Sturgis to receive planning award

The city of Sturgis and Beckett & Raeder will be honored with the 2020 “Planning Excellence Award for Public Outreach” for the Sturgis community master plan.

When updating the city’s master plan, Sturgis officials embarked on what was called an ambitious and many-pronged public outreach program.

The city’s demographics had changed considerably over the past decade and there was consensus that a more thorough approach was required to reach under- represented groups.

Determining methods included a survey available in both English and Spanish; a shorter intercept survey conducted at a community event; two programs at Sturgis High School; stakeholder sessions focused on housing, employment, livability and recreation; and a traditional in-person visioning session.

The award is traditionally presented at the annual “Planning Michigan” conference held by Michigan Association of Planning, but will be presented virtually this year.