Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan Background OKI is an association of local governments, business organizations and community groups serving more than 180 cities, villages, and townships in eight tri-state counties: Butler, Hamilton, Clermont and Warren Counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana. OKI s board is composed primarily of local elected officials appointed by their communities. OKI s primary mandate is to determine how federal dollars for transportation are spent in the region, by planning, maintaining and improving the highways and transit systems. OKI conducts long range transportation planning at the regional level and sees increasing shortfalls between local transportation needs and regional dollars available almost $3 billion short at last count. Land use decisions, made locally, affect transportation needs. These decisions vary considerably among cities and counties. Linking regional long range transportation planning with local land use planning has challenged OKI s board for years. In April 2005, after extensive review by local officials and public participation, OKI s board adopted a strategic regional plan. The OKI plan calls for encouraging consistent local comprehensive planning and rewarding it with additional consideration in the funding for transportation projects. Effective local planning depends on a broad-based constituency that includes citizens, businesses, government leaders, community organizations, special interests and many others. The value of a consensus-driven, widely supported local comprehensive plan can be significant savings for taxpayers and consumers. Taxpayers should expect their substantial infrastructure investments to preserve, protect and enhance the value of real estate and the public interest by being tied to a plan and a budget. Purpose This summary is intended to describe briefly the elements of local comprehensive planning that will be considered when OKI evaluates local transportation projects for potential federal funding. Evidence that the project has arisen from systematic comprehensive planning will give it additional weight in the funding process. In addition to this summary, two other related documents may also be of interest. One is a two-page Completeness Checklist, assembled as an evaluation tool for transportation projects applying to OKI for funding. The other is a 55-page guidance document entitled Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan, which provides a great deal more detail about effective comprehensive planning, and which has undergone extensive peer review from several local planning directors in the OKI region. Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 1
Format and Process An effective comprehensive plan should be scaled to local circumstances, resources, level of government and authority. It can be completed by competent, experienced planners using the best available existing data, unless the jurisdiction desires original data or special studies. Its completion should not require specialized services such as transportation modeling, laboratory work, or services obtained from specialists such as fiscal consultants or utility engineers. Each local government comprehensive plan should include a planning period covering at least 20 years. The comprehensive plan should consist of written or graphic materials that are sufficient to set forth principles, guidelines, and standards for the orderly and balanced future development of the community. Orderly and balanced future development means looking beyond the bricks and mortar of development to its economic, social, physical, environmental and fiscal impacts. Coordinating the elements of the local comprehensive plan should be the overall objective of the planning process. Comprehensive plan elements should be consistent with each other, and the comprehensive plan should be financially feasible, as determined by local analyses and projections. Public Participation Effective public participation should occur during every phase of the planning process, and during any updating and evaluation of the comprehensive plan. Effective public participation means that local governing bodies and planning agencies conduct active outreach efforts and provide ample opportunities for all segments of the community to be involved. The techniques used and the results obtained should be summarized in the comprehensive plan. Local governments are encouraged to develop a vision that provides for orderly growth, recognizes fiscal constraints, and protects natural resources upon which communities depend. The community vision should reflect shared concepts for growth and development and should take into consideration economic viability and private property interests. Data and Analysis Data and analysis of existing conditions are essential foundations from which to propose a viable comprehensive plan for the future. All elements of the comprehensive plan should be based upon data appropriate to the element involved. Surveys and studies used in the preparation of the comprehensive plan should be adopted as part of it. Data on existing population, population projections and population studies are important for the foundation of all the elements. Goals, Objectives, and Policies Goals, objectives, and policies should be developed for each of the elements of the comprehensive plan, based on the relevant data and analysis in each element. The comprehensive plan and its elements should contain policy recommendations for implementation. Level of Service Management Level of service standards can be useful guideposts for the maintenance of adequate public facilities and services in a jurisdiction. They may be established by each local government for the public facilities located within its boundary. These standards usually address the public facilities Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 2
