The Morrissey Building, downtown Rockford
The Morrissey Building shows us the possibilities of combining residential with commercial and may be the catalyst for revitalizing downtown. We, of course, love the Coronado Theater restoration.

Good examples of development that 
REDUCE traffic,
RESPECT the environment, 
STRENGTHEN our community. 

       Let's grow and let's do it right! 

Nygren Forest Preserve
A project developed by the Natural Land Institute in northwest Winnebago that reclaims old farmland and returns it to the prairie from whence it came. This will be the jewel for our area that will attract not only families for generations to come, but possibly whooping cranes as well as many other species of wildlife.

The Stockholm Inn
This longtime Rockford eatery has been credited by a number of nominators with giving new life to the Charles and 20th Street neighborhood. The reinvigoration of the whole Plaza by Swedish American Hospital and others is a great way of restoring life in the city.

Guyer & Enichen Building, 2601 Reid Farm Road, Rockford
This development shows that new construction can respect the environment. This new east side building protects the floodplain of Keith Creek by the design of this law office, and enhances the creek to create a backwater wetland just north of busy Spring Creek Road. The development to the east at Spring Creek and Perryville also maintained the floodway along the creek. These design elements will improve water quality and reduce flooding downstream

The Holland House on Walnut Street
This is a great example of a church group turning a blight into a promise. Six new apartments grace a building that was before, overcrowded. Rehabbed by Rockford New Hope, a new faith-based group in town.

Honorable mentions: Winnebago County's effort of merging the four departments: Planning, Zoning, Building and Mapping. Shouldn't all the municipalities do that? What better way to let the right hand know what the left is doing?

The City of Rockford's rehab projects, and their attempts to bring together the disparate (and desperate) planning authorities of the area. A strong, vital urban core is critical to the health of our region. Rockford Mayor Doug Scott was a leader on smart growth in the Illinois General Assembly - hopefully he can use his experience to strengthen Rockford to grow smarter in the future.

The projects of Zion Development Corporation in the Seventh Street and Broadway neighborhoods are also singled out for commendation. Using a combination of government, private and church funding sources, their projects are putting their geography where their theology is. Even more fantastic, Rockford Habitat for Humanity builds new housing on the west side without any government help.