MONTROSE – The City of Montrose has come up with a novel way to encourage developers and builders to create quality projects that enhance the community. Nominations are now being accepted for the new Community Development Achievement Awards.

Awards will be given in four categories, said City Planner Scott Shine: commercial or industrial, residential, sustainability, and landscaping.

“A lot of other cities do something along these lines to recognize and promote quality practices,” Shine said. “I think it’s a way to encourage builders to go above and beyond, not just doing the bare minimum.”

Completed nomination forms can be delivered to the Elks Civic Building at 107 South Cascade Ave. before 4:30 p.m. on April 30, or emailed to the city’s Community Development Department at planningmail@cityofmontrose.org. Nominations should include the site address, photos and category, along with contact information for the owner, contractor and architect, if applicable. Eligible projects must have been completed or issued a Certificate of Occupancy in 2009.

The city’s planning commission will review nominations in May and one award in each category will be presented during a special ceremony in June with city officials and the City Council, Shine said, adding that categories allow for a broad range of possibilities, from private homes to major subdivisions, from extensive remodels to commercial buildings.

With exception of the landscaping category, Shine said the city is looking for projects that have gone through the city’s planning process and reflect the values of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

“Really, it’s just something that can be used as a model, such as appropriate architecture, building materials, or how a building fits into the community, just some models that we could point people to that are innovative,” he said. “It could be pedestrian connections to a trail, the way they arrange parking, the way they incorporate local materials, things along that line.”

Just how a project reflects Montrose’s heritage or is incorporated into a natural setting are more examples, he said.

“We are looking for people who make the nomination to say why it deserves special recognition and why it could be used as a model,” Shine said.

Nomination forms can be picked up at City Hall or by sending an email to planningmail@cityofmontrose.org. For more information, call Shine at 240-1497.