which are typically most affected by new development, such as roads, water supply, wastewater treatment, parks and recreation, and schools. Transportation Element The transportation element of the comprehensive plan should address traffic circulation; alternative modes of travel including public transit, pedestrian and bike travel; parking facilities; aviation, rail and barge facilities, access to those facilities, and intermodal terminals; the availability of transportation facilities and services to serve existing land uses; and the compatibility between future land use and transportation elements. Future transportation mapping should be created to show the general location of collector and arterial roads; limited access facilities; the number of lanes proposed for each roadway; designated local and regional emergency routes; park and ride facilities; ports, airports, rail lanes and related facilities; significant pedestrian and bicycle ways; and major public transit system routes or service areas, terminals and transfer stations. Housing Element The housing element of the comprehensive plan should include an inventory of dwelling units; a projection of anticipated households based on population projections; a projection of housing needs, including those of seniors, low and moderate income families, and special populations requiring group homes and foster care; and an identification of historically significant and other housing needing conservation, rehabilitation, or replacement. This element should also outline the approach to be used in providing adequate sites for future housing needs, including in-fill housing sites as appropriate. It should indicate plans for eliminating substandard dwelling conditions, and for creating or preserving affordable housing and programs that encourage investment in residential properties, such as homeownership programs and owner/investor occupied programs. Local governments are encouraged to use job training, job creation and economic solutions to address a portion of their affordable housing concerns. It is important that the private sector be made a partner in the development of housing plans and policies. This partnership recognizes the preeminence of the market in building and transferring ownership of housing. Public Facilities and Services Element The public facilities and services element should deal with both the infrastructure and the management needed to serve a community s future land use projections. It should address the public systems that provide management of drinking water, wastewater treatment and storm water drainage systems; educational facilities; public health facilities and services; recreation and open space; gas and electric power facilities; public safety and correctional facilities; and information technology systems. This element should include an inventory of existing infrastructure, service areas, and level of service, and an analysis of existing and projected needs for more service. The element should describe problems and needs, and the general facilities that will be required to address the Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 3
problems and needs. It should outline how coordination will be achieved with governmental units that have public facility responsibilities but have no land development regulatory authority, such as school boards, hospital authorities, and utilities. Analysis of the inventory should enable correcting existing facility deficiencies; maximizing the use of existing facilities; setting level of service standards and establishing priorities for replacement or new construction. It should provide sufficient planning so that public facilities and services needed to support development can be available concurrent with the impacts of the development, which can be accomplished by phasing the facilities and services or phasing the development Natural Systems Element The natural systems element should identify the natural resources within which the community exists, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater; floodplains; wetlands; watershed boundaries; sources of commercially valuable minerals; steep hillsides; areas prone to erosion; and locations of recreationally and commercially important fish, wildlife, and vegetation. For each natural resource, the existing commercial, recreational, or conservation use, and any known pollution problems should be identified. The potential for use, conservation, or protection should also be identified, based on analyzing the intrinsic and economic values of the natural resources. Based on these analyses, the natural systems element should outline the community s approach to use and conservation of natural resources. Economic Development Element The economic development element should strengthen the economic base of the community by considering the development of all business sectors. It should include an extensive inventory of the community s economic health, including such factors as the labor force by wage rate and educational attainment, full-time and part-time employment, employment by type of industry, construction activity, retail sales, and per capita and household income. It should also include an analysis of the cost of doing business in the community, such as market access, transportation facilities, utilities, the state and local business climate, including taxes, and the communications infrastructure. Based upon the results of the analysis, the element should contain policies to improve economic development as appropriate for the community, such as expanding existing businesses and recruiting new ones; streamlining the local regulatory process; cooperating with local economic development agencies, and workforce development. Intergovernmental Coordination Element Coordination of the local comprehensive plan with the comprehensive plans of adjacent jurisdictions should be a major objective of the local comprehensive planning process. Coordination should also include working with school boards, regional water supply or wastewater treatment authorities, and any other entities providing services but not having regulatory authority over the use of land. This coordination should be demonstrated within the plan through an identification of the relationships with other planning entities and the process(es) used to foster cooperation with them. Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 4
