City of Durham recently issued the following announcement.
Awards Recognize Best Contributions to Durham’s Appearance; Submissions Due September 15
Do you know of a Durham property that’s outstanding for its design, preservation, curb appeal, or stewardship of the natural and built environment? Nominate it now for the 2021 Golden Leaf Awards.
The Durham City-County Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful are currently seeking property nominations to recognize new developments, buildings, and landscaping in Durham County that provide positive attributes to the community’s built environment.
Awards will be offered in the following categories:
- Adaptive Re-use (large scale) – innovative new designs applied to existing properties, residential or commercial, especially Durham’s historic resources – over 20,000 square feet or over a $10 million project value
- Adaptive Re-use (small scale)– innovative new designs applied to existing properties, residential or commercial, especially Durham’s historic resources - under 20,000 square feet or under a $10 million project value
- Large Development – new construction, conversions or improvements to either a mixed-use property, or commercial property over 12,000 square feet
- Small Development – new construction, conversions or improvements to either a mixed-use property, or commercial property below 12,000 square feet
- *New for 2021! Multi-Family Development – innovative design for new construction, renovation, or restoration of a multi-family residential building containing five units or more
- Hearth and Home (Single-Family Development) – innovative design for new construction, renovation, or restoration of a single-family house or residential building containing four units or fewer
- *New for 2021! – Placemaking – creative and fun Durham-focused designs that address public spaces to make them unique, useful, and memorable. This includes a wider variety of spaces such as alleyways, parks, community playgrounds, and art installations.
- *New for 2021! – COVID-Inspired Creative Adaptation – small projects or interventions that directly respond to COVID-19 restrictions from February 2020 through the present; these projects can be temporary or permanent, but solve a unique need for the community (restaurants, businesses, or others).
- Garden and Landscape – landscaping, personal border gardens, or community entrance projects, which have consistently maintained high standards of appearance and upkeep, contributing to resource conservation, the preservation of Durham’s natural resources and trees, and demonstrating respect for existing features of the land
- Keep Durham Beautiful – given to a volunteer or group of volunteers for projects, programs or events that impact a Durham community or neighborhood and address Keep Durham Beautiful’s mission to support volunteer efforts to beautify the natural environment, prevent or reduce litter and/or advance efforts to reduce waste through reducing, re-using or recycling
- Nominations can now be submitted by email and are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15.
- File attachments are limited to 25MB or can be made available through a download link that can be accessed without a login.
- An entry form must be completed with each submission, and a receipt of the submission will be confirmed by email.
Awards will be presented at a ceremony in October 2021. A location and time for this ceremony will announced soon. This year, the 2021 Awards Ceremony and Reception will comply with any COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time of the event. Updates regarding the details of the event will be provided as Centers for Disease Control and local guidance changes, including provisions for food and beverages.
The 2020 awards, previously scheduled for April 2020, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2021 Ceremony, the 2020 award winners will also be honored as follows:
2020 Golden Leaf Award Winners
- Large Development Winner: History Society Headquarters and City of Durham Police Headquarters Complex and Emergency Communications Center
- Small Development Winner: Beth El Synagogue
- Adaptive Reuse, Large Scale: Golden Belt Campus
- Adaptive Reuse, Small Scale: Hutchins Garage
- Hearth and Home: Holloway Place
- Garden and Landscape: Durham Central Park Cohousing Community Gardens
- Keep Durham Beautiful: Falls Lake/MST Clean Up on Redwood Rd. and Durham Parks and Recreation Environmental Education Pavilion
For more information, visit the Durham Appearance Commission website or contact Senior Planner Kayla Seibel with the Durham City-County Planning Department by email or at (919) 560-4137, ext. 28271.
About the Durham City-County Appearance Commission
The Durham City-County Appearance Commission is made up of 15 members, seven appointed by the City Council and eight appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Its mission is to cultivate visual appeal and recognize the benefits of good design, which enhance quality of life for the residents of Durham City and County.
About Keep Durham Beautiful
Keep Durham Beautiful is a nonprofit, volunteer organization working in partnership with the City of Durham General Services Department and Durham County to encourage residents, businesses, and community organizations to protect the environment and enhance the appearance of Durham through cleanup events, beautification projects, waste reduction, and educational activities. To learn more, follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Original source can be found here.
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