LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Lafayette wins Great Place in California award


Preserving its hillsides was a plus for Lafayette. Photo provided

As residents of Lafayette have long suspected, they are living in a pretty great city. Now the California Chapter of the America Planning Association has made that official with its "Great Places in California" award going to Lafayette.

The APA hands the award annually to only three locations in the state that exemplify character, quality and excellent planning regardless of whether it be a small town, a suburb, a public park or preserved open space. The APA says, "It must be a place where people want to be!"

According to the notification, "The jury was highly impressed with the city's efforts to concentrate growth in its increasingly vibrant downtown area and to preserve the city's natural hillsides as a sustainable, multipurpose resource that defines the character of the city."

The city will receive the award at the APA Annual Awards Gala on June 2 at Preservation Park in Oakland.