HELIX supported the City of Bishop with preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Bishop Downtown Specific Plan. The project would increase allowable residential and commercial density in the downtown core of this rural and underserved City located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada region. Alta Planning + Design and the City prepared the Specific Plan, including visual simulations, and led the public outreach campaign with support from HELIX. HELIX prepared several technical studies in support of the program-level EIR, including air quality/greenhouse gas/energy analysis, noise and vibration studies, biological resource evaluation, cultural resource assessment, and visual resource analysis. The project was approved and the program-level EIR was certified unanimously by City Council in December 2022.
The project was honored with the 2023 Excellence and Achievement in Planning – Comprehensive Planning Award of Excellence (Small Jurisdiction) by the American Planning Association, Central Section, California Chapter and a 2023 Award of Excellence in the Housing Department category by the California Chapter of the American Planning Association.