Columbia receives award from the American Planning Association

The Missouri chapter of the American Panning Association awarded Columbia’s new growth and development plan, Columbia Imagined, with the 2014 Outstanding Plan Award – Honorable Mention. Patrick Zenner, Columbia’s Development Services Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the city and the Community Development Department, on Oct. 16 in St. Louis. “We are honored to have received the state chapter’s highest award for planning professionals,” Zenner said.

The new plan, Columbia Imagined: The Plan for How We Live and Grow, was adopted last October after years of work and development. The plan maps out how and where growth and development should occur throughout Columbia over the next 20 years. Columbia Imagined includes livability, land use and policy guidelines for residents, professional staff and elected officials until 2030. The project was a collaborative effort between the Community Development Department, the Comprehensive Plan Task Force, the Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as community members and consultants from MU.

“With many Outstanding Plan Award nominees submitted for this year’s review, the Jury wanted to specifically acknowledge the Columbia Imagined Plan with an Honorable Mention,” said the Missouri APA Awards Review Jury. Columbia Imagined was one of 15 plans nominated for the Outstanding Plan Award. NextRail KC was the recipient of the 2014 Outstanding Plan Award. Other awards included outstanding implementations; outstanding public outreach, program, project, tool or community initiative; and the outstanding student project award. The Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association has more than 1000 members statewide and four sections in Kansas City, Ozark Mountain, mid-Missouri and the St. Louis metro area.