Members of the public commenting on the Plan thanked the City for including balanced regulations, and taking into account the current economic climate as well as the need for climate action. Larry Robinson, with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, congratulated the City for, “a fine job putting together what I believe is one of the best Climate Action Plans here in the county.” Mr. Robinson went on to highlight ways that the Plan strikes a much needed balance between moving toward a more sustainable Sacramento, while recognizing the need for continued growth in the local economy. Eric Rasmussen with the Sacramento Area Association of Realtors also complimented the City on a final product that balances regulations and provides something everyone wanted.

A copy of the City of Sacramento Climate Action Plan is available online. A video transcript of the City Council adoption hearing for the Climate Action Plan can be found here.

Jim Harnish, Larry Mintier, and Bill Abbott were recognized for their support of the California County Planning Directors Association.

Mintier Harnish, along with Abbott & Kindermann, was recognized by the California County Planning Directors Association (CCPDA) during the CCPDA biannual conference in Sacramento on February 2, 2012.  Christopher Stephens, Ventura County Planning Director and President of the CCPDA, thanked Larry, Jim, and Bill Abbott for their years of support and dedication to the professional growth of the Association.  The biannual CCPDA conference brings together planning directors from across the state to coordinate best management practices in the field of planning. This year marked the 50^th anniversary of the CCPDA.

Mike Swearingen and Kim Anderson from San Jaoquin COG accept the Outstanding Planning: Best Practices award with Jim Harnish and Ted Holzem.

We were honored to receive the 2011 Outstanding Planning: Best Practices award for the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Planners Toolkit at last night’s Sacramento Valley Section APA Awards. The Awards ceremony was held at the AECOM office in midtown Sacramento where we spent the evening recognizing our peers for their remarkable contributions to the planning profession.

The toolkit was described as: “…a fabulous resource sensitive to the economic realities facing jurisdictions today. It is an easy to use resource, developed with input from a broad array of planners as is apparent when maneuvering the website. The project takes advantage of social media tools allowing for continuous improvement of the site and encouraging a collaborative and ongoing dialogue about best planning practices.”

Since its launch in Fall 2010 the Planners Toolkit has provided an online platform for planners, elected officials, and citizens to access California planning law and project case studies, templates, and other resources to help implement the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint vision and 12 smart growth principles. The Toolkit was developed through an eight county collaborative effort that engaged the community planners from throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Mintier Harnish was assisted in this effort by Mogavero Notestine Associates and Learning Change. You can learn more about the Planners Toolkit at: http://toolkit.valleyblueprint.org/.

The first day of the conference focused on transportation issues in the Valley and updates on Federal and State legislation. It featured presentations on the Valley segments of the California High Speed Rail project, the Valley’s Travel Model Improvement Program, and the Valley’s Goods Movement Action Plan. The second day of the conference was all about the different perspectives of Smart Growth, from what it takes to design and construct mixed-use infill projects in the Valley to what the Valley’s Regional Planning Agencies will be undertaking to implement SB 375 and prepare the Valley’s first sustainable communities strategy(ies). The conference concluded with the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Project Awards ceremony, which recognized development projects from throughout the Valley that exemplify the Blueprint 12 Smart Growth Principles.

The Guidance Framework outlines 12 strategies and related actions to create a structure, process, and set of actions for carrying out the Blueprint and for translating Blueprint principles into local policy and actions. It identifies the roles and responsibilities of various public and non-profit organizations; financial and personnel resources for implementation of the Blueprint; and communication methods and tools to build support for Blueprint implementation.The Guidance Framework also includes a whitepaper highlighting nine case studies of regional institutional arrangements from California and the nation, describes the relationship of institutional arrangements to implementation of the Valley Blueprint, and outlines three institutional arrangement options for the Valley.

Mintier Harnish prepared the Guidance Framework and whitepaper in collaboration with Carol Whiteside and the Rios Company. The Roadmap project included extensive coordination with directors and staff from the eight Valley Regional Planning Agencies, the Valley Planners Workgroup, and the Regional Policy Council. Dozens of Blueprint partners from over 60 local, regional, State, and Federal agencies and organizations also contributed their thoughts and ideas to this first of its kind program.