Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission

What Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission does

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission (Bay-Lake RPC) is a multi-service governmental agency established in 1972 by Wisconsin Governor Lucey under Wisconsin Statutes s. 66.0309, operating as a public entity and local unit of government based in De Pere, Wisconsin. The commission serves 186 units of government across eight Northeast Wisconsin counties (Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, and Sheboygan) plus the Oneida Nation, covering approximately 604,157 residents (10.3% of Wisconsin's population), 5,433 square miles, 400+ miles of Great Lakes coastline, and 12 major watersheds.

The commission's core services are organized into five program areas: Community Assistance (comprehensive planning, housing studies, hazard mitigation planning); Economic Development (Economic Development District coordination, Brownfield Assessment Program, Disaster Recovery Microloan Program, EMSI economic modeling, funding resources portal); Environmental Services (coastal planning, land and water conservation, outdoor recreation planning, sewer service area reviews); Mapping and Visualization (custom map design, field collection, interactive ArcGIS Online applications, land use data, environmental corridor datasets); and Transportation (Sheboygan MPO, regional transportation planning, active transportation, transit development plans). Its technical foundation is built on Esri's ArcGIS Online platform for GIS, mapping, and spatial data visualization, supplemented by ArcGIS StoryMaps for interactive storytelling and Google Earth for public land use data distribution.

Bay-Lake RPC operates as a governmental entity with a grant-funded revenue model, drawing operational funding from federal programs (EDA, EPA, FHWA, FEMA, NOAA), state programs (WisDOT, WEDC, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program), member government dues, and limited fee-for-service charges ($400-$500 per sewer service area review). The commission holds multiple statutory designations including EDA Economic Development District (since 1974), Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Organization (since 1982), and Designated 208 Water Quality Planning Agency. A small staff of approximately eight specialists executes planning, grant administration, GIS development, and direct technical assistance to member governments on a contractual basis.

Name

Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission

Legal name

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission

Website

https://baylakerpc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission is a Wisconsin governmental agency providing regional planning, economic development, environmental, GIS mapping, and transportation services to 186 units of government across eight Northeast Wisconsin counties and the Oneida Nation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Government Planning Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Regional planning services
• Economic development
• Transportation planning
• GIS mapping services
• Environmental planning

Headquarters

HQ city

De Pere

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Program Funding: The commission operates as a governmental agency funded through federal and state programs including EDA (Economic Development Administration), EPA Brownfield Assessment grants, FHWA transportation planning funds, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and WEDC Disaster Recovery Microloan program administration.
2. Sewer Service Area Review Fees: Fee-for-service model for water quality management (208) reviews: $400 standard review, $500 expedited review (5 business days).
3. Contractual Planning Services: Professional planning services provided on a contractual basis to member local governments for comprehensive planning, housing studies, hazard mitigation planning, and ordinance development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission is a multi-service governmental agency that delivers professional regional planning services to 186 units of government across eight counties in Northeast Wisconsin. Core offerings span community assistance (comprehensive planning, housing studies, hazard mitigation), economic development (EDD coordination, brownfield assessments, disaster recovery microloans, EMSI modeling), environmental services (coastal planning, sewer service area reviews, outdoor recreation), GIS mapping and visualization, and transportation planning (including Sheboygan MPO).

Product overview

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission is a multi-service governmental agency providing federal, state, and local planning programs to member counties in Northeast Wisconsin. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected service areas rather than a single unified product. The core services include Community Assistance (Comprehensive Planning, Housing Studies, Hazard Mitigation Planning), Economic Development (Economic Development District, Brownfield Assessment Program, Disaster Recovery Microloan Program, EMSI Developer economic modeling), Environmental Services (Coastal Planning, Land/Water Conservation, Outdoor Recreation, Sewer Service Area Reviews), Mapping and Visualization (Custom Maps, Field Collection, Interactive Maps via ArcGIS Online, Land Use Data, Environmental Corridors), and Transportation (Sheboygan MPO, Regional Transportation, Active Transportation, Transit Development Plans). The services work together to provide comprehensive planning support to 186 units of government across Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, and Sheboygan counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Assistance Program Strengthens local planning activities by providing professional planning services on a contractual basis, focusing on comprehensive plans, housing studies, hazard mitigation planning, and implementation assistance for local governments in Northeast Wisconsin.
• Comprehensive Planning