Capital Improvements Element The comprehensive plan should evaluate the need for public facilities and services identified in the previous plan elements, and estimate the cost of the improvements to the local community. The capital improvements element should analyze the community s fiscal capacity to finance and construct public facility improvements, and schedule the funding and construction when and where public facilities will be needed, so that public facilities can be used most efficiently. This element should consider any needs for fixing existing problems and should cover at least a 5- year period. Standards to ensure the adequacy of public facilities and the management of debt should be part of the plan, including acceptable levels of service. With standards in place, a schedule of capital improvements can be planned which includes publicly funded projects. The schedule may also include privately funded projects for which the local government has no fiscal responsibility, but which are necessary to ensure that adopted level of service standards are achieved and maintained. The schedule of capital improvements should account for transportation improvements included in OKI s transportation improvement program to the extent that they are relied upon to maintain levels of service and financial feasibility. The schedule should also be coordinated with OKI s long-range transportation plan. The schedule of capital improvements within the element should be reviewed on an annual basis and modified as necessary. All public facilities should be consistent with the capital improvements element. Land Use Element An analysis of existing land use by categories, use intensities, and residential densities is the first step in preparing this element. The next steps are to analyze future land use needs based on existing land use and the analysis in all the other elements in the plan. Ultimately, the land use element should be the culmination of the relationships among all the other elements of the comprehensive plan. The land use element should designate the community s future land use patterns based on analyses of all the elements of the plan, including population projections; public facilities needs and projections; natural resources; and existing land uses. Future land use patterns should be depicted on a future land use map or map series. Mapping and supporting information should indicate the general distribution of land for residential uses, commercial uses, industry, agriculture, recreation, conservation, education, public buildings and grounds, and other public facilities. This part of the comprehensive plan is where everything comes together. This is the community s opportunity to identify where new development and redevelopment should occur, where opportunities exist for infill or mixed use development, for historic preservation, for new parks or nature preserves, where public facilities need to be expanded or reconfigured, and to be certain of their availability at the right time because of the financial analysis performed in the capital improvements element. Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 5
Plan Implementation This element should describe how the community s plan and the associated activities and land development regulations will be consistently implemented. If the goals, objectives and policies in the rest of the plan are sufficiently clear and detailed, they will provide adequate guidance for developing the land use and development regulations needed to carry out the plan. This element should generally identify the actions needed for implementation, such as additional policy development, enacting or revising zoning and subdivision regulations, or pursuing new analytical tools and models. Monitoring and Evaluation A comprehensive plan should be evaluated and updated every 5 years, or more frequently as conditions warrant. The process of evaluating and updating the plan should be similar to that of its creation and adoption. The purpose in evaluating the comprehensive plan is to see if it has resulted in progress for the community, to update baseline data, to take stock of previously unanticipated problems and opportunities, and to modify goals, objectives and policies if current circumstances warrant such a change. Technical Assistance OKI recognizes that not all communities in the region have previously prepared a comprehensive plan, or they may have a plan that is not as comprehensive or as current as these minimum elements suggest. OKI also recognizes that many communities have resource and staff limitations that may constrain their ability to undertake comprehensive planning to the degree that is being recommended. Because of these constraints, OKI would like to provide technical assistance to local governments to the extent that resources are available. If you are interested in technical assistance through OKI s regional planning department, please contact Larisa Sims or Jane Wittke of OKI at 513-621-6300 to find out how OKI can help. Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan 6
Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan Prepared By: Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments February, 2006
Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan Table of contents Page PURPOSE..... 1 INTRODUCTION.....2 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS... 4 DATA AND ANALYSIS. 5 GOALS OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES. 6 LEVEL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT 7 GENERAL PLANNING ELEMENTS. 9 Transportation 9 Housing 13 Public Facilities and Services... 17 Infrastructure 17 Public and Private School Facilities 20 Recreation and Open Space. 23 Other Community Facilities. 25 Information Technology... 27 Natural Systems 29 Economic Development... 32 Intergovernmental Coordination... 34 Capital Improvements... 36 Land Use... 40 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION...44 MONITORING AND EVALUATION 45 DEFINITIONS. 47 Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan Updated: 2/28/2006 i
ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE LOCAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Purpose Planning is an orderly, open approach to reaching specific community-wide goals. Planning helps a community examine where it has been, where it wants to go and how to get there. Community-wide planning enables taxpayers and the private sector to anticipate the timing, location and capacity of public services and infrastructure which affect opportunities for development. Planning and equitable regulations and incentives create certainty or predictability for taxpayers, property owners and businesses. Taxpayers should expect their substantial infrastructure investments to be tied to a plan and to a budget. Planning for development or redevelopment allows communities to determine what type of improvements they want to see and when and where they should happen. Planning aims to preserve, protect and enhance the value of real estate and the public interest by taking into consideration the effects of land uses on surrounding properties. Effective planning depends