dubuque to surrounding neighborhoods. Efforts are underway to reclaim the abandoned district as a regional engine of growth, with plans to locate over 1,000 new residents and more than 1,000 new employees to the area. A major revitalization initiative was also launched in Dubuque's Washington Neighborhood, which contains some of the city's oldest housing stock and has experienced years of disinvestment. Efforts in the neighborhood includes the Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project to prevent stormwater flooding, create a community attraction, and spur economic development in this neighborhood located adjacent to the Historic Millwork District. Award winners were selected by two separate panels. The first consisted of experts from the planning and design professions, nonprofits, academia, and federal agencies. The second was an internal EPA panel that provided additional comments. EPA's Associate Administrator of Policy made the final award determinations. Four additional winning communities and two honorable mentions will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 4. EPA created the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in 2002 to recognize exceptional approaches to development that respect the environment, foster economic vitality, enhance quality of life, and provide new opportunities for disadvantaged communities. Over the past 12 years, EPA has received 886 applications from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. This year, EPA received 77 applications from 31 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. For more information on the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, visit www. e pa . CI ov /sm a rtq rowth/awa rds. htm # ## The EPA produced a video featuring Dubuque's efforts related to smart growth. The video will be shown at the awards ceremony and Zink is available at: www. cityofdubuque .orq /smartgrowthaward A Message from... EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy Gino McCorthf Adminisnvtor U.S. Environmental Protection ABenc€ As the 13th Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is my pleasure to congratulate the 2013 winners of the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. This year's winning projects show that smart growth approaches are having a visible impact on communities across the country —large and small, cities and suburbs, towns and rural places. They show that the choices communities make about how they develop can protect people's health and the environment while contributing to local economic growth. Most importantly, they show other communities that the path to a sustainable future is just around the corner. One of my major commitments at EPA is to make a visible difference in America's communities. We want to support communities that are fostering healthy local economies and strong neighborhoods through strategies including using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, prioritizing cleanup and redevelopment of hazardous brownfield sites, providing transportation choices that reduce air pollution, and considering the impacts of development decisions on all community members. I am proud to say that our 2013 winners have masterfully employed these techniques and more. They have developed and implemented creative, flexible, and sustainable smart growth solutions that will curb carbon pollution, protect public health, and safeguard the environment. President Obama and I know that smart growth strategies are smart for the environment, smart for our economy, and smart for our communities. Please join me in once again congratulating the winners of the 2013 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement and the communities they represent. CITY OF DUBUQUE DUBUQUE, IOWA Partners: Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Dubuque Ma Chamber of Commie Dubuque Main Street East Central Intergovernmental ,Association HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities Four Mounds HEART Program Greater Dubuque Development Corposn,tion Gronen Reistorotion Iowa Economic Development Authortt? Iowa Finance Authority National Endowment for the Arts National Trust for Historic Fr servaiion U.S. Deportment of the Interior U.S. Economic Development Administration Wathington Neigh�rhood Dewlopment Corpwrrtion For More Information: Teri Goodmann Assistant City Manager City of Dubuque (563) 589 -4110 tgoadma n @cityaddu buq ue.org Corridor or Neighborhood Revita Iization Historic Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood Once a bustling center of regional economic activity, Dubuque, Iowa's Millwork District sat vacant for decades after it fell victim to the economic shifts that touched much of the Midwest in the mid- 1900s. The adjacent Washington Neighborhood was affected by the Millwork District's decline, facing disinvestment and neglect when the mills began to shutter their doors and residents moved away from dosamtown. Today, thanks to strong community partnerships, public engagement, and an overarching citywide commitment to sustainability, Dubuque is successfully restoring both the Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood to the vibrant neighborhoods they once were. In 2006, Mayor Roy D. Buol and the Dubuque City Council identified sustainability as their top community priority, prompting a citizen task force to create a new sustainability initiative — Sustainable Dubuque. Reinvestment in Dubuque's historic Millwork District and neighboring Washington Neighborhood were key to the community's plan. The Millwork District covers 11 city blocks, including more than 1 million square feet of formerly vacant warehouse space, and sits prominently between Dubuque's downtown core and the Mississippi River. Its redevelopment builds upon the city's sustainability vision and capitalizes on the districts existing assets to create a compact, walkable environment where over 1,000 new residents will inhabit the refurbished warehouses. The rehabilitation of the anchor building —the old Caradco factory —is already complete. The building incorporates a variety of retail, commercial, social, art, and civic spaces, which has brought culture and vibrancy back to the area. This type of multi-use development is the model for the district's future growth. The district includes innovative green infrastructure and energy- efficiency technologies to improve environmental quality and public health for the neighborhood's residents and Dubuque as a whole. The Millwork Districts success directly affects the revitalization of another central Dubuque neighborhood. The adjacent 128 -acre residential Washington Neighborhood, one of the city's oldest and most economically challenged areas, has used the progress made in the Millwork The arts community has been a catalyst for redevelopment. A rehabilitated warehouse hosts rotating art €.hibits, live performances, and other cultural events, bringing new energy to downtown. District to catalyze its own redevelopment. No longer geographically cut off from downtown by vacant