Comprehensive Plan
We are very pleased to announce the recent adoption of Northampton County’s Comprehensive Plan.
Northampton County is a rural and ecologically unique community located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The County boasts working waterfronts, charming towns, and agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism industries reliant on the area’s abundant natural resources. The challenge of the comprehensive plan was to protect these resources, while creating a more prosperous and resilient community.
We had a great time exploring Northampton County, getting to know the community, brainstorming planning challenges and opportunities, and eating seafood (when in Rome!) The community desired robust community input, and we were happy to facilitate it. The initial engagement included multiple public workshops, stakeholder interviews, and a community survey provided in English and Spanish. After drafting the plan, engagement was more challenging due to COVID-19. We forged ahead nonetheless and successfully hosted a Virtual Open House, incorporated additional citizen input, and led the plan toward adoption.
The plan, adopted June 2021, addresses complex challenges of infrastructure, housing affordability, resilience and climate change adaptation, and hazard mitigation, among others. The adopted plan is a streamlined plan that succinctly demonstrates community values and goals while providing actionable implementation strategies. We are excited for Northampton County as it reaches for its goals and implements the plan. However, they are not done with us yet; we’ll be back to visit for more sunrises, sunsets, and seafood!
