Comprehensive Plan Receives National Planning Award

Dear Rhinebeck Community,

We are proud to share that the Village of Rhinebeck's 2024 Comprehensive Plan has received a national Honor Award from the American Planning Association’s Small Town and Rural Division – the highest award presented this cycle.

The recognition reflects more than two years of community-driven work. Hundreds of residents and volunteers helped shape this plan, and the result is something the nation’s planners are now holding up as a model.

What distinguished Rhinebeck in reviewers’ eyes was not just the quality of the plan, but the fact that it is already being implemented. The Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, seated since October, is actively prioritizing Plan goals, researching grant opportunities, and advancing implementation strategies and conversations with stakeholders. A comprehensive zoning code overhaul supported by a New York State Smart Growth grant is already well underway. Adaptive reuse projects, new housing, infrastructure investments, and successful grant awards are among the early outcomes.

Reviewers specifically flagged the implementation process as a model that other communities should replicate. You can follow their work at villageofrhinebeck.gov/cpic and stay tuned for more news, including a significantly updated draft zoning code that reflects Plan priorities within the year.

This award belongs to the community that shaped it. Thank you.

Mayor Gary Bassett
and Members of the Board of Trustees