Case Study
St. Charles 2030
In 2007, St. Charles Parish decided to take action to update their 1980 comprehensive plan that focused on growth management—no longer an issue in the parish. A suburb of New Orleans that occupies land on both sides of the Mississippi River, St. Charles found itself urbanizing in spite of slow growth, and due to natural and industrial conditions, little land in the parish was available for expansion.
Above: I 310 Bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Charles
APPROACH
St. Charles was awarded a grant by CPEX in 2008 to execute a comprehensive planning process to determine how to optimize their limited amount of developable land, to diversify their economic assets, and to retain the residents they currently had.
Above: December 2009 – the St. Charles Steering Committee discusses parish needs and priorities using a mapping exercise.
PLANNING
Through a fair selection process facilitated by CPEX, St. Charles Parish hired Wallace, Roberts, and Todd as the lead consultants for their comprehensive plan. Through a series of public input meetings, stakeholder interviews, and a process of plan drafting and refinement based on community input, the parish is planning to have an updated comprehensive plan in place with an accompanying implementation plan in 2011.
OUTCOMES
- Comprehensive plan including an implementation matrix and a capital improvements plan targeted for adoption in early 2011
