 Kendig Keast Collaborative developed a first-ever Comprehensive Plan for Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The Parish is an 803 square mile area centered along a rail corridor, located on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Traditionally a slow growing, predominately rural setting where agriculture and forestry industries dominate the landscape, the Parish experienced a sudden influx of 7,000 to 10,000 people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “Ex-urban” residential subdivisions subsequently proliferated at an unprecedented rate in the unincorporated Parish, changing its character and the quality of life for the long-time residents, not to mention overburdening infrastructure that was not designed for heavy non-agricultural use.
Tangipahoa Parish is confronted with considerable challenges in preserving its heritage, managing its rural character, upgrading and maintaining its infrastructure, creating good jobs and sustaining a sound tax base, and overcoming its housing constraints in the coming years. The Parish is literally and figuratively at a crossroads and, in undertaking this comprehensive planning effort, proactively planned for its future.
 The Comprehensive Plan process was heavily citizen-based, with no less than 20 meetings (seven small group, six “citizens’ congress,” and seven steering committee meetings) scheduled during the planning process; a web site for posting planning documents and receiving feedback (pictured at right); and extensive public outreach. It expresses a shared, consensus-based vision for the diverse Parish; provides specific recommendations for upgrading Parish infrastructure and coordinating new development with infrastructure upgrades; sets out a future land use plan; provides recommendations for calibrating housing development to the needs of Parish residents; establishes a coordinated thoroughfare plan; provides strategies for protecting natural resources; provides programs for economic development that build on the strengths of the Parish; and provides prioritized implementation measures.
The Plan was adopted in 2008 with a broad base of support.
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