Two Utah County projects were among those winning smart growth awards this year for innovative developments that include elements such as energy efficiency, transportation alternatives and diversity in housing choices.

This is the sixth year for the Governor's Quality Growth Awards, which are bestowed by Envision Utah and the Utah Quality Growth Commission.

The 10 honorees included the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Provo and the plans for Vintaro, a 3,500-home development to be built in American Fork and Pleasant Grove.

While the awards recognize jobs well done, they are also meant to promote the projects that win the awards.

"They're really an effort to recognize on-the-ground projects so people can kick the tires, so to speak, and see that quality growth principles are practical," said Kevin Fayles, community relations director for Envision Utah. "A lot of these projects -- the developers go out on a limb. The cities are not used to them."

For example, the city of American Fork had to write a new ordinance before it could annex the land for the Vintaro development, said Carol Chomjak. She's a member of the Fusion Group, which is developing the property.

When completed in five to 10 years, the community will include many types of housing -- including single family homes, cottages, townhouses, condominiums and apartments -- as well as a fitness center, a theater, and dining, retail and educational facilities.

About 30 percent of residences will be within a quarter-mile of a bus stop, and a light rail station is planned for the community's south side.

"All of the members of our group are committed to doing smart planning," Chomjak said. "The biggest thing is having an integrated community ... all the things you do on a daily basis, without having to hop into a car."

Providing realistic alternatives to driving are also part of the appeal of the Wells Fargo Center on University Avenue and east 100 North in Provo, which was completed last year.

The building combines residential, commercial and office space and is meant to promote a non-driving lifestyle -- tenants can walk to downtown destinations, and eight bus routes pass the building.

"It does provide a different kind of housing downtown that hasn't been there before," said Paul Glauser of Provo's redevelopment agency. "It's probably the first of a number of projects that we'll see downtown."

The building was a joint public-private project developed by NAI Kowallis and Mackey of Boise, Idaho.

"I think there's a growing demand to have these kinds of communities," Fayles said. "Look at Daybreak (in South Jordan) -- it's doing very well. Gateway, in downtown Salt Lake, all those residential units are sold."

Still, as Glauser noted, "this is relatively high-end housing." Condominiums in the Wells Fargo building had prices starting at $225,000; Salt Lake's Parc at Gateway condominiums advertised one-bedroom units "from the mid-$200,000s."

"We have definitely been sensitive to that in our pricing strategies," Chomjak said, although she said she couldn't yet discuss the price ranges in mind for the Vintaro development.

"One of the reasons that we are doing a higher density is that allows us to do a really nice home at a lower price."

Glauser predicted that upcoming developments in downtown Provo would fall more into the $150,000-$160,000 range.

The complete awards list is available under the "press releases" section of Envision Utah's Web site, www.envisionutah.org.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.