Lakewood Earns Governor's 'Smart Communities Award'

LAKEWOOD, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee in June awarded Lakewood for its work in the city's downtown, which reportedly acknowledges and reflects the growing diversity of businesses and people in the area.

Selected among the winners of the 2019 Smart Communities Awards, Lakewood earned a "Smart Vision Award" for envisioning "a well-designed mixed-use place to live, work, and shop" in its 2017-2018 Downtown Plan, according to the Department of Commerce.

"Downtown (Lakewood) is enriched with parks, accessible and traversable by all travel modes, and offers a rich quality of life and strong economy," department officials wrote. "Lakewood’s robust public outreach and program were excellent for the community members, (and) the decision-makers involved in the planning process."

Other Pierce County communities to receive awards were Bonney Lake, for its "Watershed Protection and Land Use Planning," 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."