Have you heard of the Charleston City Plan? Today we are breaking it down for you + sharing ways you can get involved.

What is the Charleston City Plan?
The 2020 Charleston City Plan – also called the “comprehensive plan” – is the community’s vision for the future of Charleston. State law requires municipalities to make plans for the future of our city every 10 years and update it every 5 years.

The plan covers these 10 key topics – called elements:

Housing
Land Use
Resilience
Population
Transportation
Natural Resources
Priority Investment
Cultural Resources
Community Facilities
Economic Development

As the plan is put together, the city is looking for community members from all over Charleston to share ideas on each of the topics + how to approach them over the next 10 years.

When completed, the City Plan will:
✅ Provide objective data for each of 10 key elements

✅ Make recommendations for land use throughout the city

✅ Guide decision makers in implementing planning-related policies

The end result will be a document illustrating how we want Charleston to look in 2030, with an end goal of reflecting a vision endorsed by the community that is backed by objective data + sets Charleston on a positive track for the next 10 years and beyond. It will be a resource for community members wanting to better understand the state of our city + how it may change in the next 10 years.

The completed City Plan will be used in several ways:
🗂 The Planning Commission + City Council will reference recommendations in the plan when considering Charleston’s growth, including: redevelopment + new development, neighborhood strengthening, commercial revitalization, and the expansion of green spaces.

🗂 The development community will use the City Plan to better understand where to invest in Charleston.

🗂 Utility providers use the City Plan when evaluating system expansion + upgrades.

Getting Involved:
You can check out the Charleston City Plan website to watch a short video on the plan, look up the FAQ’s, and explore the data. There are 15 community feedback meetings (in-person + virtual) planned this month, but you can start discussing your ideas + provide feedback at the first of 5 open house sessions, tomorrow April 2. Register here.