Our Projects

Alleghany County and the City of Covington leveraged their resources and worked collaboratively in updating their Comprehensive Plans by having a joint planning process. In that effort, Benchmark Planning worked closely with a joint steering committee to develop a common vision, goals, and objectives for the County and the City. Benchmark helped craft tailored implementation strategies for each jurisdiction to implement the common vision. While this was a joint planning process with a common vision and set of goals, each jurisdiction received a separate plan. The joint planning process helped to ensure that both the County and the City will grow together cohesively and continue coordinating on matters concerning development. Both of these plans were adopted in March of 2019. 

The City of Mount Airy (pop. 10,417), (known famously as the inspiration for Andy Griffith’s fictional Mayberry) is located in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley wine region, with breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge mountains and the rugged pinnacle of nearby Pilot Mountain.  Benchmark prepared the city’s very first Comprehensive Plan, building on previous land use and strategic planning efforts, engaging citizens, business leaders and elected officials through a participatory process.

Shepherdstown is a historic university town that is situated on the Potomac River in the far western exurban reaches of the Washington, DC metro region. As the oldest incorporated municipality in the state of West Virginia, Shepherdstown’s rich history is well preserved in its historic downtown and neighborhoods that grew up around the bustling river trade associated with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. From its beginnings as a center of river trade, Shepherdstown has evolved into a hub for artists and cultural events, including the internationally renowned Contemporary American Theater Festival

Colleton County, South Carolina is located in the heart of a National Wildlife Refuge and National Estuarine Research Center that encompasses a total of 350,000 acres primarily across Beaufort, Charleston, and Colleton counties.  In 2009, Benchmark prepared the 10-year Comprehensive Plan update that led to the rewrite of the County’s Zoning and Land Development Ordinance.  The new land use regulations, prepared by Benchmark, were adopted in 2010 and included diagrams and illustrations to demonstrate the intent of the ordinance in a visual manner.

Onslow County selected Benchmark Planning to prepare a Comprehensive Plan which met the requirements of the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA). In addition to the standards established by the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Plan examines existing and future land use and development patterns in an order to make recommendations about future actions taken by the County. The Plan is significant in its consideration of military and operational impacts associated with Camp Lejeune and the Marine Corps Air Station New River, as well as in the County's unique combination of urban and rural communities experiencing significant growth. The Plan is currently in the development process and is anticipated to be adopted in early 2024.

Person County and the City of Roxboro embarked on a joint planning process to develop a Comprehensive Plan guided by a common vision for the future.  Benchmark’s consulting team was selected to lead the collaborative planning process.  Person County and the City of Roxboro are strategically located for business and industry growth, being within an hour’s drive of North Carolina’s two major economic centers, the Research Triangle Park (Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh) and the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point), and a two-hour drive of Richmond, Virginia.