Piedmont is a well-established city of 11,000 residents. More than 70 percent of its homes were built before 1940. The community faces long-standing issues relating to the character of new construction, the need for affordable housing, traffic and parking, and the use of public lands. In 2007, Barry was retained to update the City’s 1990 General Plan and work with Piedmont residents to address these issues. 

As project manager, Barry was responsible for background research, public outreach and engagement, drafting required CEQA documents, and Plan adoption. The outreach plan included a four-page mailback survey on local planning issues sent to every one of Piedmont’s 4,000 homes. One third of all households replied, providing a high volume of input on which to base Plan policies. In response to survey feedback, the new Plan included a Sustainability Element and a Community Design Element.