Laying the Foundations for Healthy Built Environments
Resiliency and responsiveness are central to well-planned communities. Cushing Terrell planners work with both urban and rural communities to provide aspirational plans that guide growth and preservation for the future.
We work in diverse geographies from rural farming communities to some of the densest urban environments in the U.S. and Canada. Cushing Terrell planners have developed award-winning projects and constantly strive to remain at the forefront of thought in the dynamic places we work.
Areas of Expertise
Urban Design
Small-area/Site Plans
Master Plans
Streetscape Design
Downtown Plans
Regional/Urban Planning
Comprehensive Plans
Resort Plans
Parks/Open Space Plans
Community Engagement
Technical Expertise
Geospatial Analysis
Entitlements
Subdivision Administration
Throughout 2020, the dedicated Cushing Terrell crew guided a steering committee, a stakeholder group, and the general public through a process that was challenging to navigate during a pandemic. They did it with great skill, grace and professionalism. The creative solutions they came up with to accomplish the goals set before them were inspired. Cushing Terrell exceeded our expectations, and the finished product is something the community of Great Falls will be very proud of upon implementation.
Joan Redeen
Community Director, Great Falls Business Improvement District
Great Falls, MT
Cushing Terrell demonstrated both exceptional patience and support for our community’s needs to achieve the successful outcome of our Comprehensive Plan. They walked the ‘planning best practice’ talk of creating a truly community-driven planning process.
Marjo Curgus
Planning Comissioner
Chaffee County, CO
Over the course of three months, Cushing Terrell conducted an assessment of roughly 900 acres of land along with a mixture of water rights and a 1,300 acre-foot reservoir. During this time Cushing Terrell spent a lot of time in our town conducting interviews with community members, analyzing the site with the existing infrastructure, and reviewing the water rights. By spending this time at the site and with our community, Cushing Terrell was able to capture our priorities. We were very impressed with the team.
Phillip Puckett
Town Administrator
Buena Vista, CO
Committed to Equitable Design
At Cushing Terrell, we know that real, authentic, and innovative community engagement is critical to the success of most planning efforts. We also understand that traditional approaches to outreach can exclude some community members due to language barriers, feedback methodology, the location and time of engagement events, and more. Therefore, we employ methods with a specific emphasis on broad engagement by intentionally reaching out to — and amplifying the voices of — communities and populations that have historically been left out of planning and decision-making processes.
We balance objective data with qualitative feedback and employ outreach methods that invite participants to define project values and reach agreements while keeping the door open for creative, fun, and fiscally responsible expression.
Given the occasional difficulty with large, face-to-face engagement, our focus is on facilitating activities that are equally immersive whether in-person or virtual. The goal is to reach targeted audiences and key stakeholders to achieve a broad understanding of the community’s vision. Thus, participants can feel empowered to feel they have a voice and that the project ultimately reflects their values and priorities.
Project Capsules
In summer 2023, Cushing Terrell was hired by the city of Lewistown to update its 2006 Growth Policy. The city of Lewistown chose to voluntarily opt into the Montana Land Use Planning Act – or MLUPA – and shift to produce a Land Use Plan. Under the Act, Land Use Plans include population projections and housing need projections, which are required to be tied to land use recommendations.
Since this process was brand new in the state of Montana, it required careful messaging to communicate to the public what was different about a Land Use Plan and how this more proactive method of planning would benefit residents. A robust community engagement effort with well-attended public meetings resulted in overwhelming buy-in and community support for the plan.
In 2023, the Town of Lochbuie knew they were on the precipice of big change: Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Rail Company was purchasing large parcels of land to the east of town for the development of an 11 million square foot inter-modal facility and logistics park. The Town decided it needed to update its comprehensive plan to address the large-scale land use changes coming in the future.
Cushing Terrell was hired based on their experience in rural and suburban communities in the Front Range of Colorado. Mid-way through the project in 2024, BNSF annexed into the town, doubling its size overnight and dramatically expanding the scope of the plan.
Because the project team took a nimble approach, they were able to revisit the draft plan for complimentary and supporting uses around the planned facilities. Lochbuie now has a plan in place to prepare for between 10,000 and 20,000 jobs, 2,700 acres of industrial use, and associated impacts and challenges.
The project team also created a conceptual site plan for a 40-acre, town-owned property featuring a reservoir, that includes active and passive recreation opportunities, community space, and festival grounds.
Federal Heights is a compact city covering 1.8 square miles in Colorado’s Front Range, 12 miles northwest of downtown Denver. It’s more ethnically and culturally diverse than many other municipalities in the Metro region.
With a comprehensive plan that was over 20 years old, the City sought help from Cushing Terrell to address some key land use and economic development challenges in an updated Plan.
Cushing Terrell was selected because of our experience with equity-centered community engagement efforts that have successfully engaged Spanish-speaking populations across the state.
The project team researched and analyzed existing conditions, conducted robust community engagement in English and Spanish, and helped communicate the story of Federal Heights to its diverse community.
Cushing Terrell recommended a series of short-term and long-term strategies to invite attractive redevelopment and mitigate immediate impacts from undesirable land uses. With Bus Rapid Transit planned along Federal Boulevard estimated to be operational in 2029, Cushing Terrell developed strategies to prevent displacement while optimizing opportunities for transit-oriented development. Federal Heights now has a clear and defendable comprehensive plan and roadmap forward to achieve the vision set by the community.
Cushing Terrell and consultant partners were hired by the city and county of Broomfield to prepare staff for the undertaking of updates to their comprehensive and transportation master plans in 2025/2026.
The team was tasked with analyzing existing conditions and reporting on the implementation status of over 50 specialized plans to better align planning efforts citywide and ensure various departments are working towards the goals outlined in the comprehensive plan.
A significant component of the project was the development of a public engagement plan, which includes stakeholder identification, committee recommendations, and detailed participation strategies. The engagement plan emphasized equity by identifying metrics and creating a priority map to reach communities that may be harder to engage.
Finally, Cushing Terrell reported on best practices and trends from peer communities to help Broomfield better prepare for its upcoming comprehensive plan update.
More Featured Projects
Success Begins With Planning
Comprehensive planning defines a clear path toward real-world solutions, attainable results, and visionary projects. Our master planning work has promoted sustainable economic development and brought meaningful social and cultural benefits to many communities. Our long-range and current planning includes subdivision, zoning, mixed-use community design, market analysis, growth policies, area structure plans, master plans, comprehensive plans, code development, and housing studies.
