Crossroads Community Planning has a philosophy…we seek to “flip the script” for our community partners. Instead of developers coming to a community and deciding what and where to build, Crossroads creates planning documents and development regulations that allow communities to be proactive and guide the desired development to the appropriate locations.
Crossroads has become the go-to firm for planning on the urban-rural fringe. Crossroads provides consulting services in Comprehensive Planning and Zoning to client communities. Although related, these services serve distinct purposes.
Comprehensive Planning
A comprehensive plan is like a business plan for a community. It provides a vision and then builds out goals and action steps for a community to realize its potential and nurture and protect its character. However, unlike a business where a handful of executives can chart out their future, communities and elected officials are held accountable to the residents. This is why Crossroads goes the extra mile in working with the officials and residents of a community to help understand their needs and provide education and understanding of the process and final product. We don’t just meet with residents once or at the end of the process to present a finished product-we work with stakeholders and community members throughout the process to ensure buy-in and value in every plan we do.
The end result is a vision upon which a community can be built, focusing on key themes and community character. This feeds down into products such as future land use maps, recommendations on aesthetics and zoning code updates. It also provides a guide to desired amenities and services and provides potential funding sources for these items. It includes strategies and tools for economic development and identifies areas for preservation of agriculture and open space.
Crossroads has been involved in comprehensive planning efforts around the new Intel semiconductor facility in western Licking County. We have worked with several communities on planning for the expected increase in development which such a large facility will generate. Through this we have gained a keen insight into issues specific to the urban/rural fringe, including the tensions around development vs agricultural preservation, increases in traffic and fears of annexation. Crossroads works with clients and their residents to educate, inform and process change in the modern world, and thereby develop a vision for the entire community.