on a broad-based constituency that includes citizens, businesses, government leaders, community organizations, special interests and many others. The value of a consensus-driven, widely supported plan can be significant savings for taxpayers and consumers. The fundamental tool used for community planning is the comprehensive plan. Comprehensive plans can facilitate the most appropriate and efficient use of land, water, and resources, consistent with the public interest. They can ensure the adequacy of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks, recreation, housing, and other services. Planning for the needs of a community, instead of reacting to them, can eliminate chronic problems, save taxpayer dollars, and reduce the duplication of services. The is determined to stretch scarce taxpayer dollars as far as possible. OKI is the agency responsible for determining how federal transportation dollars are spent in the tri-state region composed of Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County, Indiana. The OKI Board of Trustees is composed primarily of local elected officials from the more than 180 local governments in this region, who spent over three years wrestling with the issue of how to link long-range region-wide transportation planning and budgeting with land use planning, which is conducted at the local level. In April, 2005 after extensive review by dozens of experts and broad-based public participation throughout the region, OKI s board adopted a strategic regional policy plan. The OKI plan encourages consistent local comprehensive planning and rewarding it with additional consideration in the funding for transportation projects. This report is intended as an optional tool for local government comprehensive planning. It should be adapted to local circumstances, and comprehensive plans should be implemented at the sole discretion of the community. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 1
Introduction An effective comprehensive plan should be scaled to local circumstances, resources, level of government and authority. It can be completed by competent, experienced planners using the best available existing data, unless the jurisdiction desires original data or special studies. Its successful completion should not require specialized services such as transportation modeling, laboratory work, or services obtained from specialists such as fiscal consultants or utility engineers. The following is intended to be a detailed model for preparing comprehensive plans at village, municipal, township, and county levels of government. The use of this model will increase the likelihood of local governments adopting and maintaining effective and consistent plans that acknowledge the existence of adjacent communities and multiple levels of government. The recommended components and standards in this model are not a basic level of comprehensive planning. The standards for inventories, analysis, goals and objectives and implementation policies are extensive and therefore useful in selecting a basic level of comprehensive planning. This document is meant to assist communities in establishing and expressing a vision for the future. The elements of this document are not mandatory. The elements are intended to be flexible to meet the needs and special circumstances of a community. Some local communities have partial plans, or elements of a comprehensive plan, as separate documents (land use plan, thoroughfare plan, sanitary sewer plan, capital improvement plan). The separation of planning functions among various authorities is a challenge for communities who want to create a truly comprehensive plan. It is important to recognize the relationships among these authorities and to plan accordingly. This document encourages the incorporation of existing data, cooperation between governmental agencies or quasi-governmental agencies and integration of planning documents completed by authorities other than the planning commission into the comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan is the only public document that describes the community as a whole in terms of its complex and mutually-supporting physical systems. A comprehensive plan may also address economic and social systems e.g. culture and recreation, education, environment, public safety, governance, health and human services. Existing conditions and trends are described and analyzed for each of the plan s chapters or elements. The plan also provides both a broad perspective and a guide for short-term community decisions. It depicts land use, infrastructure and capital improvements policies through future-conditions maps. Charts and graphs are also useful tools to illustrate patterns. A comprehensive plan should achieve several things at minimum, including: Addressing the community s key physical elements; Providing long-term (20 years) guidance for the timing and location of development and redevelopment; Providing for development and redevelopment choices as the community grows; Providing a basis for defensible zoning and subdivision decisions; and Providing for routine evaluation and updating every 5 years. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 2
The real value of a comprehensive plan is that it provides for the timing and location of development or redevelopment -- something that zoning or subdivision regulations by themselves do not. Although this guidance deals only with the elements of an effective local government comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision regulations should be consistent with the comprehensive plan in order to carry out the community s vision and to avoid needless public expenditures. Just as important, the comprehensive plan can be a tool to prevent the degradation of natural resources and historic buildings, to maintain the commercial and economic base, to provide adequate public facilities or maintain housing stock. It can provide such guidance through several chapters or elements : Land Use Transportation Public Facilities/Infrastructure Natural Systems Housing Economic Development Intergovernmental Coordination Capital Improvements This document should be seen as an optimal strategy for local governments to use when formulating their own comprehensive plans. The content of this document includes guidelines for comprehensive plan components (inventories, analysis, goals and objectives, and implementation policies) for each of the eight elements listed above. Certain elements may be