Our Projects

Van Wyck is a town in the northern portion of Lancaster County, South Carolina. Though it is within the Charlotte Metropolitan Area, the Town is situated in a primarily agricultural and residential area with large wooded properties and natural habitats. The small town was incorporated in 2017, and in 2022, the Town contracted with Benchmark Planning to develop a Growth Management Ordinance. After the adoption of the Ordinance, Benchmark Planning maintains a working relationship with the Town leadership.

Lumberton is located within the Coastal Plains region of southeastern North Carolina nestled along the banks of the Lumber River. The City is a regional hub of business activity positioned at the crossroads of Interstate 95 and Interstate 74 (US 74). Lumberton’s geographic location at the midpoint between New York and Florida has led to the development of the hospitality industry along Interstate 95. Hotels and restaurants serve travelers and provide employment opportunities within the region. The City hired Benchmark Planning to prepare its Downtown Master Plan, which has provided the vision for completing the performance stage and fountain on the square, the Lumber River overlook and trail, downtown building façade improvements, and several other enhancement projects within downtown.

In 2020, The Town of Hillsborough was awarded a Federal Historic Preservation Fund grant for Certified Local Governments from the National Park Service, administered through the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, to prepare updates to its Historic District Design Guidelines. The Hillsborough Historic District presents a visual history of Hillsborough's development. The Town chose to respect this development history through the passage of a preservation ordinance in 1973, creating the district. A structure is considered historic if it falls within the period of significance which ends 50 years before the current year. The Historic District includes the town’s commercial core and the surrounding residential neighborhoods. It contains more than 100 houses, churches, and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. The styles range from Georgian- and Federal-style buildings dating to the late 1700s to contemporary construction. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Benchmark Planning worked Hill Studio, the Town Staff, the Historic District Commission, and other interested parties to develop updates to the historic district design guidelines. The end result was an updated and comprehensive set of design standards in a digital medium that is easy to edit and update.

The City of Cape Girardeau is located in southeastern Missouri on the Mississippi River. The historic community of just under 40,000 residents engaged Benchmark Planning to assist the City with the development of a plan to revitalize the riverfront Red Star neighborhood, which was once the home of a major employer in the community – the Red Star Shoe Factory. Following the closure of the factory and subsequent flooding events, a large swath of the neighborhood adjacent to the river had become a negative influence on the community, and the City and the Red Star Neighborhood Association looked to leverage the riverfront land resources in this area, along with the recently developed Isle of Capri Casino between the neighborhood and downtown.

In 2022, the Lake Toxaway Community Associated hired Benchmark Planning to develop a strategic plan for the unincorporated community in western Transylvania County, North Carolina. Lake Toxaway is the largest privately held lake in the State, covering 640 acres with 14 miles of shoreline. Lake Toxaway is a premiere year-round and second home destionation featuring the lake, a country club, ample recreation, and access to great hiking, fishing, and dozens of waterfalls. The community is surrounded by over 5,000 acres of wooded forests and mountains but within an easy drive of Asheville, Atlanta, and Greenville.

In 2019, Benchmark Planning led a multi-disciplinary team in the preparation of an NCDOT and City of Goldsboro funded feasibility study for the reuse of the historic Goldsboro Union Station. The team examined existing conditions, market forces, and the surrounding neighborhood as part of the process. The process also included extensive stakeholder meetings to help identify community needs and ideas for the adaptive reuse of the station. The station provides a distinct terminus to views from downtown and its adaptive reuse will help spur the continued revitalization of the West Walnut corridor, which includes a multi-million-dollar residential redevelopment of the historic Wayne National Bank located in the 100 block of West Walnut Street. The reuse options were designed in a manner to assure the station can be available for passenger or commuter rail use when the service becomes available again in the future. Goldsboro, a city over 35,000 in population, is the home of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.