With roots in the early ‘90s as a simple PC-based software product designed to digitize zoning ordinances, enCodePlus has evolved into the fully integrated, feature-rich municipal planning and zoning platform it is today. enCodePlus has emerged as the industry-leading planning and zoning tool of choice for local governments of all sizes, from small communities to larger metropolitan cities and counties.
In the early 1990s, leadership at urban planning consultancy Lane Kendig, Inc. recognized that their clients needed a way to digitize their voluminous paper-based zoning ordinances. In response to this client challenge, their development team created ZoningPlus, a computer-based software that helped convert over-stuffed binders into a more manageable digital format. The simple text-based system converted Microsoft Word to html, supporting easy navigation and printing.
While ZoningPlus represented a giant step toward computerizing these important documents, the data was accessible only on the local computer on which it resided. Updates were clunky and providing support was difficult.
In the 2010s, developers began to rebuild the system from the ground up to move the software to the cloud. This shift made documents more accessible from any location and allowed Kendig Keast Collaborative (formerly Lane Kendig, Inc.) to offer more efficient technical support.
Until 2013, users of this innovative tool had all been clients of Kendig Keast Collaborative. Positive feedback and pressure from communities interested in using the software signaled that it was time to launch an even more robust platform that could serve outside cities and counties. enCodePlus was born.
At first, enCodePlus focused on zoning and land-development ordinances, but product developers could clearly see the potential for serving a broader market. After intensive market research and consulting with customers, planning departments and industry consultants, the team methodically adapted to respond to the specific needs of these stakeholders.