more prominent or important to achieving the vision in some communities than in others. The basic guidelines laid out in this document, however, are those that will lead to a comprehensive plan that successfully guides development within a given jurisdiction. The final product of the planning process should be a financially feasible comprehensive plan that is determined locally. The plan should not commit a local government to expenditures or programs for which there is no currently available revenue source. For example, if a comprehensive plan policy provides for a need to be addressed through local participation in a state grant program, and a grant is not awarded, the local government should not be obligated by the absence of the state grant to address the need through another currently available revenue source. To do so, could place unintended burdens on taxpayers. For the local government to be so obligated in this example, the comprehensive plan should be formally amended. Similarly, the plan should not address goals or objectives which are unattainable in the planning timeframe, or capital improvements for which no funding will be available during the initial fiveyear increment of the planning timeframe. This document attempts to account for three very different state enabling acts for planning and zoning within the region (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana). Elements included in this document will meet the requirements of those statutes, and in most cases go beyond the minimum requirements. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 3
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS Public participation is a necessary foundation for a comprehensive plan. Public participation builds public support and creates a unified vision on which goals and policies can be based. Strong public participation assists elected officials to be fully aware of the public s desires. To make the plan effective, public participation should occur during every phase of the process, as well as during consideration of amendments to the comprehensive plan and during periodic evaluations of the plan. Local governing bodies and local planning agencies should adopt procedures to provide for and encourage public participation in the planning process that might include the following: 1. Assuring that property owners are put on notice of actions that may affect their property newspaper articles or other methods. 2. Providing notice to keep the general public informed, usually including the following: a. Legal notices, at least 14 days in advance of any public meetings and 30 days before public hearings, placed in the largest circulation daily newspaper and major minority newspaper. b. Press releases to major newspapers and community papers. c. Notice to adjacent jurisdictions. d. Placement on local government websites. e. Placement at local gathering places. f. Email announcements to individuals and organizations, or list-serves. g. Questionnaires distributed via utility bills or other mass mailings. 3. Using steering committees as part of the creation of the comprehensive plan to establish a vision and as part of its implementation to create accountability. 4. Using structured interviews with key community leaders. 5. Conducting a visioning process to engage citizens and elected officials in the process. 6. Assuring that there are opportunities for the public to provide written comments 7. Assuring that public hearings are held, and that the following issues are taken into account: a. Meetings are held in locations that are easily accessible to a variety of participants. b. Meetings are advertised to reach a diverse population. c. Meetings are designed to promote discussion and open communication. d. Meetings are timed so that comment can be considered prior to final decision making. 8. Assuring that consideration of and response to public comment is made. 9. Assuring that adequate consideration is given to the issues within each legislative body or jurisdiction, if the planning area includes more than one jurisdiction. 10. Providing executive summaries to the general public, and releasing information at regular intervals to keep citizens apprised of planning activities while the planning process is ongoing. 11. Assuring that input is secured from environmental justice target groups such as minority, foreign speaking, low income and senior citizens. The use of facilities, transportation options, and outreach methods that facilitate their involvement should be provided. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 4
DATA AND ANALYSES Data and analyses of existing conditions are essential foundations for a local government comprehensive plan. Analyzing baseline data for each of the plan s elements is necessary to establish a well-grounded plan. All findings, conclusions, goals, objectives, and policies within the comprehensive plan and its support documents, and within plan amendments and their support documents, should be based upon relevant and appropriate data and analyses applicable to each element. Data and analyses should look at community facility needs and projections; natural resources; and existing land uses and current development patterns. To be based on data is to react to available data in an appropriate way and to the extent necessary, at the time of adoption of the plan or plan amendment at issue. Data on existing population, population projections and population studies are important for the foundation of all other elements. An effective comprehensive plan does not necessarily require original data collection, but should be the best data from professionally accepted existing sources, such as information from the United States Census, the State Data Center and affiliate agencies, the State University Systems, Planning Commissions, and the. Topics should include existing and future trends for: land use and land consumption, community facilities, population, economics and employment, tax base, housing, transportation patterns, natural systems and other elements unique to the jurisdiction. If other planning documents merit inclusion into the comprehensive plan, they should be adopted by reference in the plan, including the title, author, and the edition of the document. Where data augmentation, updates, or special studies or surveys are deemed necessary by the jurisdiction, appropriate methodologies should be clearly described or referenced and should meet professionally accepted standards for such methodologies. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 5
GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES Goals, objectives and policies, together with a community s future land use map, are integral and vital operational components of each element of the comprehensive plan. Goals, objectives and policies should be based on the relevant data and analyses in each element. Goals, objectives and policy statements set forth the long-term, intermediate and measurable short-term ends toward which a community s programs or activities are ultimately directed. They identify a community s desired future conditions or results to be obtained for each of the plan s elements, and define the actions and measures necessary to meet those conditions or results. The elements of the comprehensive plan containing goals, objectives, and policies should describe how the local government's programs, activities, and land development regulations will be initiated, modified or continued to implement the comprehensive plan in a consistent manner. Goals, objectives and policies should establish meaningful and predictable standards for the use and development of land and provide meaningful guidelines for the content of more detailed land development and use regulations. These goals, objectives, and policy statements should reflect the purposes that they serve. A goal is the long-term end toward which programs or activities are ultimately directed. It is something general that one strives to achieve. An objective is a specific, measurable, intermediate end that is achievable and marks progress toward a goal. A policy is describes the way in which programs and activities are conducted to achieve an identified goal. A policy statement often addresses how a goal or objective will be implemented. Examples of a goal, an objective and a policy are: Goal Example: XYZ City will promote a productive business climate by maintaining adequate public facilities and services. Objective Example: By July 1, 2010, XYZ City will eliminate two at grade railroad crossings on roadways serving vacant and underutilized commercial and industrial properties identified for redevelopment. Policy Example: XYZ City will work with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) to secure funding through the Rail Grade Separation Program to eliminate the at grade crossings. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 6
LEVEL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT Level of service (LOS) standards can be useful guideposts for the maintenance of adequate public facilities and services in a jurisdiction. LOS should be considered during the development review process so that adequate public facilities and services are available when the impacts of proposed development occur. The necessary public facilities and services may be phased, the development may be phased, or the time-certain construction of the necessary public facilities and services may be guaranteed with an enforceable instrument (such as conditional development approvals, or development agreements). Level of service standards should be established by each local government for the public facilities located within its boundary. Level of service standards should be set for each individual facility or facility type and not on a system wide basis. For example, different standards may be set for arterial and collector roadways. Identification of the appropriate level of service standards may be based on accepted standards (such as state transportation agency standards or National Recreation and Park Association standards), or based on specific conditions or needs within the community. No local LOS management system should mandate the creation, limitation, or elimination of regulatory authority for other agencies nor should it require the repeal of any rules, criteria, or standards of any local, regional, or state agency. Level of service standards usually address those services which are typically most influenced by new development. These are likely to include roads, water supply, wastewater treatment, parks and recreation, and schools. The General Planning Elements contained within this document outline inventories and analyses that will assist in establishing level of service standards for these facilities and services. Level of service standards should be based on adequacy of existing service and careful consideration of the community's desired development patterns; in other words, are the service levels adequate and can they be maintained? A jurisdiction s development patterns and areas planned for new growth, as depicted on the future land use map, should coincide with the availability of adequate public facilities and services, and should be reflected within the goals, objectives and policies for those services. A local government may establish service areas, or districts where a uniform level of service (e.g., classroom space per student, maximum daily traffic volume on roadways) may be maintained. The community's desired development patterns should be reflected in the delineation of such service area boundaries. The LOS management system should address: The maintenance of the adopted level of service standards for roads, sanitary sewer, solid waste, drainage, potable water, parks and recreation, and public transit, if applicable. The inclusion, in the Capital Improvements Element of the comprehensive plan, of a financially feasible schedule of capital improvements (or capital Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 7
improvements plan) which demonstrates that the adopted level of service standards will be achieved and maintained. A system for monitoring and ensuring adherence to the adopted level of service standards, the schedule of capital improvements, and the availability of public facility capacity. Guidelines for interpreting and considering level of service standards when applications for development permits are reviewed. A process for assessing, receiving, and applying a fair share of the cost of providing the public facilities and services necessary to serve the proposed development. The assessment should have a reasonable relationship to the impact that is generated by the proposed development. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 8
