Texas Border Business
(McAllen, TX) McAllen was presented with Scenic City Certification on Thursday, October 6 at the Hilton Austin, in conjunction with the Texas Municipal League’s Annual Conference which took place in Austin. City officials and business leaders were on hand to recognize McAllen, which was among 23 cities that earned certification or recertification, for the 2015-2020 period.
The Scenic City Certification Program is a project of Scenic Texas and its program partners, and is the first in the U.S. to incorporate a comprehensive set of model standards for design and development of public roadways and public spaces into one program. The program draws a direct correlation between the success of a city’s economic development efforts and the visual appearance of its public spaces and recognizes municipalities that implement high-quality scenic standards.
McAllen, which earned a Recognized rating in 2011, has received the Silver designation for 2016 for several progressive initiatives. These include a citywide graffiti removal program to remove graffiti free of charge – even on private property – a thoughtful historic preservation program and the development of stormwater detention facilities to mitigate flooding.
“Those of us who live in McAllen know that we live in a beautiful city,” said City of McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E. “This certification only confirms that people outside of McAllen recognize this too. This also reiterates that the programs in place that help to beautify our community are what keep McAllen as the jewel of the Rio Grande Valley.”
Earning certification is straightforward: a city must initially meet three criteria before applying to the program including having a strictly regulated and enforced sign code, a ban on new billboards, and a landscaping and tree planting program. Then, a city’s existing standards are assessed and scored based on a model of 70+ possible criteria ranging from percentage of park and open space, strong litter enforcement laws, street lighting standards, to parking lot landscaping, utility line management, and more.
Under the scoring system, an applicant earns Recognized, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Certification. McAllen received a Recognized status last year and this year, jumped to Silver Status certification.
“Scenic City Certification signifies McAllen’s strong commitment to high-quality standards for public roadways and public spaces,” said Anne Culver, executive director of The Scenic City Certification Program. “This recognition goes a long way in boosting McAllen’s image, which in turn spurs economic development.”
Cities apply to the Scenic City Certification Program for an objective review of existing scenic infrastructure ordinances, evaluated against the Scenic City model. Assessment is point-based, with every applicant receiving a detailed, scored evaluation. Cities earning the highest points are certified.
Scenic City Certification program partners include the American Planning Association Texas Chapter, American Council of Engineering Companies of Houston, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Keep Texas Beautiful, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Scenic America, Scenic Houston, Texas Downtown Association, Texas Economic Development Council, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Municipal League, Urban Land Institute – Austin, Urban Land Institute – Houston, and Urban Land Institute – San Antonio. Learn more at www.sceniccitycertification.org.
Scenic Texas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of Scenic Texas is to preserve and enhance the visual character of Texas. We promote enhanced design standards for public projects, billboard reduction, freeway landscaping, sign control and scenic byway development. Visit www.scenictexas.org.
