The City of Gonzales, Louisiana is located in one of the fastest growing parishes in Louisiana. Rapid industrial growth and its central location between Baton Rouge and New Orleans has created a high demand for retail and commercial developable land in Gonzales.
As a result, the 1997 comprehensive plan was no longer able to keep up with the changing conditions and Gonzales leadership realized that an update was due. To ensure that quality of life, city services, and fiscal stability are not impaired by the rapid growth, land use demand and development, the City of Gonzales hired CPEX in 2015 to facilitate the update of the comprehensive plan.
APPROACH
CPEX set out to create a plan that achieved the following goals:
- Balance investment in existing and new neighborhoods
- Maintain and invest in education and recreational facilities
- Improve quality of jobs to retain and attract young workforce
- Foster cooperation among civic, businesses, and government stakeholders for continued economic success
- Implement Complete Streets concepts by making roads safe for all modes of transportation
- Accommodate additional residential growth, provide a range of housing types, and implement design standards to ensure quality residential neighborhoods.
PLANNING
CPEX worked with Gonzales residents, staff, stakeholders, and elected officials to create a vision and guiding principles of the plan that reflect the core values and supports residents’ and stakeholders’ desires for the future of Gonzales. The comprehensive plan specifically addresses the city’s land use, urban design, downtown redevelopment, transportation, housing, neighborhoods, and a prosperous economy. The comprehensive plan was adopted in August 2015 by the city council.
OUTCOMES
City of Gonzales began implementation of the plan immediately following its adoption in August 2015. The city hired CPEX to update both zoning and subdivision codes, both of which were completed in 2016.