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Governor DreyfuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982Designated Bay-Lake RPC as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Sheboygan in 1982, enabling federal transportation funding eligibility for the metropolitan area.
• U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1974EDA designated Bay-Lake RPC as the provisional Economic Development District in 1974 and recognized it as the official planning organization in 1979. The commission leads the Economic Development District planning process and coordinates the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
• Wisconsin Sea Grant InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided technical assistance for developing regional land use GIS datasets in Google Earth format, in partnership with University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Association of Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions (AWRPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with WEDC to provide statewide access to Economic Modeling Specialist Intl. (EMSI) software for economic development analysis.
• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized Bay-Lake RPC as a Regional Center of Excellence for environmental corridor work, providing national recognition and additional funding opportunities.
• UW-Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Bay-Lake RPC to study coastal hazards in Kewaunee, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan counties, resulting in the Northeast Wisconsin Coastal Resiliency Study and resources.
• Great Lakes Phragmites CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative providing resources for landowners managing non-native Phragmites, supporting Bay-Lake RPC invasive species management projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission: A Wisconsin regional planning commission serving Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Sauk, and Vernon counties in southwestern Wisconsin. Comparable in scope and statutory authority, providing economic development district coordination and comprehensive planning services to member local governments.
• Fox Cities Metropolitan Planning Organization: Wisconsin MPO serving the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah urbanized area with federal transportation planning responsibilities. Directly comparable to Bay-Lake RPC's Sheboygan MPO functions in terms of federal funding access and transportation planning scope, making it a same-state peer for transportation program operations.
• East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: A neighboring Wisconsin regional planning commission covering Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties. Operates under the same Wisconsin Statute 66.0309 framework with comparable EDD and MPO designations, serving member governments with similar planning service portfolios.
• Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: Wisconsin RPC covering Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Rock, and Dane-adjacent areas. Provides equivalent comprehensive planning, economic development district coordination, and MPO-adjacent transportation planning services to its member local governments under the same statutory framework.
• Northwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: Wisconsin RPC serving Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn counties. Operates the same EDD model with comprehensive planning, transportation, economic development, and environmental services, often with comparable resource constraints to Bay-Lake RPC.
• Madison Area Transportation Planning Board: The MPO for the Madison metropolitan area, designated to receive federal transportation planning funds and conduct long-range transportation planning. Functions as the same federal-funding-channeled transportation planning entity as Bay-Lake RPC's Sheboygan MPO, providing a comparable MPO peer within Wisconsin.
• Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: The largest Wisconsin regional planning commission, serving Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha counties. Operates the same statutory model with EDD designation, MPO functions, environmental corridor work, and comprehensive planning services — the closest analog in terms of service breadth, just at much larger scale.
• West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: A Wisconsin regional planning commission covering Buffalo, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, and Trempealeau counties. Provides the same comprehensive planning, economic development, transportation, environmental, and GIS services to member governments under the same statutory framework.

Others

• National Association of Regional Councils: The national membership association that recognized Bay-Lake RPC as a Regional Center of Excellence. Provides federal advocacy, training, peer learning, and funding intelligence to regional councils nationwide — an ecosystem participant and Bay-Lake RPC's recognizer rather than a direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Mid-America Regional Council: A large, established regional planning and intergovernmental organization serving the Kansas City metropolitan area across multiple states. Comparable organizational model (EDD, MPO, comprehensive planning services) but at substantially greater scale, with broader scope and more diverse funding than Bay-Lake RPC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blrpc
• Facebookfacebook.com/BayLakeRPC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission