Our Projects

Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) is the largest military ammunition shipping terminal in the world, the key ammunition shipping point on the Atlantic Coast, the Army's primary east coast deep-water port, and one of a handful of Department of Defense terminals equipped to handle containerized ammunition. It serves as a transfer point between rail, trucks, and ships for the import and export of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and military equipment for United States Army and is operated by the 596th Transportation Brigade. 

In 2017, The Mid-Carolina Council of Governments and the Fort Bragg Regional Land Use Advisory Commission selected Benchmark Planning to assist with the development of a Joint Land Use Study for the communities surrounding Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is a major US Army installation covering an area of over 251 square miles and containing over 162,000 acres of land. It has the largest military population of any US Army post - approximately 145,519 people in 2014 (including both soldiers and their dependents). Over the past thirty years, Fort Bragg has experienced a huge construction boom and the massive growth has spawned much private sector development in the surrounding communities, particularly in the five-mile area encircling Fort Bragg's boundaries. As much of the ensuing development may be incompatible with the military training mission, the JLUS examined a range of potential impacts and made recommendations to promote and protect the military training mission. 

In 2010, the City of Walterboro hired Benchmark planning to develop a complete revision of their zoning and land development regulations. Benchmark worked with City staff and the Planning Commission to update the ordinances, while also incorporating public input and feedback throughout the process. 

After completing the City of Archdale's Comprehensive Plan in 2019, Benchmark was hired to update its Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances in 2020. Benchmark assessed the City's existing ordinances and worked with staff and the Planning Board to make amendments. The improvements included ensuring design standards and zoning districts were up-to-date and align with the recommendations of the City's Comprehensive Plan. The Subdivision Ordinance was also amended to improve review procedures and design standards. The ordinance revisions also met the Statutory requirements of N.C.G.S. 160D. 

After Benchmark Planning assisted Person County and the City of Roxboro with the adoption of the Person County - Roxboro Joint Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the County contracted with Benchmark to adopt new land use ordinances. The project updated the County's previous ordinances to better align with modern standards and to meet the current statutory requirements. In addition to ensuring the Ordinance aligned with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the project involved combining separated land use related ordinances into one Unified Development Ordinance and including more graphics and similar features. The Person County Unified Development Ordinance is currently in the adoption process.

In 2015, Onslow County hired Benchmark Planning to develop and prepare a Unified Development Ordinance. This was the first major overhaul of Onslow County's Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances since the implementation of County-wide zoning in 2004. The new Unified Development Ordinance provided clear processes and standards, clarifying a number of identified concerns in the previous Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances. New design standards were also incorporated into the County's Unified Development Ordinance.