Our Projects
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- Category: Comprehensive Plans
The Town of Chapin, South Carolina is located within the Columbia metropolitan area of South Carolina and is known by many as the Capital of Lake Murray. The population within the town limits is 1,600 people; however, the broader Chapin community encompasses a much larger area of nearly 30,000 people. The Town and its surrounding area are growing at a fast rate with new residential and commercial development underway. In order to maximize the Town’s growth opportunities, the Town selected Benchmark Planning to prepare the update to its 10-year Comprehensive Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan, adopted in December 2021, focused on developing strategies to foster a sense of community, quality of life, and small town values, while incorporating smart growth strategies that expand opportunities for the Town and greater area surrounding Chapin. The goals emphasize planning with the greater Chapin Community, facilitating well-planned growth, improving transportation connections, creating a central gathering place, expanding housing choice, preserving the natural and cultural heritage, and growing the local economy. The Town is currently implementing many of the Plan’s strategies including the rewrite of the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance.
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- Category: Comprehensive Plans
In 2013, Benchmark Planning was engaged by the Town of Blowing Rock to prepare an update to its comprehensive plan. Blowing Rock is an historic mountain resort community that serves as the gateway to the NC High Country, and is the de facto cultural capital of the region. With numerous ski resorts, National and State Parks, and a direct connection to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock is a year-round destination for vacationers. Blowing Rock has also emerged as a highly regarded retirement destination, which has led to significant increases in economic activity in the local healthcare industry.
Benchmark led the community through a year-long planning process, engaging with the community through intensive workshops that were designed to explore different scenarios that could shape the town’s future. Among the focus areas in the plan were downtown development, the ongoing expansion of Valley Boulevard (US 321 Bypass), the redevelopment of the former hospital site and the anticipated growth around the site of the new hospital. The resulting plan that was adopted by the Town Council established a 10 year vision for the community that defines a policy framework that will guide the community toward achieving the vision that it established through the planning process. Benchmark is currently working with the Town to update the Plan.
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- Category: Comprehensive Plans
The historic Town of Jamestown is part of the Piedmont Triad region and is located in Guilford County, North Carolina. Jamestown shares a border with both the City of High Point and the City of Greensboro and is positioned near I-85 Business and I-73, only 10 miles southeast of Piedmont Triad International Airport. The Town, approximately 4,300 in population, continues to identify ways to preserve and enhance a high quality of life for all residents to enjoy. The Town hired Benchmark Planning to work closely with a Comprehensive Plan Committee to prepare a Plan that identified strategies and actions to support economic diversification, growth management, and the preservation of the Town’s character and sense of place.
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- Category: Comprehensive Plans
Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains at the center of two of the largest metropolitan areas in the Carolinas, Cleveland County, North Carolina is a gateway to Charlotte and Asheville. Cleveland County is anchored by the charm of its small towns and community-centered values. The County is poised to take advantage of the many opportunities that are ahead.
In order to be prepared for the future, the Board of Commissioners engaged Benchmark Planning in 2020 to develop the Land Use Plan. The updated plan includes strategies that encourage growth around the major cities, while maintaining the agricultural and scenic landscapes of the rural areas throughout the County. The Plan was developed through extensive public engagement that included a community survey, public forums, and meetings held across the County. The Plan also includes land use plans for the five municipalities that have contracted with the County to manage their planning and zoning services. The Plan provides a long-range strategic direction to elected officials, appointed boards, and staff as they develop and implement projects, programs, and policies to move the County forward in a well-organized manner.
- Details
- Category: Comprehensive Plans
On the eve of their sesquicentennial, the City of Seneca hired Benchmark Planning to guide the development of its new Comprehensive Plan. Seneca is located in the heart of the Lake Keowee region next door to Clemson University, bordering the mountains of North Carolina and Northeast Georgia. Seneca is the largest municipality in Oconee County, SC, serving as the county’s cultural and economic centerpiece. The city of just over 9,000 population, attracts visitors to its charming downtown for events and entertainment in the popular Ram Cat Alley historic district. Benchmark worked closely with the City Staff and Planning Commission to engage the community in preparing a vision and action plan as it moves forward into the next 150 years.
One of the highlights of the Plan is the growth management and annexation strategy for the areas around Seneca that extend toward the City of Clemson and the areas around Lake Keowee where Seneca provides water and sewer services. The Plan presents a phased approach to annexation of these potential growth areas. The Plan was adopted on January 10, 2023.
- Details
- Category: Comprehensive Plans
The City of Aiken, SC (pop. 29,524) commissioned Benchmark Planning to prepare an update to its comprehensive plan in 2016. With a thriving historic core that represents one of the few planned cities in the South of its vintage, the city has blossomed over the years into a destination for equestrian activities and golfing. Located in close proximity to both the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site and Augusta, GA, Aiken has benefited significantly from the economic growth in the region. The focus of the planning effort will be to establish a framework for continued growth and economic development that also preserves the city’s character.
The Comprehensive Plan examined key focus areas and growth outside of the City’s municipal boundary within the utility service area. The key themes of the plan included 1) Growth; 2) Connectivity; 3) Transformation; 4) Consistency; 5) Balance; and 6) Investment. Public engagement included workshops across the city, stakeholder/focus group meetings, an online website, and meetings with the Planning Commission.
Comprehensive Plans
Preparing comprehensive plans for municipal and county governments is a core component of Benchmark’s practice. For 40 years, Benchmark’s team has worked closely with local governments to prepare plans that address our client communities’ unique growth and development challenges. Our client base spans a wide range of community types, ranging from small rural communities with several thousand residents to growing suburbs, to larger urban cities and regional organizations spanning multiple counties with hundreds of thousands of residents.