GENERAL PLANNING ELEMENTS Each element of the comprehensive plan as contained in this document follows a basic outline including: 1) description, including, as appropriate, mapping of existing conditions, 2) analyses of data, 3) goals, objectives and policies, and, if appropriate 4) future conditions mapping, and 5) implementation processes. I. TRANSPORTATION Purpose: To establish the desired and projected transportation system, and to plan for future motorized and non-motorized traffic circulation systems and related facilities. A. An inventory and description of existing roadways and multi modal facilities and existing transportation map(s) should be created including the following features. Roadway functional classifications from the appropriate state transportation agencies should be used. 1. Collector roads. 2. Arterial roads. 3. Limited access facilities. 4. Bridges. 5. Identification of the number of traffic lanes for each roadway. 6. Designated local and regional transportation facilities, critical to evacuation in the case of emergency. 7. Park and ride facilities. 8. Ports, airports, rail lines and related facilities. 9. Significant pedestrian and bicycle ways. 10. Public transit system, routes or service areas, terminals and transfer stations, public transit rights of way and exclusive public transit corridors. 11. The major trip generators and attractors based upon the existing land use map(s). 12. Existing peak hour, peak direction levels of service for roads and public transit facilities and corridors or routes. B. Analyses should address all modes of transportation as follows: 1. Analysis of existing traffic circulation levels of service and system needs based on the following. This analysis should address the need for new facilities, or expansions to provide safe and efficient operating conditions on the transportation network. a) Existing design capacity. b) Most recently available estimates for average daily trips. c) Accident frequency data. d) Existing public transit facilities, including ridership by route, peak hour capacities and headways. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 9
e) Population characteristics, specifically the transportation disadvantaged. f) The existing characteristics of the major trip generators and attractors within the community. 2. Analysis of the growth trends and travel patterns and interactions between land use and transportation, and the compatibility between the Future Land Use and Transportation elements. 3. Analysis of the projected traffic circulation levels of service and system needs based on future land uses shown on the future land use map(s), addressing the need for new facilities, or expansions to provide safe and efficient operating conditions on the transportation network. 4. Analysis should also consider adopted level of service standards, improvements, expansions and new facilities planned for in the appropriate state transportation agency planning process and the plans of the metropolitan planning organization (MPO). 5. Analysis of existing and projected intermodal deficiencies and needs such as terminals, connections, high occupancy vehicle lanes, park and ride lots and other facilities. 6. Analysis of the projected public transit levels of service and system needs based upon future land uses as shown on the future land use map or map series; major trip generators and attractors; percent of auto ownership; and projected population characteristics, including size, income, age and special needs. 7. Analysis of public transit should consider the adopted level of service standards, improvements, expansions, or new facilities planned for in the appropriate state transportation agency plan and the plans of the appropriate MPO and should, to the maximum extent feasible as determined by the local government, be compatible with the policies and guidelines of such plans. C. Transportation Goals, Objectives and Policies 1. One or more goal statements should be created for establishing the long term end toward which transportation programs and activities are ultimately directed. 2. When forming objectives, consideration should be given to the following topics: a) Providing for a safe, convenient and efficient motorized and nonmotorized transportation system. b) Coordinating the traffic circulation system with the future land uses shown on the future land use map(s). c) Coordinating with the plans and programs of the appropriate MPO, any public transportation authority, and any state transportation agency plan. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 10
d) Providing for the protection of existing and future rights-of-way from building encroachment. e) Addressing the provision of efficient public transit services. f) Coordinating the siting of new, or expansion of existing river ports, airports, or related facilities with the future land use map. g) Coordinating surface transportation access to river ports, airports, or related facilities. h) Providing for a safe, comfortable and attractive pedestrian environment with convenient interconnection to public transportation. 3. Policies for each objective should be created to address specific implementation activities including: a) Establishment of level of service standards at peak hour for all roads and public transit facilities within the local government s jurisdiction. For facilities on the Interstate or intrastate highway system, the level of service standards established by the state transportation agency should be adopted. b) Control of the connections and access points of driveways and roads to roadways. c) Provision of safe and convenient on-site traffic flow, considering needed motorized and non-motorized vehicle parking. d) Establishment of measures for the acquisition and preservation on existing and future rights-of-way and exclusive public transit corridors. e) Establishment of strategies to improve system efficiency and enhance safety. f) Consideration and inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian ways in the planning of transportation facilities and land use strategies. g) Establishment of land use, site and building design guidelines for development in exclusive public transit corridors to assure the accessibility of new development to public transit. h) Establishment of a consistent policy with the future land use element to encourage land uses that promote public transportation in appropriate areas. i) Providing an interconnected network of streets and related facilities to promote walking and bicycling that is coordinated with land uses and other community design features and ensuring convenient access to public transportation. j) Establishing measures for the use of innovative street design in conjunction with compact development to enhance or preserve community character, where such street design can be implemented safely and with balanced consideration of capacity needs for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 11
