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News Releases from Region 09

EPA to Help Apache Junction, Ariz., Meet Sustainability Goals, Increase Infill

12/15/2016
Contact Information: 
Soledad Calvino (calvino.maria@epa.gov )
415-972-3512

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that 25 communities across the nation will receive technical assistance to pursue development strategies that advance clean air, clean water, economic development and other local goals. In Arizona, the City of Apache Junction will receive assistance to encourage infill projects for the revitalization of the town’s center.

"We are thrilled that the City of Apache Junction will benefit from this program," said Alexis Strauss, EPA's Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “By providing technical assistance, our Building Blocks program will help local leaders guide their communities towards a prosperous, more sustainable future.”

EPA’s technical assistance will complement the city’s existing work to revitalize its urban center through infill development. Such projects include: street and landscaping improvements, public art, commercial rehabilitation programs, revised development fees, incentives for new development, zoning and conditional use for undesirable lots, and community initiatives for revitalization efforts.

EPA selected this year's recipients from among 76 applicants to the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. In 2017, EPA staff and national experts will conduct one to two-day workshops to help the community address development-oriented issues.

Nationally, the agency is offering five assistance tools this year: Green and Complete Streets, Equitable Development, Planning for Infill Development, Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas, and Flood Resilience for Riverine and Coastal Communities. EPA selected communities located in 19 states: Skykomish, WA; Willamina, OR; Bishop, CA; Apache Junction, AZ; Questa, NM; Raton, NM; Pueblo, CO; Pine Ridge, SD; Randolph, NE; Brownsville, TX; Logansport, LA; Acadia Parish, LA; Winona, MN; Detroit, MI; Fairview Park, OH; Manatee County, FL; Miami, FL; Myrtle Beach, SC; Kingston, NY; Pocomoke City, MD; Baltimore, MD; Central Falls, RI; Wareham, MA; Hartford, CT; and Lenox, MA.

Since 2011, the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program has provided assistance to 130 communities in 41 states. As a result of this assistance, community groups, local governments, and tribal governments across the nation have increased their capacity to successfully implement smart growth and sustainable approaches that protect the environment, improve public health, create jobs, expand economic opportunity, prepare for the effects of climate change, and improve overall quality of life.

More information on the Building Blocks program:
/smartgrowth/building-blocks-sustainable-communities

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