2025 APA California – Northern Section Award Winners

Each year, the Northern Section bestows Planning Awards to honor the most outstanding efforts in planning in the Section. The jury was impressed with the high quality of applications across the board. After careful deliberation, the results are in and we are excited to share them with you!

Awards Category	Organization	Name of Project	Award (Excellence/Merit)
Academic	Pearl Liu and Greer Cowan	Rethinking Transit Safety: Understanding and Addressing Gender-based Harassment and Enhancing Safety on San Francisco’s Muni Transit System	Excellence
Academic	SJSU Graduate Capstone Studio Student Teams, Spring and Fall 2024	Reimagining Saratoga Avenue in San Jose	Merit
Communications Initiative and Outreach	City of Walnut Creek	Walnut Creek Pre-Approved ADU Program	Excellence
Communications Initiative and Outreach	CoTales	Tales of the Urban Realm – Accessibility	Merit
Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan	City of Arcata, Community Development Department	Arcata General Plan 2045/Gateway Area Plan	Excellence
Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan	Town of Moraga Planning Department	Moraga General Plan 2040	Excellence
Grassroots Initiative	Portola Neighborhood Association, Caltrans	Portola Green Plan / The Green Between	Merit
Grassroots Initiative	Oakland Firesafe Council	East Bay Hills Wildfire Coalition of Governments	Excellence
Implementation	City of Concord, Planning Division	Concord Housing Sites Tracker & Lot Consolidation Incentives	Merit
Implementation	Downtown San Francisco Partnership	Downtown San Francisco Public Realm Action Plan	Excellence
Opportunity and Empowerment	San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency	Bayview Community Shuttle	Excellence
Opportunity and Empowerment	City of Oakland Department of Planning and Building	Downtown Oakland Specific Plan	Excellence
Planning Excellence	Hayward Area Recreation & Park District (HARD)	San Lorenzo Creekway Master Plan	Excellence
Planning Excellence	City of Monterey	Monterey 2031 Project	Merit
Resilience and Sustainability	City of Santa Cruz, City Manager’s Office	City of Santa Cruz 50-year Community Vision for West Cliff	Excellence
Resilience and Sustainability	Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments	Monterey Bay Natural and Working Lands Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Study	Merit
Transportation Planning	City of Alameda – Planning Building & Transportation	Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle	Excellence
Transportation Planning	San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency	San Francisco Biking and Rolling Plan	Merit
Urban Design	City of Salinas, Community Development Department	Alisal District Identity Master Plan	Excellence
Urban Design	Brookfield Properties and San Francisco Planning Department	Stonestown Framework Plan and Design Standards and Guidelines	Merit

In addition to the aforementioned awards, the Northern Section Director bestowed the following special recognition awards:

• Special Recognition Award: Emerging Planner – Logan Woodruff, AICP
• Special Recognition Award: Mid-Career Planner – Sharon Grewel, AICP
• Special Recognition Award: Distinguished Planner – Jerry Walters

The Northern Section Board would like to extend a huge thank you to our panel of jurors for taking the time to review each application thoroughly and for engaging in thoughtful deliberation. Our 2025 Jury was comprised of:

• Vivian Kahn, Principal at Dyett & Bhatia
• Shannon Allen, NEPA Compliance Manager at Presidio Trust
• Franziska Church, AICP, Principal at Fehr & Peers
• Jane Lin, AIA, Partner at Urban Field Studio
• Eleanor Hollander, AICP, Economic Development Manager at City of Berkeley

Awards Gala

The Awards Gala will recognize this year’s outstanding award recipients, who have demonstrated innovation, excellence, and leadership in the planning field. Attendees will enjoy a night of celebration, networking, and community as we honor those whose work has made a lasting impact.

• Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025
• Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Location: Cornerstone 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704

Transportation

We’re committed to making the event accessible to everyone. The venue is conveniently located 0.3 miles south of the Downtown BART station at 2106 Shattuck Avenue near Center Street. Street parking is available and several parking lots are located within walking distance of the venue. For drivers, carpooling is highly encouraged.

Important Dates

1. Northern Section Awards Application Window – January 5 – February 15, 2025
2. Northern Section Awards Jury Deliberations – March 9 – March 28, 2025
3. Northern Section Awards Winner Notification – March 31, 2025
4. State Awards Application Window – April 15 – May 16, 2025
5. Northern Section Awards Awards Gala – May 15, 2025

Call for Gala Volunteers

The Awards Committee is looking for enthusiastic individuals to help with various tasks, including event setup, guest check-in, and general assistance throughout the evening. Please reach out to Awards Program Co-Directors, Carlina Rose and Danae Hall, at awards@norcalapa.org to express your interest by Friday, May 2, 2025.

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