City-County Planning Department
The Golden Leaf Awards For Community Appearance Presented By The Durham City-County Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful
The 2011 Golden Leaf Awards, annually presented by the Durham City-County Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 29, 2011 will be on hiatus this year due to low volume of community nominations in the award’s seven categories.
Nominations submitted for the 2011 awards will be held over for the 2012 award ceremony scheduled for fall 2012.
"We regret this year’s awards ceremony will not take place, but assure all nominations thus far will be given consideration for the 2012 Golden Leaf Award program," said Todd Parrott, Durham City-County Appearance Commission chairperson.
The Durham Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. have presented the Golden Leaf Awards since 2003 in recognition of the value that Durham puts on community appearance - buildings, residences and landscapes that deserve recognition for innovative design or its contribution to the character of Durham’s neighborhoods.
Golden Leaf Award Categories
Single-Family Residential Properties Awards will be given to new construction, renovation, or restoration of a single-family house or residential building containing four units or fewer.
Multi-Family Residential Properties Awards will be given to new construction, conversions, or improvements to a multifamily residential property or mixed-use property incorporating residential units.
Commercial Properties Awards will be given for new construction, renovation or adaptive reuse of non-residential properties.
Community Properties Awards will be given for projects that enhance the appearance and livability of highly visible public areas including churches, schools, parks, and other projects providing community services.
Landscape Awards will be given for landscape, hardscape, or garden projects at least one year old, which have consistently maintained high standards of upkeep and appearance.
The Keep Durham Beautiful Award will be 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 (1) beautify the natural environment (2) prevent or reduce litter and/or (3) advance efforts to reduce waste through reducing, re-using or recycling.
Sustainable Properties Awards will be given for projects creating a sustainable built environment by incorporating green building principles in the planning and development of projects. Projects must document these principles in the areas of energy, design, site, water, and building materials.
The People’s Choice Award will be given to one project selected by public vote from the nominees under consideration for the above award categories.
Outstanding Individual Awards will be given (at the commission’s discretion) to an individual who has shown concern, leadership and/or vision in improving some aspect of Durham’s appearance.
Note: The Durham City-County Appearance Commission reserves the right to eliminate or combine award categories based on the number and quality of nominations. A nominated property may also be considered for an award other than the one for which it was nominated at the commission’s discretion.
The Durham City-County Appearance Commission is a 15-member group, seven appointed by the City Council and eight appointed by the Board of County Commissioners whose mission is to cultivate excellence in design, preservation and stewardship of the natural and built environment, to communicate the economic, social, and aesthetic value of good design and planning, and to celebrate exemplary design within the community.
Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit, volunteer organization working in partnership with the City of Durham’s General Services Department and the County of Durham to bring private businesses, citizens and community organizations together to conserve and enhance the appearance and environment of Durham through cleanup events, beautification projects and educational activities.