Shenandoah County Planner Tyler Hinkle was honored this month by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association with its Foxhound Award for Distinguished New Professionals.
Hinkle, the planner within the Office of Community Development, has held the role during his undergraduate studies and the entirety of his graduate studies at the University of Virginia.
“Tyler’s planning skills touch on related yet complex subject matters including zoning, permitting, public finance, conservation, agriculture and energy sustainability,” said Julie Chop, Vice President of External Affairs for APA Virginia. “Tyler is an outstanding asset to the Commonwealth’s corps of planning professionals and has contributed to the long-term vibrancy of the entire Shenandoah Valley through his achievements.”
Hinkle was the lead planner for Shenandoah County’s Energy Ordinance, which was adopted in April 2023. The new Energy Ordinance was completed with input and guidance from a Solar Ordinance Review Committee that he worked closely with to aggregate existing standards for wind energy and large-scale solar facilities into a unified ordinance. He developed inclusive public engagement strategies and informative web resources to complete this project.
His work has also been instrumental in advancing “Shenandoah 2045: A Future Together” – Shenandoah County’s multi-year process for their new comprehensive plan.
Hinkle has supported the planning process’s Citizens Advisory Committee before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, while reaching out to the community to field no less than 25 public meetings across 2022 and 2023. These meetings blended traditional outreach measures with new innovations such as game theory exercises to ensure that the entire community’s voice is reflected and heard.
APA Virginia honored Hinkle during an award ceremony at its July 2023 annual conference in Roanoke.
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Crystal Graham
