The City of El Monte’s general plan update, “Vision El Monte” received the prestigious Planning Excellence in Implementation Award from the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Planning Association for being the best plan in a large jurisdiction.
The City received the recognition for the development and implementation of a general plan that is creative, innovative and unique. In fact, El Monte’s general plan is one of only six in the State of California that contains a health and wellness element.
The American Planning Association recognizes outstanding planning and environment achievements by individuals and businesses.
“I would like to congratulate our Economic Development Department for receiving this special award,” Mayor Andre Quintero said. “By involving the community in the development of this very important document, we reinforced the theory that civic engagement makes for a better plan. This recognition is shared by all of our City family.”
Accepting the award on behalf of the City at a special ceremony, were Assistant Economic Development Director Minh Thai, landscape technician Jerry Moreno, and professional student intern Fernando Solis.
The ceremony celebrated the efforts that contribute innovative and exceptional planning and was held June 28 at the historic Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
The award was presented formally to the City Council at Tuesday’s Council meeting by Economic Development Department Staff.