factories, Washington Neighborhood residents can now easily walk, bike, or ride the bus to Dubuque's central business area, including the retail and social services in the Caradco Building. As part of the citywide sustainability initiative, community groups in the Washington Neighborhood, many of which have office space in the Millwork District, have restored dozens of homes, providing downtown housing options. Other projects in the neighborhood, including community gardens, parks, and public art, have improved quality of life for residents. The community has also reduced the flood risk to over 1,100 flood -prone properties by "daylighting" Bee Branch Creek, uncovering and redirecting the creek so that it now flows above ground. By restoring the creek to its native path, the city avoided having to spend millions of dollars to build new storm sewers because the creek performed the same The Millwork District contains affordable and market -rate apartments, retall apace for snail businesses, ort studios, and many of Dubuque's nonprofits. function in a natural way. Daylighting the creek not only saves money but provides residents of nearby neighborhoods an attractive community park. The goals of Sustainable Dubuque have come alive through these revitalized central neighborhoods. The converted Caradco Building and surrounding streetscape combine environmentally friendly technologies and complete streets with the reuse of existing assets —an inherently sustainable approach. A renewed feeling of community has emerged as a result of the Millwork District's focus on the arts through festivals, classes, and gallery space. The mixed- income apartments and single -family homes in both neighborhoods bring people from all socioeconomic backgrounds together downtown. By catalyzing redevelopment of these great places, Dubuque demonstrates that nothing is more sustainable than strengthening existing neighborhoods. Original elements afthe old mill buildings, such as open staircases, south-facing 'windows, and thick, insulating ederior walls, showcase the district's chowderwhilecreatirng energy- efficient seams. "I have lived in this neighborhood since I was 8 years old. I have seen what it was, and I can honestly say that with the programs and projects in place, I have never seen the homes and neighborhood look so good." — Gary Carner Washington Neighborhood Resident ARIZONA • City of Tempe —Smart Growth and Green Budding (2009) CALIFORNIA • City of Pasadena Planning and Development Department— Poiides and Regulations (2005) • Sacramento Area Council of Governments — Community Outreach and Education (2004) • City and County of San. Francisco — Civic Places (2010) • San. Francisco Housing Authority and Merry Housing California — Equitabie Development (2008) • City/County Association of Governments of San. Mateo County — Policies and Regulations (2 002) • City of Santa Cruz Department of Housing and Community Development — Policies and Regulations (2004) • Department of the Navy —SW Division (San Diego) —Built Projects (2 003) • City of Lancaster— Overall Excellence (2012) • Metropolitan Transportation Commission (Bay Area)— Programs and Poiides, Honorable Mention (2012) COLORADO • Town of Breckenridge Planning Department—Built Projects (2002) • Denver UrbanRenewal Authority— Overail Excellence (2005) • City of Lakewood and Lakewood Reinvestment Authority—Built Projects (2005) • Denver Housing Authority — Equitable Development (2012) Past Winners CONNECTI OJT • Town. of Redding — Smarr Communities (2005) FLORIDA • City of Orlando— Military Base Redevelopment (2005) • The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale— Equitable Development, Honorable Mention (2 012) GEORGIA • Atlanta Regional Commission - Poiicies and Regulations (2008) • Georgia Department of Community Affairs-Office of Quality Growth — Community Outreach and Education (2 003) ILLINOIS • Chicago Department of Planning and Development— Equitable Development (2006) • Chicago Housing Authority —Built Projects (2009) • Town of Normal —Civic Places (2011) KANSAS • City of Wichita —Built Projects (2 006) MAINE • Gateway 1 Communities and Maine Department of Transportation — Rural. Smart Growth (2010) MARYLAND • Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development— Smart Growth and Green Thdding (2010) • Silver Spring Regional Center — Overall Excellence (2008) MASSACHUSETTS • Town. of Barn stable — Waterfront and Coastal Communities (2007) • Massachusetts Office for Commonwealth Development — Overall Excellence (2006) • Massachusetts Executive Office of Enviraunental Affairs — Community Outreach and Education (2002) • Urban Edge Housing Corporation — Built Projects (2 008) MINNESOTA • Metropolitan Council (Minneapolis - St. Paul)— Ovemii Excellence (2003) MISSOURI • City of St Louis and the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group — Overall Excellence (2011) NEW MEXICO • City of Albuquerque —Smart Growth and Green Building (2011) • San. Juan Pueblo Office of the Governor —Smarr Communities (2 004) NEW YORK • Borough of Manhattan— Equitable Development (2007) • New York City Departments of Transportation, Health, Design. and Construction, and City Planning — Overall Excellence (2010) • University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning —Main Street or Corridor Revitalization, Honorable Mention (2012) NORTH CAROLINA • Charlotte Department of Transportation— Poiides and Regulations (2009) • Town. of Davidson Planning Department— Overall Excellence (2 004) • City of Greensboro Department of Housing and Community Development— Built Projects (2 004) • City of Raleigh and Wake County Public School System— Pubiic Schools (2003) OHI 0 • Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office — Policies and Regulations (2 003) OREGON • Housing Authority of Portland — Overall Excellence (2007) • Metro (Portland) — Programs, Policies, and Regulations (2010) PENNSYLVANIA • Lancaster County Planning Commission —Ovengi Excellence (2 009) • Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development — Policies and Regulations (2006) SOUTH DAKOTA • Muter County Development Corporation and the Rural Learning Center —Rural Smart Growth (2011) TEXAS • City of El Paso — Programs, Policies, and Regulations (2011) VERMONT • City of Winooski— Small Communities (2006) • State of Vermont — Policies and Regulations (2007) • Vermont Housing and Conservation Board —Main Street or Corridor Revitalization (2012) VIRGINIA • Arlington County— Overall Excellence (2002) • City of Portsmouth— Programs and Policies (2012) WASHINGTON • Seattle Housing Authority —Built Projects (2007) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Sustainable Communities (1807T) EPA 231 -F -14 -001 www.epa.gov /smartgrowth February 2014 NATIONAL AWARD FOR Smart Growt ACHIEVEMENT For more information about the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement and EPA's other smart growth activities, visit: www.epa.gov /sma rtg rowth Printed on 100% recycled /recyclable paper with a minimum 50% post - consumer waste using vegetable -based inks.