They also outline the services, such as water, sewer, gas, and electricity, and amenities that a developer must install prior to sale of subdivided or assembled land. A land use code is an ordinance that combines the zoning and subdivision regulations into a single document.
The American Planning Association APA describes a Unified Development Ordinance UDO as a local policy instrument that combines traditional zoning and subdivision regulations, along with other desired city regulations, such as design guidelines, sign regulations, and floodplain and stormwater management, into one document.
UDOs can:. Several Delaware local governments Bellefonte , Blades , Bridgeville , New Castle County , Ocean View , Townsend, and Wyoming have merged zoning and subdivision into a single ordinance typically called a unified development ordinance, a land use code, or a land use and development code.
A jurisdiction should not create a land use code simply by copying its subdivision regulations into the zoning ordinance or vice versa.
However, a jurisdiction that decides to do this creates an opportunity for modernizing the way regulations are organized and administered. In addition to comprehensive plan certification, the state reviews a number of other local land use actions. Although the steps leading to review are the same for every project, follow-up actions differ somewhat for each type of project. Coordinated by OSPC, these reviews bring together state agency planners to comment on local land use actions prior to adoption or approval by counties and municipalities.
Because the provision of many infrastructure facilities and services is a shared responsibility in Delaware, an important feature of these reviews is that they bring state agency representatives, local governments, and applicants together at a single meeting.
Another significant aspect is that they take place at the start of local development-approval processes before either state agencies or developers are locked into funding commitments. Although the Delaware Code stipulates that any state agency must participate in the review process upon request from OSPC, the following agencies are typical contributors:. Section of the Delaware Code mandates that any of the following projects undergo state review.
This section provides several best practices in Delaware for public engagement activities and land use code elements. The state acknowledges that citizen participation is essential to the process by which administrative regulations are adopted, amended, or repealed, and may initiate the process by which the validity and applicability of regulations is determined.
In addition, local governments are encouraged to develop community engagement strategies to ensure that decisions reflect public needs and interests, consider diverse viewpoints and values, and are made in collaboration and with consensus of all stakeholders. Each workshop was held at a location in each of the three neighborhood groups shown below. Invitations to the dinner were placed in town utility bills, and the Clayton SunTimes posted an article in its web edition that ran two weeks prior to the event.
Approximately people attended the dinner. This section looks at best practices in three recently-revamped land use codes. The first is a tenant of the Complete Communities way of thinking—mixed use. In , the Town of Ocean View restructured its regulations for mixed-use residential development and crafted new mixed-use standards to permit development with both residential and commercial development. The next two best practices focus on organizing.
The first comes from the Town of Bellefonte where the list of uses allowed in each zoning district is in a table. The next organizational tool is a graphical outline of the development-approval process in the Town of Blades. The PRC District provides for a mix of residential dwellings, although a limited square footage of commercial development is allowed. As the articulated in the purpose and intent statement, a concept plan is required at the time of rezoning.
This is an example of how the development-review process in Wyoming is kept simplified, regardless as to whether the review is to approve a subdivision plat or a site plan. Graphics can be incorporated into a zoning, subdivision, or land use code. These can be helpful for making future zoning and planning decisions, but they require upfront evaluation of specific areas that may not be possible as part of a broad, community-wide planning process.
Character-based maps show conceptually which general areas, nodes, or corridors within a community are appropriate for various types of uses. They are less detailed than parcel-specific maps in describing specific uses and parcels; that allows for more flexibility to evaluate specific development proposals, but also provides less predictability.
It is important to ensure that future development patterns are consistent with known hazard areas. The goal usually is not to restrict all development in hazard areas, but rather to use the best available data to determine the severity of the risk, mitigation requirements for development, and appropriate use of land within or near different hazard areas. The future land use map can work in concert with an adopted hazard mitigation plan to ensure that the map promotes safe growth and reconciles any conflicts between development strategies and mitigation strategies.
However, including hazard areas on a future land use map can be challenging, both technically and practically. There are multiple variables and criteria typically reviewed to determine land development suitability.
Adams County is an example of a community that has prepared a future land use map that explicitly addresses hazard risks. The Imagine Adams County Plan future land use overlays floodplains, the wildland-urban interface, and flammable gas hazard areas with future land use. Address Hazards in Subarea Plans. Many communities prepare area-specific plans as a supplement to their jurisdiction-wide comprehensive plans.
Subarea plans are geographically based and can be at various scales. Subarea plans can include neighborhood plans, district plans, downtown plans, corridor plans, etc. Additionally, subarea plans are prepared for a variety of reasons. For example, a neighborhood plan might address housing issues, whereas a corridor plan might address mobility and economic development. Some area plans are created with the primary purpose of protecting environmentally-sensitive areas or to ensure appropriate hazard mitigation.
Adopted in , the plan addresses flooding, avalanche hazards, steep slopes and other geologic hazards, wildfire, and hazardous materials transport in various sections. Appendix C in the Snake River Master Plan includes architectural and environmental design standards for the basin. The first goal in that appendix includes a policy that development shall generally seek to avoid slopes over 30 percent and year floodplains.