D. Future transportation map(s) should be created showing the general location of the following proposed features. Roadway functional classifications from the state transportation agency should be used. 1. Collector roads. 2. Arterial roads. 3. Limited access facilities. 4. Bridges. 5. Identification of the number of proposed traffic lanes for each roadway. 6. Designated local and regional transportation facilities, critical to evacuation in the case of emergency. 7. Park and ride facilities. 8. Ports, airports, rail lines and related facilities. 9. Significant pedestrian and bicycle ways. 10. Public transit system, routes or service areas, terminals and transfer stations, public transit rights of way and exclusive public transit corridors. 11. The major public transit trip generators and attractors based upon the future land use map(s). Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 12
II. HOUSING Purpose: To provide guidance in the development of plans and policies, deemed appropriate by the local government, to meet identified or projected deficits in the supply of housing (including moderate income, low income, and very low-income households; group homes; and households with special housing needs, including rural and senior housing). These plans and policies should address government activities, as well as provide direction and assistance to the efforts of the private sector. It is important that the private sector be made a partner in the development of housing plans and policies. This partnership recognizes the preeminence of the market in building and transferring ownership of housing. A. Inventory (based on the latest decennial United States Census or more recent estimates): 1. Number and distribution of dwelling unit by type, tenure, age, rent, value, monthly cost of owner occupied units, and rent or cost to income ratio. 2. Number of dwelling units in each of the following categories: lacking complete plumbing; lacking complete kitchen facilities; lacking central heating; and overcrowded. 3. Determine local definitions of standard and substandard housing conditions with an estimate of the structural condition of housing within the jurisdiction by number and general location of units both standard and substandard. Include methodology used to estimate condition of housing. 4. Renter occupied housing developments currently using federal, state or local subsidies (indicate subsidy program and number of units for each development listed). 5. Existing programs that encourage investment in residential properties, such as homeownership programs and owner/investor occupied programs. 6. Group homes licensed by the state, including the type, number, generalized location and capacity. 7. Existing licensed mobile home or manufactured home parks and mobile home condominiums, cooperatives, and subdivisions including the generalized location and capacity. 8. Historically significant housing listed on the states list, National Register of Historic Places or designated as historically significant by or in accordance with a local ordinance, and their generalized location. 9. Amount of housing construction activity affecting changes in the number of housing units within each local government s jurisdiction based on new construction, conversions, manufactured housing placements and removals, in number of units for the years since the latest decennial United States Census. B. Analyses 1. Derive projection of the anticipated number of households by size and income from population projections. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 13
2. Project the housing need of the current and anticipated future residents in the jurisdiction, including estimates of need for rural and senior households, by number, type, cost or rent, tenure, and any other special housing needs, and including estimates for the replacement of housing units removed and for the maintenance of an adequate vacancy rate. 3. Determine the land requirements for the total estimated housing need. This can be based on current trends or alternative land development techniques. 4. Determine the portion of the housing need which can be projected to be met by the private sector within current market conditions. The housing expected to be supplied should be shown by type, tenure, cost or rent, and income range of households served. 5. Determine the existing housing delivery system including the private sector housing delivery process, with regard to land, services, financing, regulations and administrative roles of government agencies to identify problems and opportunities. 6. Determine the means for accomplishment of each of the following: a) The provision of housing with supporting infrastructure for all current and anticipated future residents of the jurisdiction, with particular emphasis on the creation or preservation of affordable housing to minimize the need for additional local services, and to avoid the concentration of affordable housing units only in specific areas of the jurisdiction. b) The elimination of substandard housing conditions and for the structural and aesthetic improvement of housing. c) The provision of adequate sites for housing for very-low-income, low-income and moderate-income households, and for manufactured homes. d) The provision of adequate sites in residential areas or areas of residential character for group homes licensed or funded by the state. e) The provision of conservation, rehabilitation or demolition activities, and historically significant housing or neighborhoods. 7. Determine opportunities for infill development. C. Housing Goals, Objectives and Policies 1. One or more goal statements should be created for establishing the long term end toward which housing programs and activities are ultimately directed. 2. When forming objectives, consideration should be given to the following topics: a) Creation and/or preservation of affordable housing for all current and anticipated future residents of the jurisdiction, and households with special housing needs including rural and senior housing. b) The elimination of substandard housing conditions and for the structural and aesthetic improvement of existing housing. Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan 14