Long-range plans are often referred to as "comprehensive" plans since they help direct nearly everything city governments oversee, and are usually based on 20-year projections. Like chapters in a book, plans are divided into specific topic areas, including land-use, housing, transportation, recreation, public services and other needs, and establish goals and policies for each topic area. While such plans do help guide future regulatory decision-making, they aren't regulatory instruments. Instead, things like building regulations and zoning exist as separate documents, and are only updated through Council action and normal public procedure. Southern Pines' new plan will be based on the existing plan first adopted in 1988, but since a lot has changed since then, there'll be a lot of new content as well. Once adopted, the new long-range plan will help steer staff work and Council decisions well into the future.

Consultants charged with leading the process will work to engage the entire community in crafting the Southern Pines plan, including maintaining a project website, opening a downtown "drop-in center," hosting numerous open houses and workshops, and distributing questionnaires and other process documents. Like any plan, the work will begin by establishing a broad-brush "vision" for the future, and move to articulate what things Southern Pines needs to preserve - or improve - as time goes by. With the vision as the guideline, goals and policies will be crafted that help achieve the community's objectives. But plans aren't intended to get adopted by Council and remain static. As time goes by and goals are achieved - or as conditions, challenges or new opportunities arise - the plan will need to evolve, too.

This project page is here to keep folks informed, and will be updated often with news, documents, exercises and more, all filed under the corresponding tabs at the top of this page. Information on meetings and workshops will be posted under the “Events” tab - including details on future meetings or summaries of meetings you might've missed. Folks that provide an e-mail address using the link at right will receive periodic updates on the plan. Have comments on anything posted here? Many items allow for on-line comments - just look for the “Comments” link at the bottom of entries and add your thoughts electronically.

For more on the Southern Pines Long-Range Plan, see the site FAQ section, or get in touch with Studio Cascade via e-mail or phone. Contact information is available here, or as listed below: