ROCKLAND — At the Oct. 11 annual meeting of Friends of Midcoast Maine, three Smart Growth awards will be given to Midcoast initiatives and businesses. The annual Smart Growth Awards will be given to The Twin Villages Downtown Alliance, building and business FourTwelve in downtown Rockland and Coastal Farms and Food Processing in Belfast.

FMM Executive Director Jane Lafleur said in a press release that "the breadth and depth of this year's awards emphasizes the range of issues and efforts needed to build healthy communities."

Twin Villages Downtown Alliance will be recognized for its work in Damariscotta, Newcastle and the Pemaquid Peninsula to develop a liaison
between the communities, business and town offices, as well as to serve as a catalyst for downtown initiatives and business support.

Building and business FourTwelve in downtown Rockland will be recognized for serving as an example of mixed use development with a successful retail business, clothing manufacturing and residential use in downtown.

Coastal Farms and Food Processing in Belfast will be receiving the award for serving as an incubator for local sustainable businesses by providing food processing infrastructure for berry growers, farmers, food processors, and food entrepreneurs.

FMM Chairman Steve Ryan said that the recipients are "all fine examples of business initiatives that help strengthen the fabric of our communities."

At the annual meeting, Joseph Minicozzi will deliver the keynote address on "The Smart Math of Mixed Use Development." Minicozzi is the
principal of Urban3 LLC, a consulting company of the real estate developer Public Interest Projects. He has most recently served as the executive director for the Asheville Downtown Association and the new projects director of PIP. Before moving to Asheville, he was the primary administrator of the Form Based Code for downtown West Palm Beach, Fla. His cross-training in city planning in the public and private sectors, as well as private sector real estate finance has allowed him to develop specific analytic tools that have garnered national attention in Planetizen, The Wall Street Journal, Planning Magazine, The New Urban News, National Association of Realtors, Atlantic Cities, and the Center for Clean Air
Policy's Growing Wealthier report.

His work has been featured at the Congress for New Urbanism, the American Planning Association, and three New Partners for SmartGrowth
conferences as a paradigm shift for thinking about development patterns. His talk will resonate with citizens, planners, developers and everyone who cares about the quality of life in the Midcoast.

To register for the annual meeting, call 236-1077 or visit www.friendsmidcoast.org. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.