City of Columbia and Richland County receive Outstanding Planning Project – Multi-jurisdictional award from SCAPA

The City of Columbia and Richland County were recently recognized by the SC Chapter of the American Planning Association (SCAPA) with the Outstanding Planning Project – Multi-jurisdictional award. Plan Together: Put the Pieces in Place was a multi-jurisdictional planning process conducted by the City and Richland County that led to the development of two unique plans, adopted by each jurisdiction in 2015. Plan Together is an unprecedented collaboration that ensures citizens of the City of Columbia and Richland County are able to shape long-term plans for their shared future by working together.

“We are thrilled that this notable collaboration between the City of Columbia and Richland County has received this award. We had a terrific team working on the project to include the consultants, staff, and most importantly, the citizens,” stated Planning and Development Services Director Krista Hampton. “Everyone contributed a great deal of time and energy into creating a first-rate plan and it is gratifying when those efforts are recognized.”

The City of Columbia and Richland County strategically coordinated their individual planning efforts (Plan Columbia Land Use Plan and Richland County Comprehensive Plan) in the Plan Together: Put the Pieces in Place process. This effort specifically focused on outreach and resulted in plans that reflect expressed public values, with more than 750 workshop attendees plus additional online participation in the process. The process was designed to help both communities align their land use planning and development decision making process to be both more modern but also lead to updates to development regulations in both the City and County.

For more information about Plan Together, contact the Planning and Development Services Department at 803-545-3222 or visit http://www.weplantogether.org.