It all started with an afternoon of Twitter surfing. Now, the City of Lynnwood is among the first to receive in-depth assistance from a federal program called the Transit-Oriented Development Tech Program.

“Getting chosen for this program is a testament to our commitment,” Lynnwood City Center Program Manager Dustin Akers said. “This is really continuing all the effort that the community and city staff have been putting into building this downtown city center area for Lynnwood.”

Akers first saw the program advertised on Twitter in December. The city decided to apply for it in January, and on April 4, the winners were officially announced by the federal government and their partner Smart Growth America.

The program offers a year-long technical advisory grant and transit-oriented experts, who will be brought in on all aspects of development. These advisors will provide consultations, help guide policy decisions and educate city leadership and staff on best practices.

Eighteen cities applied for the program. Of those, only three, including Lynnwood, were selected to receive in-depth, on-call assistance lasting for at least one year. Six others were selected for lower levels of assistance.

“This is building on the multi-year effort that Lynnwood has been going through as far as development of the city center,” Akers said. “It’s going to take our effort to the next level by having on-call consulting services. It’s some of the nation’s smartest people doing this sort of work.”

The cities chosen for the program were selected based on their needs, the commitment of the city leadership, partnerships and the city’s commitment to affordable housing and equity.

For example, Akers said those selecting winners noticed the commitment of the city and the mayor by having the city center be part of her strategic plan. Strong partnerships with Sound Transit and other community organizations were noted. A new human services department and task force on homelessness emphasized the city’s commitment to community.

“So all of these things really aligned with their vision and the scope of this technical assistance program in promoting transit-oriented development around federal transit projects,” Akers told the Lynnwood City Council in explaining the details of the award Monday night. “This is going to be an all-hands-in effort. We have them for a year, free consulting services by the top people in the industry. It couldn’t have been better timing for all the work that is taking place to get City Center going and with where we’re at now getting closer to Lynnwood Link being established.”

The program will keep the city on track with the development and, according to Akers, emphasize the city’s commitment to community and development.

Economic Development Director David Kleitsch added, “Everyone likes momentum. The recognition from the federal government and this particular organization shows that we are gaining the momentum (regarding the City Center Project). We’re known for having our act together and we’re going to continue to push the ball up court.”

City council members are also happy about the program.

“This is awesome, really awesome,” Councilwoman Shirley Sutton said at the end of Akers’ presentation.

“Good job. Fantastic. Really well done,” Councilman Ian Cotton said.

–By Natalie Covate