Buda Receives 2018 Sustainable City Award

“We know that construction today will affect the safety, beauty, durability, resilience, and sustainability of cities in this great state for generations,” said Tony Topping, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Texas Masonry Council.

The Texas Masonry Council (TMC), the trade association for masonry contractors and suppliers in the State of Texas, is excited to announce that the City of Buda was given the first Sustainable City Award for the Central Texas Region.

For over 50 years, TMC has given Golden Trowel Awards to honor great examples of buildings constructed out of the oldest material known to man.

“We know that construction today will affect the safety, beauty, durability, resilience, and sustainability of cities in this great state for generations,” said Tony Topping, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Texas Masonry Council. “For that reason, the Sustainable City Awards Program was established and added to the program in 2016 to recognize and honor cities that have shown leadership with best practices and exemplary public policy in sustainable design.”

In 2017, Buda replaced the city’s land development and use regulations with a new Unified Development Code (UDC), led by Assistant City Manager Chance Sparks, the Buda Planning and Zoning Commission, and the consultative assistance of Freese & Nichols and Design Workshop. The UDC includes exemplary commercial and residential masonry design standards and will ensure quality development and construction, all while Buda continues as one of the fastest growing cities in Central Texas.

“This Unified Development Code,” Sparks said, “was developed based on the shared community goals to preserve and enhance the quality of life, health, safety and environment that Has attracted so many to Buda. These planning efforts are never to simply ‘check a box,’ but instead to support the needs and desires of our citizens now and into the future.”

The City of Buda’s Unified Development Code, including these thoughtful masonry design standards, will help promote a high quality built environment that leaves a lasting positive impact for generations.