MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2006
Contact: Stacey Swank
Pinellas County Economic Development
(727) 464-7425 or sswank@pinellascounty.org

Pinellas by Design Named Winner
2005 Charles A. McIntosh, Jr. Award of Distinction

On March 31, 2006, Pinellas by Design: An Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community received the 2005 Charles A. McIntosh, Jr. Award of Distinction at the 14th Annual Future of the Region Awards, presented by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.  The award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in the community.  The winner was selected from over thirty applications received in the categories of Community Service, Cultural/Sports/Recreation, Development, Environmental, Infrastructure and Public Education.

More than just a plan, Pinellas by Design is a major initiative that has transformed the way the Pinellas community thinks about redevelopment. A collaborative effort by the Pinellas Planning Council and the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners acting through its Economic Development Department, Pinellas by Design identifies the actions necessary to assure future prosperity and a high quality of life for all who live in Pinellas County. As the county reaches buildout, stakeholders need to revise their thinking, retool their approaches, and employ new solutions and techniques to address the changing redevelopment environment. Pinellas by Design provides economic, real estate, and urban design strategies that help us anticipate and respond to that new environment.

Begun in 2000, the study phase of the initiative included three countywide public education/participation summits, an economic development workshop, three major reports, nine supportive technical memoranda, and the creation of the PinellasByDesign.org website, which serves as an informational resource for the community.  These efforts culminated in November 2005 with the approval of Pinellas by Design: An Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community, which provides a framework for future planning in Pinellas County.

Pinellas by Design is a continuing effort. Additional information and updates are available at www.PinellasByDesign.org. 

To learn more about the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, visit www.tbrpc.org.

For more information about the Pinellas Planning Council, please phone (727) 464-8250 or visit www.pinellasplanningcouncil.org.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Stacey Swank at Pinellas County Economic Development, (727) 464-7425, sswank@pinellascounty.org, or visit www.pced.org.

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