Local Leaders Council

The latest developments, events, and resources from LLC:

Gainesville, FL City Commissioner Thomas Hawkins on land use and economic development

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Gainesville, FL's Depot Park
A former train station and brownfield site will become home to a restaurant, café and a flexible space for events as part of the Depot Park project in Gainesville, FL. Photo via the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency.

Thomas Hawkins, a Commissioner for the City of Gainesville, FL and member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, is helping using smart growth strategies to attract economic development while protecting Gainesville’s quality of life.

Local Leaders Council

Top 10 of 2013: Bringing together local leaders passionate about smart growth strategies

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This month we’re looking back at some of Smart Growth America’s brightest moments and greatest accomplishments from 2013. Today’s highlight: Our work uniting municipal officials from across the country who are passionate about smart growth strategies through our Local Leaders Council.

The Local Leaders Council shares and promotes effective policies and programs, and connects elected officials from across the country with one another. Council members share tips and ideas for development with one another, and advise Smart Growth America about how state and federal decisions affect local communities.

Local Leaders Council

SeaTac, WA Deputy Mayor Mia Gregerson on placemaking through transit-oriented development

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Tukwila Station
SeaTac’s Tukwila International Boulevard Station, located at the center of SeaTac’s South 154th Street station area. Image by Sean Marshall via Flickr.

SeaTac, WA, is a new, exceptionally diverse city adjacent to both Seattle and Tacoma (as its name suggests) and home to the region’s international airport. So what’s it lacking? Transit-oriented development and neighborhoods that will lure new residents to take advantage of what SeaTac has to offer. Deputy Mayor and City Councilmember Mia Gregerson supports using smart growth strategies to achieve both.

Gregerson is a member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, a nonpartisan group of municipal officials who share a passion for building great towns, cities, and communities. Gregerson, who has served as a member of SeaTac’s City Council since 2008 and is also the city’s Deputy Mayor, says that that a main challenge for SeaTac is that its convenient location and new road infrastructure have not been enough to create a compelling sense of place in the young city.

Local Leaders Council

Mayor Rick Danner on revitalizing Greer, South Carolina’s downtown

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The City of Greer had a vision for turning around their downtown. Mayor Rick Danner talks about they went about implementing that vision through a Master Plan created with the help of a public-private partnership and turned their downtown from a couple of restaurants into a vibrant center that includes a new city hall, a … Continued

Local Leaders Council Uncategorized

Vice-Mayor Anu Natarajan on building better in Fremont, CA

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Vice-Mayor Anu Natarajan believes her city of Fremont, CA, can be an economic leader in the region and the country. Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council sat down with Vice-Mayor Natarajan to learn more about her ideas for building on the city’s existing diversity to make Fremont more vibrant and economically competitive.

Local Leaders Council

Councilmember Chris Trumbauer on balancing growth and the environment in Annapolis, MD

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Annapolis, MD waterfront.
Annapolis, MD’s waterfront. Photo by JP via Flickr.

Anne Arundel County, MD is a county of 540,000 residents situated between Washington, DC and the Chesapeake Bay. Chris Trumbauer, County Councilmember for Anne Arundel County and Chair of the Advisory Board for the new Maryland Chapter of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, is working to accommodate new development in Anne Arundel County while protecting the natural beauty and resources of the Chesapeake Bay region.

“The Annapolis area has a unique sense of place,” Trumbauer explains. “It has 300 years of history, a connection to the Chesapeake Bay and is Maryland’s capital city. Anne Arundel County has 500 miles of shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay, and while there is a lot of development pressure there is also a lot of affinity for environmental issues. It is a vibrant community and I would like to keep it that way.”

Local Leaders Council

Councilmember Michael DeMarco has a plan to keep the City of Fairfax, VA competitive in its region

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Fairfax VA
Old Town Fairfax, VA. Photo by Brandon Wu via Flickr.

City Councilmember Michael DeMarco may just be in his first term of elected office, but he has a strong vision for the future of the City of Fairfax, VA.

As the previous Chair of the city’s Economic Development Authority, DeMarco is focused on smart growth and development for his city of 6.3 square miles and just under 25,000 residents. Fairfax is located in Northern Virginia and part of the growing greater Washington, DC metro region. “It’s not a question of when we will grow,” says DeMarco. “It’s a question of how we will grow.”

Local Leaders Council

Complete Streets News – November 2013

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Get our monthly Complete Streets News delivered straight to your inbox: Join our mailing list today! Policy Adoption The Peru, IN City Council unanimously approved a Complete Streets ordinance on November 4, and the community is already discussing its first project under the new paradigm. The Miami County YMCA led the policy efforts, working with … Continued

Complete Streets Local Leaders Council
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