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COALITION CELBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY WITH FIRST ANNUAL CAPITAL REGION VISIONARY AWARDS

Honorees include former Mayor Anthony Williams, Arlington County, Bonnie Bick and Donna Edwards.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Smarter Growth celebrated its 10th anniversary on Wednesday evening and honored outstanding leaders in smart growth with Capital Region Visionary Awards.  Former Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington DC, Arlington County represented by board members Paul Ferguson, Chris Zimmerman and Jay Fisette, and Prince George’s activists Bonnie Bick and Donna Edwards received the awards.  Former Governor Parris Glendening, Calvin Cafritz, George Vradenburg, and a broad spectrum of nearly 200 conservation, civic, business, developer and foundation leaders joined the Coalition for its celebration.

The reception, awards presentation, and auction, held at the True Reformer Building on U Street in the heart of Washington, D.C., highlighted the work of the Coalition’s volunteers, activists, and partners and celebrated ten years of successful smart growth advocacy in the greater Washington metropolitan region. 

Starting as a one person operation a decade ago, the Coalition for Smarter Growth is now one of the leading nonprofits in the Washington, D.C., region dealing with growth and transportation.  Linking the region’s leading environmental, transit and civic advocates, the Coalition has won support for transit, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, bicycle/pedestrian needs, and land conservation. To mark this impressive milestone, the Coalition selected the Capital Region Visionary Award honorees for their personal efforts to promote and implement smart growth in the Metro area.
                       
Mayor Anthony Williams was recognized as a leader in the revitalization of the District of Columbia, without which smart growth could not be fully achieved.  The Mayor installed a top-notch team and restored the DC Office of Planning, achieving the revitalization of Gallery Place, U Street, the SW and SE waterfront, Columbia Heights and new investments east of the river.  Arlington County was recognized as leaders in transit-oriented development (TOD), affordable housing, bicycle/pedestrian investments and green building.  Their Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor is a national model for TOD.  Bonnie Bick and Donna Edwards exemplars of the effective civic activism in planning the future of their community and received the award for their leadership of the Campaign to Reinvest in the Heart of Oxon Hill.  Each awardee was honored with a framed photograph illustrating symbols of their achievements.

The event program included remarks from Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director and a silent and live auction.  The Coalition event supported local urban and rural vendors including a wine tasting courtesy of Fabbioli Cellars of Loudoun County, decorative pumpkins and gourds from Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve, and hors d'oeuvres from Fresh Start Catering, a division of the DC Central Kitchen.
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