American Planning Assn. Section Presents Awards

Three Southland residents, a Santa Monica landmark, two transportation-related agencies and The Times have won awards from the American Planning Assn.’s Los Angeles section.

The Times won the award for outstanding coverage of city and regional planning or environmental concerns for a newspaper with circulation of 100,000 or more.

The association’s jury of five urban planners and designers said the newspaper “has done an exceptional job of providing in-depth coverage of major quality-of-life issues facing the Los Angeles region,” such as growth control, the homeless, environmental degradation, and waste and sewage disposal.

The winner for a specific planning project or ordinance of unusually high merit went to the Pier Restoration Commission, Rolland Crump and 30th Street Architects for the Santa Monica Pier design guidelines. The jury said the guidelines succeeded in setting standards “that promote diversity . . . and a sense of fun.”

Caltrans and Commuter Computer won the annual award for a planning firm or agency for its Ventura Improvement Project/Vanpool Support Program.

Robert Wycoff, president and chief operating officer of Arco, won the award given to an individual who reflects a social commitment to planning in support of the needs of society for his “sustained efforts to preserve the city’s dwindling supply of low-income housing.”

Daniel P. Garcia, a private-sector attorney and president of the city Planning Commission, won an award for setting “a high standard for citizen involvement in the local planning process.” Marsha V. Rood, director of the APA’s local chapter, won the Section Activity Award for her leadership and her effort to encourage the section “to adopt a more pro-active stance toward important policy issues facing the region.”