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The act
or process of making or carrying out plans; specifically:
the establishment of goals, policies and procedures for a
social or economic unit <city planning> <business
planning>
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary
City
planning works to achieve the following goals:
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To realize the common values
we all cherish: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness,
etc.
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To maintain and protect the
public health, safety and welfare
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To maximize efficient and
effective use of public and private facilities, services
and resources.
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To minimize conflicts
between individual developments
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To cope with growth as well
as population decline or no growth
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To preserve the unique
characteristics or features of local development
including historic areas and buildings
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To coordinate development by
tying together – into one coordinated whole – all of the
separate decisions affecting development which are made
by various local officials and development interests
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To make decisions on
individual projects, zoning cases, etc., in a careful
and rational way based upon well-researched and
well-conceived criteria – rather than in a random, ad
hoc way based upon piecemeal and fragmented information
generated by day-to-day crises
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To achieve the following
environmental purposes of community planning:
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an efficient system of
circulation within the city and to the outside
world, taking maximum advantage of all modes of
transportation
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adequate and economical
water supply, sewerage, utilities, and public
services
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safe, sanitary, and
comfortable housing in a variety of dwelling types
to meet the needs of all families
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recreation, school, and
other community services of a high standard of size,
location, and quality
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orderly arrangement of
the parts of the city – residential, commercial,
industrial – so that each part can perform its
functions with minimum cost and conflict
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development of each part
of the city to optimum standards, as to lot size,
sunlight and green open space in residential areas,
and as to parking and the arrangement of buildings
in non-residential areas.
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Prepare & adopt the work
program and budget
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Prepare & adopt …
The Comprehensive Plan
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Prepare & adopt the major
implementation tools
Development Codes:
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Subdivision Regulations
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Zoning Ordinance
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Building Regulations
Capital Improvements
Program
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Administer regulations and
programs
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Establish criteria for
evaluating progress
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Measure activities, results
and impacts
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Evaluate effectiveness of
the process
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Correct deviations from
policies and regulations
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Revise/update process
components as needed
To provide a basis for:
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preparing and updating any
comprehensive plan implementation tool
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making individual
development decisions regarding proposed capital
improvements, subdivision plats, or zoning
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documenting and justifying
development decisions – in court cases, other legal
matters or controversial issues or in response to
questions of public liability or reasonableness
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preparing and making
decisions on area wide development, including plans for
parks, thoroughfares, utilities, and other public
facilities, and on neighborhood, annexation or other
major area plans
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preparing and giving advice
to public officials, citizens, developers, etc., on
development problems, questions, issues, ideas,
proposals, etc
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educating all concerned
about the conditions, needs, problems and opportunities
in the community
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communicating the governing
body’s adopted policies regarding the future development
of the community to all concerned
A legal
document adopted by the local legislative body setting
forth:
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goals, objectives and
policies for guiding future development
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Standards and proposed
locations for:
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land use
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infrastructure
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special elements
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short-term action programs
(implementation strategies)
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It may be in the form of a
map with a written description and policy statements, or
it may consist of an integrated set of policy statements
A local
ordinance that governs conversion of raw land into buildable
lots and parcels. It includes:
·
procedures
for obtaining approval of a subdivision plat
·
minimum
design standards for laying out blocks, lots, streets and
other physical components of a subdivision tract
·
a list of
public improvements (streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks,
street signs, drainage facilities, water and sewer lines,
and other public utilities, etc.) required to be installed,
together with construction standards and specifications
applicable to those improvements
·
requirements and procedures for dedicating land for open
space or other public purposes or for the payment of fees in
lieu of dedication
·
requirements and procedures for dedicating rights of way for
streets and other public uses, and for granting easements
for utilities, drainage and other purposes
·
procedures
for plat review and payment of fees
·
a
description of the method for financing public improvements,
specifying which costs will be borne by the developer alone,
and which costs, if any, will be shared by the city
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a
requirement that the design and other aspects of the new
subdivision must be consistent with the city’s comprehensive
plan
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to promote
the public health, safety, and general welfare
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to
facilitate safe, orderly, and healthful community
development
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to enable
the sale or transfer of lots, and the recording thereof, by
plat reference rather than the less efficient metes and
bounds property descriptions
·
to ensure
that streets, utilities, schools, parks, open space, and
other public facilities are adequate to serve the needs of
those who will occupy and/or use the tract
·
to prevent
harm to persons and/or damage to land or property both
within and outside the tract
A police
power measure adopted by the local legislative body in which
the community is divided into districts or zones for various
classes of land use – such as agricultural, residential,
commercial, and industrial – for the purpose of regulating
the use of private land.
·
A map –
depicting zoning district boundaries
·
Provisions
– prescribing for each district:
o
How land or
buildings may be used
o
Minimum lot
sizes and maximum height and bulk of buildings and other
structures
o
Yard sizes,
setbacks and other development standards governing placement
of buildings and open space
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Permissible
density of population to ensure that the “impacts” of any
given land use do not exceed acceptable levels.
o
Rules and
procedures – for administering the zoning ordinance,
processing zoning amendments, special uses, etc.
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to promote
and protect the community’s health, safety, morals and
general welfare
·
to lessen
congestion in the streets
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to secure
safety from fire, panic and other dangers
·
to provide
adequate light and air
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to prevent
overcrowding of land and undue concentration of population
·
to
facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water,
sewerage, school, parks, and other public requirements
·
to conserve
property values
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to
encourage the most appropriate use of land throughout the
area, including sufficient land suitable for future
development
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to protect
and enhance the quality of the environment
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to protect
and preserve areas of historical and cultural importance and
significance
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to preserve
and develop the area’s economic base
A
schedule, adopted by a local legislative body and usually
covering 3-10 years, of one-time municipal expenditures for
the acquisition or construction of major public facilities –
such as water and sewer systems, streets and highways,
parks, waste disposal facilities, municipal buildings, etc.
The “CIP” usually lists for each needed project:
·
a
description and statement of need
·
priority
rating
·
cost
estimates and financing sources
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tentative
construction and/or acquisition dates
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to avoid
overlooking large, critically needed projects
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to balance
the needs of different sectors of the community with those
of the community as a whole
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to take the
community’s long-range needs into account each year when
considering the annual capital budget
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to allow
more ample time to examine alternative funding sources
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to help
make the development of major facilities consistent with the
community’s goals and objectives, anticipated growth, and
financial capabilities
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to ensure
that highest priority projects are constructed or acquired
first
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to adopt a
more business-like and responsible approach to solving
community problems and to discourage piecemeal,
uncoordinated, “brush fire” approaches
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to
encourage citizen interest and constructive participation in
community affairs
·
to
facilitate intergovernmental cooperation by keeping other
governments informed about the governing body’s construction
intentions
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to help
reduce some of the risk in private development by adhering
carefully to a well-publicized public facility development
schedule
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to improve
the development and maintenance of public facilities by
requiring local officials to analyze and forecast their
future needs
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to improve
debt administration, financial management, utilization of
financial resources, and thereby help qualify for better
bond ratings
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