Thursday, March 28, 2024

Southlake Planning and Development Services wins the Richard R. Lillie Planning Excellence Award

The Planning and Development Services Department recently won the Richard R. Lillie Planning Excellence Award from the Texas American Planning Association.

The award was presented during the Texas APA awards ceremony in El Paso, Texas in October of 2022.

The City of Southlake is one of 44 municipalities to take home this award across the state of Texas.

“It’s always an honor to receive recognition for our efforts,” Dennis Killough, interim director of planning and development services said. “Our team works diligently year-round to ensure that our planning reflects the community’s values and always serves as the blueprint for Southlake’s future.”

The goals of the program included:

  • Increasing community awareness of the importance of planning.
  • Recognizing planning departments which meet certain professional requirements.
  • Recognizing planning efforts that have achieved community support.
  • Encouraging the funding of professional training for planning commissioners and staff.
  • Aiding economic development and community image.

Evaluation criteria included the level of training of planning commissioners and professional staff, professional qualifications of the planning staff, breadth and currency of master plan components, and completion of other planning-related projects.

“Our team of devoted professionals apply their knowledge and continued training in efforts to improve team collaboration and communication channels as well as engage with the public,” Killough said. “By fostering professional development, staff can adapt to industry changes while keeping Southlake’s vision, goals, and objectives in mind.”

To learn more about the City of Southlake’s Planning and Development Services division, please visit their webpage or give us a call at 817-748-8621.