Comprehensive Plans

Focusing on a Community's Values and Priorities while Engaging Stakeholders

Horsley Witten Group works with communities nationally to develop customized Community Comprehensive Plans for our clients. Our portfolio includes over a dozen plans in the New England region, as well as projects in Hawaii, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Maryland. HW’s approach begins with a comprehensive inventory of existing conditions that serves as the foundation for both analysis and public education. Our engagement process is then used to articulate a community’s values and priorities — which eventually structure the plan. Finally, an implementation plan is provided that speaks directly to the community’s priorities, incorporating best practices, science, and innovation. We encourage you to review some of our more innovative plans to better understand how we set ourselves apart in the world of Comprehensive Planning.

“I have been working with Horsley Witten for 15+ years.

“I have been working with Horsley Witten for 15+ years on numerous projects in multiple states and municipalities, and they are second to none. We have worked together on projects ranging from simple to incredibly complex, including land use and open space planning; water resource use, protection, and planning; long range and comprehensive planning; and consensus building."

Jonathan Reiner

Planning Director, N. Kingstown, RI and Groton, CT

Planning Approach

HW provides land use planning services nationwide for Native American Tribes, U.S. territories, and local governments. Our work is grounded in the principle of “design with nature,” integrating science into planning from community plans to wellhead and groundwater protection programs.

Our certified planners, lawyers, and public policy specialists have reviewed and drafted planning legislation across the U.S. and developed regulatory databases for the EPA and state agencies. We have created zoning ordinances that protect water quality, historic resources, and farmland, supported land acquisition, advanced affordable housing, and trained diverse stakeholders in effective land and resource protection.

With experience leading local, county, state, and federal planning efforts, we understand that effective land use planning depends on strong public engagement, balancing development with preservation, and linking science to regulation.

Areas of Expertise

Our planning and technical teams brings specialized knowledge across a broad range of project types, with particular depth in

Master Plans
We work with communities nationally to develop customized Community Master Plans. Our portfolio includes over a dozen plans in the New England region, as well as projects in Arkansas, South Carolina, and Maryland. We can help a neighborhood articulate its vision for the future through careful process design.
Open Space and Recreation Plans
We strongly believe that a community’s open space and recreational resources provide important environmental, social, and economic benefits to its residents and businesses. We have helped many Massachusetts communities successfully update their local Open Space and Recreation Plans in accordance with the Division of Conservation Services guidance.
Hazard Mitigation Plans
Our planners work with towns, cities, and state agencies to create and update Hazard Mitigation Plans in compliance with FEMA requirements. Our services typically include municipal interviews, GIS map updates, risk assessments and vulnerability analyses/mapping (FEMA Flood Zones, sea level rise, and hurricane surge scenarios), and coastal inundation scenarios.
Community Engagement
Our planners are trained in the arts of listening, facilitation, and public process design. Tools and techniques include conventional and social media campaigns, focus group discussion, pop-up events and displays, public forums, project galleries, working group facilitation, and one-on-one interviews.
Regulatory Reform
We have decades of experience helping communities translate policy into enforceable standards. Our planners have successful projects with zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, general ordinances, health regulations, and state legislation.
Watershed Assessment Planning
Our planners, engineers, and scientists work together to identify long-term solutions to water quality, land use, and ecosystem challenges.
GIS Services
Spatial data development and analysis add depth to municipal and environmental planning efforts. Our technicians can visualize trends, build inventories, and interface with modeling software within cutting edge GIS platforms.