City Wins A Total Of Five American Planning Association DeBoer Awards

Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow, Planning Commissioner Steven Evans and the city of Las Vegas Department of Planning & Development will receive five DeBoer Awards for Excellence in Planning from the Nevada Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) at the organization’s state awards lunch today at noon at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. The awards honor excellence in planning projects and individual initiative.

Councilman Barlow will receive the Distinguished Leadership – Elected Official award for his involvement regarding planning and development in Ward 5. The 2008 APA National Conference AICP Community Workshop focused on West Las Vegas.  Councilman Barlow was an integral part of the workshop and has advocated for the principles of APA’s Great Streets, Places and Neighborhoods in all his community meetings. Councilman Barlow’s support has promoted several important projects such as the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, the Neon Museum, the rehabilitation of the Historic Westside School and improvements to Lorenzi Park.

Planning Commissioner Evans won the Distinguished Leadership – Citizen Planner award for his life-long work and commitment to the environment, historic preservation, and Las Vegas culture and arts. Mayor Oscar B. Goodman appointed him to the Board of Trustees of the Neon Museum, and Evans was instrumental in saving the La Concha lobby which will serve as the museum’s visitor center. In 2001, Mayor Pro-Tem Gary Reese appointed Commissioner Evans to the Planning Commission and he has been serving in that role since then. He has been a vocal supporter of the Arts District and is currently chair of the Downtown Design Review Committee.

The Planning and Development Department won in three categories. Flinn Fagg, AICP, acting deputy director, won in the Distinguished Leadership - Professional Planner category. During his tenure with the city, Fagg completed and updated all of the 18 state-mandated elements of the General Plan. He initiated the federal Scenic Byways designation for Las Vegas Boulevard, and currently leads a team that is rewriting the Unified Development Code combining Title 18 Subdivision to include Smart Growth concepts such as walkability, complete streets, low impact development and multi-modal transit opportunities.

The second award is for the Neon Museum and Boneyard Park in the category of Outstanding Plan for an Individual Project demonstrating excellence in the application of planning principles. The Neon Museum site is composed of an assemblage of parcels on the north and south sides of McWilliams Avenue. The parcels that comprise the park on the north side of McWilliams Avenue were purchased by the city of Las Vegas in 2005 using Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) funding. The plan for the Neon Museum property prominently features a historic structure moved to the site to serve as a visitor’s center. The visitor’s center structure was originally constructed in 1961 as the lobby for the La Concha Motel on Las Vegas Boulevard South and features a distinctive free-form curvilinear concrete roof. The building was added to the Las Vegas Historic Property Register in 2007 upon a recommendation of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

The third award is for the Planning & Development Department Walkable Community Outreach Program in the category of Outstanding Public Outreach & Journalism. In March 2009, the Planning & Development Department began implementing the concept of Walkable Community Plans by identifying areas throughout the city that featured neighborhoods with high concentrations of goods and services. A new community outreach process was launched whereby the planning staff became part of meetings already being held by the community. This resulted in more opportunities to discuss the plans with more residents in different settings, ultimately allowing for more input from the citizens in the planning process.

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Jace Radke
Public Information Officer
City of Las Vegas
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