CPG was hired to prepare a preservation plan for The Plains, an incorporated town in Fauquier County. The purpose of the preservation plan was to identify and advance the community’s vision for the near future. Despite being a small town, community members had various perspectives regarding the town’s historic resources. The perspectives of new and old residents were sometimes seen as being in opposition to one another. Additionally the definition or boundary of the community varied and could include those within the town limits and those within the broader zip code. With these dynamics in mind, the objectives for Phase 1 of this project were to gather community input, establish a common vision, and outline a preliminary direction for the future plan.
Project Design
CPG sought to create consensus around which resources were historically and culturally significant and to develop a plan to preserve and protect these tangible and intangible resources. CPG engaged with the community through two public meetings, numerous in-person and phone interviews, and a community-wide questionnaire that community members could complete manually or digitally. The questionnaire was particularly useful as it allowed a large number of individuals to participate and to note their connection to The Plains. The feedback that the team received during these outreach opportunities was analyzed and ultimately provided insight into the town’s priorities, challenges, and goals.
Challenges & Accomplishments
As a small, rural community, The Plains maintains only a few full-time Town Staff members. In order to address the locality’s size and capacity for implementation, CPG prepared a preliminary outline that identified four user groups in The Plains and corresponding roles in future work: town residents, businesses, property owners, and institutions. This approach was designed to give the town direction regarding implementation and to provide meaningful ways for the community to contribute to the plan. The project, completed less than a year ago, has already resulted in grant awards to fund the development of the town’s local historic district guidelines. CPG is slated to kick off that project in October 2025.
