Bonney Lake Earns Governor's 'Smart Communities Award'

BONNEY LAKE, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee in June awarded Bonney Lake for its work watershed protection and land use planning, which reportedly had a specific focus on "preserving and protecting water quality and habitat, encouraging citizen participation, facilitating economic development, promoting healthy lifestyles, and accommodating growth in urban areas."

Selected for a Judges' Merit Award as part of the 2019 Smart Communities Awards, Bonney Lake's Watershed Protection and Land Use Planning (WPLUP) project represented "a holistic approach to addressing multiple goals of the (Growth Management Act)," according to the Department of Commerce.

As one of the fastest growing cities in Pierce County, Bonney Lake is required to adhere to the Growth Management Act (GMA), which the Department of Commerce says addresses comprehensive plans and development regulations to guide future growth toward protecting critical environmental areas and conserving natural resource lands.

Bonney Lake's WPLUP "is an example of how a local jurisdiction can create a synergistic relationship between these often competing objectives in a proactive manner that furthers the implementation of the GMA, and an example of how a local jurisdiction can implement the Department of Commerce’s Building Cities in the Rain guidance," officials said.

Other Pierce County communities to receive awards are Lakewood, for its "Downtown Plan," and Tacoma, for its "Affordable Housing Action Strategy."

"Creativity, collaboration and public engagement are key to ensuring that communities are successful in meeting future growth and prosperity goals," Inslee said in a statement. "This year's award-winning plans and projects exemplify some of the reasons why Washington is consistently ranked one of the best states in America."

This is the 14th year Washington cities and counties were honored with Smart Communities Awards.

"This year's Smart Communities Award winners recognize that effective growth planning cultivates strong communities by supporting good jobs, affordable housing, reliable infrastructure and innovation for a clean, health future," said Commerce Director Dr. Lisa Brown. "These are some of the key attributes that give Washington its unique sense of place and quality of life."