FORMA Recognized on National ULI Award for Outstanding Land Planning for Montage Resort and Spa.

IRVINE, Calif. -- FORMA today announces its role as land planner on the award-winning Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach, Calif., for which The Athens Group recently won the prestigious 2006 Awards for Excellence: The Americas from the Urban Land Institute. The ULI competition is widely recognized as the land use industry's most prestigious recognition program.

FORMA was the lead land and entitlement planner for the redevelopment of the 30 acres of coastal land in Laguna Beach, converting an older mobile home trailer park to a full-service destination resort. From the inception of the project, FORMA's planners and designers assisted The Athens Group and the City of Laguna Beach to find an optimum mix of visitor serving uses, including a dramatic ocean-front park and luxury residential building sites.

FORMA also consulted on the arduous sequence of steps to secure approvals through the city's specific planning process and the permitting required by the California Coastal Commission.

The ULI jury said, "Montage Resort and Spa is an outstanding model for rehabilitating an underused property and returning it to productive use, benefiting the owner, the resort's guests, and the public."

The winners were announced during the ULI's Spring Council Forum in Salt Lake City. "The Awards for Excellence program celebrates the creativity, vision, and best practices in land use," said ULI Chairman Marilyn J. Taylor. "All of these projects represent the best examples of creative land use and planning."

The 2006 winners were selected from 23 finalists. Projects were evaluated on the basis of financial viability, the resourceful use of land, design, relevance to contemporary issues, and sensitivity to the community and environment. Each contributes to a live-work-play environment and is designed to complement and enhance the greater community.

With headquarters in Irvine, FORMA is an award-winning land planning, design, and landscape architectural firm that has provided innovative development solutions to a diverse list of clients. FORMA combines environmentally sound design and management expertise with state-of-the-art GIS/CADD computer services to meet the challenges of responsible, sustainable development worldwide. For more information, go to: www.formacompanies.com, or call 949-660-1900.

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information, visit www.uli.org.