NIST Gaithersburg Campus Master Plan Wins 2019 Honor Award for the most Outstanding Federal Planning Project from the American Planning Association (APA)

The Gaithersburg Campus Master Plan developed by the Capital Asset Management and Facilities Planning Group within OFPM was recognized with a 2019 Honor Award, the highest achievement bestowed by the Federal Planning Division of the American Institute of Planners. The prestigious national award for Outstanding Federal Planning Project serves to acknowledge the value of the multi-layered inclusive planning process led by OFPM and its consultants to engage all OUs in exploring, formulating, and planning a future vision for the historic campus in support of NIST’s ongoing service to the nation and emerging research needs. 

Specifically, the Gaithersburg Campus Master Plan was celebrated as a project that best represents the multiple and interdependent ideals of sustainability, historic preservation, quality urban design, innovative problem solving, community engagement and coordinated transportation planning processes at a single Federal site. Leading this multi-year planning effort were Susan Cantilli and Phillip W. Neuberg, both members of OFPMs Capital Asset Management & Facilities Planning Group, as well as a team of consultant planners from Metropolitan Architects and Planners of Alexandria, VA.  The award was scheduled to be presented in Houston on April 29, 2020 at the American Planning Association’s annual conference but the conference has been cancelled due to the virus.

Notably, the NIST Gaithersburg Campus Master Plan also received the first ever Smart Growth Excellence Award from Preservation Maryland last year (2018) in recognition of the plan’s sensitive coordination of sustainability and historic preservation goals.

2019 Honor Award for the Outstanding Federal Planning Project

The Master Plan and the accompanying Environmental Assessment is available for review at https://www.nist.gov/ofpm/nist-gaithersburg-master-plan.