Cardno TBE's Engineering and Master Planning Work on Encore Project Wins Award

June 9, 2011, Clearwater, Florida—Cardno TBE's engineering and planning work on the exciting, mixed-use Encore project between Ybor City and downtown Tampa was recognized by the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission with an award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community in the Master Planning & Urban Design category at the 29th Annual Community Design awards in April. Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Community are the highest award level available through the program and are given to projects that exhibit excellence in every aspect of their planning and execution. The event was hosted by ABC Action News Anchor Brendan McLaughlin and held at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

For 29 years, the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission has recognized the best designs, as its way of highlighting successes in filling the big gap between mere growth and those projects of which a community will long be proud. Winning entries serve as models to learn from and emulate.

"To see Encore move forward through these economic times reinforces the strength of solid planning and public-private partnerships," said judge Merle Bishop, president of the American Planning Association's Florida branch.

The Encore master plan also won praise for it's potential impact on helping businesses in the area remain competitive, reducing tax pressure on local residents, and providing an stimulating environment in which to work and live. The Encore project will completely transform 28-acres of land located between downtown Tampa and Ybor City as a LEED-ND Certified, mixed-use, transit oriented community. At full build-out the $450 million project will provide up to 1,500 work force housing, senior and market-rate residential units, 200 hotel rooms, a 35,000 square foot grocery store, 180,000 square feet of office space, 50,000 square feet of retail space, a public middle school, an African-American history museum and public parks and gathering spaces.

"You could look at the various components that have been incorporated into this project, from the creative funding, to the rainwater harvesting, to the musical note bike racks and say they are what makes this project an exemplary model for other communities to follow, said Marc Mariano, AICP, PP, Assistant Director for Cardno TBE's Site Development Service Group. "However, the fact that this project persevered during the most challenging economic times of our lives, is testament to the leadership of the Partnership, and that is what should really be modeled."

In addition to its master planning efforts, Cardno TBE provided brownfields consulting, utility design, stormwater design, roadway and traffic signal design, site design, streetscape and landscape design, stormwater reuse/irrigation design, street light design, parks and open space design, land planning, zoning and CRA analysis, design guideline production, grant writing services, LEED-ND application support, transportation analysis, and economic and demographic studies.

Cardno TBE, a member of the Cardno family of companies, offers a full range of consulting, design, engineering and construction services, including civil, environmental, transportation planning and design, right-of-way acquisition/relocation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and mapping, 3-D underground imaging, and utility coordination. Cardno TBE currently ranks #9 on Trenchless Technology’s Top 50 Design Firms. Cardno TBE is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and has more than 40 offices serving clients in the United States, Canada, Australia, and United Kingdom. Visit us at www.CardnoTBE.com .

Cardno is an integrated professional services provider, locally delivering the specialist advice necessary to create or improve the physical and social infrastructure that underpins communities around the world. Our team comprises leading advisers who plan, design and deliver sustainable projects or community programs. Cardno has over 4,000 employees in more than 150 permanent offices worldwide. Key areas of expertise include international development assistance, civil engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical services, survey and mapping services, environmental services, and project management. Cardno USA ranks #34 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) List of Top 500 Design Firms List and #17 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) List of Top 100 Pure Design Firms List. To find out more information about Cardno, our projects and office locations visit www.cardno.com .