Creating a guiding compass for an evolving community

City of Jal Comprehensive Plan

Originally established by ranchers in the southeast corner of New Mexico, Jal became known as the "Gas Capital of the World" in the late 1920s. A century later, the remote community remains largely dependent on the oil and gas industry but stands on the brink of significant growth and expansion. The City of Jal asked our team to create a new comprehensive plan to help meet the needs of their evolving community.

We engaged the local community through public meetings and conducted 75 surveys throughout Jal to better understand existing conditions and the community’s priorities. Through this research, we discovered that one of the main community interests centered around multigenerational recreation facilities and programming. We compiled future land use, transportation network, and growth scenarios along with providing parks and recreation recommendations. Additionally, we conducted hazard and natural resource management and housing needs assessments.

The resulting community-based plan focuses on four main guiding principles: accessibility, resilience, health and wellbeing, and quality of life. The City will use it as an implementation tool for zoning, capital improvement plans, economic development, and other more focused strategies.