Announcing the 2025 CenCal APA Award Winners!
April 2025
Planners do remarkable work, day-in and day-out to help our communities thrive and enhance the quality of lives of those who live, work, and visit our neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. Each year, the APA California Central Section Awards Program recognizes projects that enco urage quality in planning, increase the public’s awareness of the planning profession, and help create stronger and healthier communities in our very unique Central Section. This year, the Section received more nominations than ever, and the Jury Panel awarded a record number of awards based on the excellent planning happening in our geography.
The CenCal APA Board extends sincere thanks to everyone who prepared award submittals. The Jury was impressed with the breadth of first-rate planning work happening throughout the Central Valley. Over the course of the year, we will provide highlights from the winning projects to showcase the outstanding work and continue to inspire high-quality planning.
A hearty congratulations to the following 2025 CenCal APA Award winners! • Opportunity and Empowerment Award (Implementation)
o Award of Excellence: County of Tulare - SB2 Implementation, prepared by the County of Tulare
• Comprehensive Plan Award
o Award of Excellence: City of Tulare Downtown Master Plan, prepared by the City of Tulare and MIG
o Award of Merit: City of Patterson Downtown Master Plan, prepared by the City of Patterson and RRM Design Group
• Implementation Award
o Award of Excellence:
City of Fresno Parks
Master Plan + Measure P:
Transforming Parks and
Communities, prepared
by the City of Fresno
PARCS and WRT
• Resilience and Sustainability Award
o Award of Excellence: The City of Porterville’s South of Tule River (SoTu) Master Plan, prepared by the City of Porterville and Precision Civil Engineering
• Transportation Planning Award
o Award of Excellence: City of Bakersfield Active Transportation Plan, prepared by the City of Bakersfield and Kimley Horn
• Planning Excellence Award
o Award of Excellence: City of Fresno’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Small Homes Program, prepared by the City of Fresno Planning and Development Department
o Award of Merit: City of Reedley Comprehensive update of its Zoning Code, Subdivision Ordinance, and Zoning Map, prepared by the City of Reedley and Mintier Harnish
• Urban Design Award
o Award of Excellence: City of Clovis - Loma Vista Village Green, prepared by the City of Clovis and Kroll and Associates
• Academic Award
o Award of Excellence: UCLA Study “Further
Implications of Freeway Siting in California:
Freeway Development and Communities of
Color in Colton, Fresno, and San Diego, ”
prepared by the UCLA Institute of
Transportation Studies
• Communications Initiative and Outreach Award
o Award of Excellence: City of Fresno
Tower District Specific Plan Update,
prepared by the City of Fresno Planning
and Development Department
o Award of Merit: City of Visalia 6th Cycle
Housing Element and General Plan
Update, including a new Environmental
Justice Element, prepared by the City
of Visalia and Mintier Harnish
• Planning Project Award – Central Section
o Award of Excellence: City of Selma Downtown Strategic Plan, prepared by the City of Selma and Raimi +
Associates
• Focused Issue Planning Award – Central Section
o Award of Excellence: San Joaquin Valley
Small Lot Planning Study, prepared by the
Fresno Council of Governments and Mintier
Harnish, in association with the Natelson Group, through the San Joaquin Valley Regional Early Action
Congratulations to the winners!
Many of the award winners are eligible to apply for awards at the California Chapter state level and at the National level. Stay tuned as our winners proceed to the next round. Congratulations again to all those that won 2025 CenCal APA awards!