Maps that accompany the Snake River Master Plan also identify hazardous areas. Because the comprehensive plan serves as the overarching policy guidance document for the community, there are several advantages for developing a plan that integrates hazard mitigation:.
The planning process typically involves a large audience, including the general public, interdepartmental staff, and other stakeholders from the community, allowing for increased public outreach and engagement on hazards. The process typically looks at future land uses to determine what is best for the community. Compliance with the comprehensive plan is often tied to approval criteria for development applications. It allows for integration of other policy documents that address hazards into one unified location.
The comprehensive planning process is an all-encompassing document; therefore, communities have to strike a balance between including policies related to every topic, and maintaining a user-friendly and concise document. Comprehensive plans must be updated periodically to match shifts in policy direction related to specific elements, including hazard mitigation.
Planner lead, with support from other departments such as public works, parks, engineering, finance, emergency management, and others. Some technical mapping and GIS analysis may be required for integrating hazard areas into the future land use map.
Should be updated at a regular time interval, or sooner if conditions in the community warrant a change; if a hazard mitigation plan is submitted for FEMA approval, five-year updates are required. Staff time, plus potential costs for mapping or other technical work, public outreach activities, and consultant services.
Adams County Comprehensive Plan. Town of Bayfield Comprehensive Plan. Town of Bennett Comprehensive Plan. Town of Crested Butte Area Plan. Douglas County Master Plan. Glenwood Springs Comprehensive Plan. Larimer County Comprehensive Plan. City of Longmont Comprehensive Plan. Logan County Master Plan. Skip to main content. How it Works What is a Comprehensive Plan? How it Works. What is a Comprehensive Plan? Comprehensive plans are used to: Garner broad community input and determine development visions and goals; Justify city decision-making, local regulations, and capital improvement projects; Guide individual development approvals; and Open new funding opportunities and grants.
Thematic Planning Communities are increasingly organizing their comprehensive plans thematically, which emphasizes the interrelatedness of plan elements as compared to traditional approaches. Approaches for Integrating Hazards into Comprehensive Plans. Evaluating Your Comprehensive Plan Is your community considering updating its comprehensive plan? The following are 8 questions that you can use to evaluate your plan and planning process to understand how it engages with issues related to natural hazards: 1.
Leverage Your Hazard Mitigation Plan. Link the Comprehensive Plan and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan A good place to start when folding hazards into the comprehensive plan is to review your local hazard mitigation plan. Attach the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment HIRA to the Comprehensive Plan Another approach to ensure direct coordination between the local hazard mitigation plan and the comprehensive plan is to directly attach the HIRA portion of the hazard mitigation plan to the comprehensive plan as an appendix.
However, there are some unique challenges associated with this approach: The local hazard mitigation plan is on a five-year time horizon, so updates are typically done at regular intervals. Developing The Comprehensive Plan. If a comprehensive plan is to extend longer than five years, the plan must have a clear approach to monitoring, evaluating and re-assessing its strategies, goals and objectives to ensure a clear path to anticipated results.
Also, the comprehensive plan must have a strong foundation that is consistent and aligned with your vision statement, mission statement and prominent yet cornerstone values. When preparing a comprehensive plan, communities should always consider their adjacent municipalities. What tends to happen as neighboring communities grow is they consider or take action to annex the same property, which can stall projects and even create legal challenges that become costly to both communities.
This can also delay projects and investments in public infrastructure. As an example, if one community is looking to annex five miles south while the community six miles south wants to annex four miles north, something will have to give as illustrated in the graphic above.
If not, the race to annexation as well as land use sprawl will begin — which is not efficient or sustainable for either community. In many cases, this can be worked out in a win-win scenario. Each municipality is trying to offer services that enhance the lives of local residents and its businesses.
Therefore, comprehensive planning should also be about lifting the quality of life for your region and your neighboring communities. Of course, resolution might not be easy. But at the very least, by having these conversations upfront, municipalities show their willingness to work together and desire to create a fully formed comprehensive plan.
In the end, compromise will save inefficient use of political capital and tax dollars in the interest of each adjacent municipality, and may just lead to additional cost saving measures such as consolidation of public services and inter-local agreements, among others. They will also incite community pride, prosperity and economic growth. If you would like to discuss this approach or other planning initiatives related to comprehensive planning, SEH will gladly make our community and economic development staff available to develop an approach unique to your community and designed for planning success.
Dan Botich is a senior economic development professional and leader of the SEH economic development team in Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Dan understands the importance of thinking beyond the "traditional" in comprehensive planning, and would be happy to speak further how you can create a more strategic comprehensive plan. Contact Dan.
Bryan Schuch is an economic development professional who helps communities develop sound, pracitcal comprehensive plans. Bryan has provided an array of financial advisory and other consulting services to municipalities, counties, schools and local gonvernment entities associated with economic redevelopment plans, tax impact studies, comprehensive planning and more.
Introduction to Planning: The Comprehensive Plan. Introduction to Planning: Implementation of the Plan. Comprehensive Planning for Healthy Communities. More planning terms Return to Planopedia. Related News about Comprehensive Plans. Comprehensive Planning Sucks.
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