The Guiding Guilford Moving Forward Together Comprehensive Plan reflects a vision and framework for community goals, policies, and programs to guide future growth and development through 2045. The Plan covers a wide range of topics, including future land use, transportation, housing, economic development, governmental coordination, and natural, historic, and cultural resources, which may be amended from time to time.
Virtual Community Meeting Recording
On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Guilford County Planning and Development Department hosted two Comprehensive Plan Update Community Meetings, one in-person meeting and one virtual meeting. Click below to watch a recording of the virtual community recording.
Comprehensive Plan Virtual Public Meeting
Community Outreach
- Virtual Community Meeting - July 30, 2024
- Steering Committee Meeting - May 2, 2024 - View agenda
- Steering Committee Meeting - July 20, 2023 - View video | View agenda
- Workshop - April 25, 2023 - View video | View summary
- Workshop - September 28, 2023 - View video
- Board of Commissioners Comprehensive Plan Discussion - December 21, 2023 - View presentation
Planning and Engagement Process
The planning and engagement process consisted of the following four (4) phases.
Focus Groups: Understand Conditions
During this phase, we gained a nuanced understanding of current conditions and land use, future plans, and vision.
Communitywide Survey: Vision and Priorities
In this phase, we gathered community input on the goals and vision for the future, on topics such as growth and land use, housing, economics, services, and infrastructure.
Community Workshops: Plan Topics
In this phase, we gathered community input on the aspirations and vision for the county and input on key issues and opportunities. We also discussed open space, land use and future growth, and lead the community in interactive planning exercises.
Plan Sharing: Draft Plan/Recommendations
In this phase, we reported how engagement has influenced the plan, shared key outcomes of the planning process, and shared draft plan recommendations for the final round of input.
Get In Touch!
Contact the Guilford County Planning and Development Department at 336-641-3635 or let us know your comments and questions at CompPlan@guilfordcountync.gov. If you would like a response, please provide your name and a phone number or e-mail address.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Guiding Guilford Moving Forward Together Comprehensive Plan (Plan) is primarily intended as a guide for the Guilford County Planning Board, Planning and Development Staff, and Board of Commissioners to help ensure development within the county takes place in a manner that is consistent with the vision and priorities of Guilford County’s citizens and property owners. This Plan may be used to create policy recommendations and to support potential updates to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to be proposed to the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners.
Under NC General Statute 160D-501(a), local governments must adopt and reasonably maintain a comprehensive plan or land-use plan. Additionally, the Plan is a tool used by the county to inform land use decisions and is intended to guide coordinated, efficient, and orderly development within the county based on an analysis of present and future needs by assessing trends regarding demographics, economic, environmental, and cultural factors.
Work on the Plan update began in early 2023 and was completed in early fall 2024 with Board of Commissioners approval on September 4, 2025. Updates to the Plan may occur from time to time.
Guilford County teamed with Design Workshop as the primary consultant to update the Plan. Design Workshop was selected from among four (4) firms that responded to the county’s request for proposals.
To update the Plan, Guilford County and Design Workshop engaged numerous stakeholder groups in the community. The process launched in March 2023 with a series of technical focus group meetings to help the consultant understand key issues facing the county. Additionally, a steering committee worked collaboratively with the project team as an advisory group and as project ambassadors who provided guidance and high-level perspective throughout the life of the project on key themes, challenges, and opportunities highlighted in the Plan.
The general public had numerous opportunity and methods to provide input and feedback through, but limited to, a “Community Pulse” survey, virtual meeting, and during three (3) community workshops at key milestones throughout the process to help planners understand broad community priorities.
The Plan update does not change any existing zoning designations. Instead, it will serve as a guide for the community, property owners, and County Planning staff for evaluating future development and proposed policy and infrastructure improvements. The Plan may be amended from time to time.
No. With the adoption of the Plan, changes in zoning may result in land use designations. Additionally, the Plan may recommend certain policy or regulatory changes, but those may be optional and would need to be acted upon by the Board of Commissioners in a separate review process.