Champaign’s efforts to capitalize on the fiscal benefits of infill development have gained national recognition from Smart Growth America in a recent publication called Building Better Budgets, A National Examination of the Fiscal Benefits of Smart Growth Development. Smart Growth America is a national organization dedicated to researching, advocating and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to communities nationwide. The report focuses on how much communities can expect to save with smart growth strategies, and how much revenue, on average, smart growth development generates compared to other alternatives. In 2009, the City of Champaign completed the Fiscal Impact Analysis which, for the first time, documented the true costs and revenues to the City for different types of development at different locations. The analysis detailed the significant cost savings to the City by promoting “infill” over “greenfield” development. The results of the Fiscal Impact Analysis fed directly to the formation of the Comprehensive Plan, Champaign Tomorrow, which sets policies for how and where the community should foster growth. Examples such as the downtown Hotel, Edens Assisted Living and the many infill projects on Green Street in Campustown illustrate the benefit of infill development in locations where infrastructure and city services already exist. Visit Smartgrowthamerica.org to view the report. Contact the Planning Department for any questions about the Fiscal Impact Analysis.