
COMPREHENSIVE & AREA PLANNING
Hernando, Mississippi
Hernando Comprehensive Plan
As the county seat of DeSoto County, Hernando is a community of 15,000 located in the northwest corner of Mississippi. Located 25 miles south of Memphis on I-55, this historic community has a relatively balanced economy and a vibrant downtown. Key planning issues included peripheral growth, annexation, and the need to capture more retail sales tax revenues.
The Walker Collaborative (TWC) was hired by the City to lead a multi-disciplinary consultant team to prepare a new comprehensive plan.
The project featured the typical components of such a project, such as a rigorous public engagement process (online public opinion survey, numerous meetings, five-day charrette, etc.), a retail market analysis, a future build-out analysis based on the existing zoning, an overarching “place types” map as the plan’s foundation of the plan, and detailed strategies for all of the primary planning issues. Key recommendations focused on expanding the downtown footprint, improving the quality of new development, accommodating more diverse and affordable housing, and expanding mobility options.