2012 Community Stewardship Awards Applications are now available!

Applications for the seventh year of the Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards Program are available. Award categories include Neal Kocurek Legacy Award, New Development, Redevelopment, Innovation, Public Planning and Policy, Raising Public Awareness and new this year, Natural Infrastructure. Projects and initiatives can date back five years, which is also a change in the rules this year. Don't miss this opportunity to have your favorite initiative, person or project recognized. Self nominations are also welcome. The application deadline is Monday, February 27 at noon.

To download the application, call for projects and the luncheon registration form, click the photo above to go to Presentations and Publications on the website, then click on 2012 Community Stewardship Awards and see the list of possible downloads. (The photo is of the Hutto Lake Park which was a 2011 Community Stewardship Award winner in the New Development - Neighborhood Scale category.)

The Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon is Friday, May 11, noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Austin. For more information, call 512.916.6037.

See the Vision! Envision Central Texas was founded in 2001 to address the tremendous growth pressures on our five-county region. Regional leaders realized the need for a common vision that would help us take steps to shape growth in a positive way. The two-year ECT visioning process was unprecedented, with thousands of people throughout the region discussing future growth as a connected community. See all the Vision materials by clicking on the picture.

ECT Elects John Donisi as 2012 chairman.
John Donisi of Winstead PC was recently elected chairman of Envision Central Texas for 2012. Also elected were immediate past chair Travis Froehlich, vice presidents Dave Anderson, Black & Veatch and Betty Voights, CAPCOG; secretary, Tom Yantis, Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District; and, treasurer Joe Lessard, Knudson. To read about the new executive committee members and board members, click on the photo.

Planning Demonstration Sites Selected for Sustainable Places Project. The Sustainable Places Project, a consortium of local governments and agencies serving Central Texas (including Envision Central Texas), wrapped up its first year by selecting five cities to be planning demonstration sites. The cities of Austin, Elgin, Dripping Springs, Hutto, and Lockhart will demonstrate the benefits of integrating housing and mobility with economic opportunities in high growth areas. Over the next two years the demonstration sites will develop plans based on community goals with assistance from planning consultants and from a new planning analytics tool, all part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, managed by the Capital Area Council of Governments. The demonstration sites are based on the Activity Centers concept in the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan adopted by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. To read more, click on photo.