Comprehensive Planning

Kirby Date, AICP

The Countryside Program

Balancing Conservation and Development

• Up front community vision and planning

• Landowner planning and assistance

• Effective zoning implementation

• Good development projects

Comprehensive Planning: the Key to Balance

• Sets development and conservation goals in an organized fashion

• Plans for long-term financial stability• Resolves tradeoffs up-front• Provides for future logical, consistent decision

making• Legal stability: logical justification of decisions• Sets a framework for implementation

Purpose of Comprehensive Planning

• To protect the public health, safety and welfare

• To ensure quality of life for future generations

• To continue biological diversity and processes

• To balance private needs with public good

Legal Foundations of Planning

• Local Government is Initiator (County, City, Village, Township)

• “Police Power” - Authority to protect public health, safety, welfare, and morals

• Regulations must be for a “valid public purpose”• Must be a connection between the public purpose and the

regulations, or means to the end• Empowerment of government by the public• Need to protect private property rights• Need to provide fair and consistent decisionmaking

Players in the Planning Process

• Elected Officials (County Commissioners, Village/City Council, Township Trustees)

• Appointed Officials (Planning Commission, Zoning Commission)

• Technical staff (Planners, Engineers, Recreation staff, etc.)• Public Agencies (Federal, State, Regional, Local)• Interested Citizens (residents, developers, business)• Consultants (Planning, Economic, Environmental,

Engineering, Historic, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture)

Comprehensive Planning: Issues

• Watershed protection, flooding and water quality• Environmental sensitivity priority areas• Cultural/visual resource priority sites, districts and

corridors• Agricultural resources • Meaningful public participation• “Science through a community values filter”• Housing diversity• Transportation Diversity• Fiscal responsibility

Steps in Comprehensive Planning

• Set up decision making process, including public involvement

• Gather and organize data about existing conditions and trends for the future

• Identify opportunities and constraints• Set goals and objectives for the future• Frame and evaluate alternative scenarios• Choose and develop preferred scenario• Develop implementation strategies

The Role of the Public

Inventory and Analysis: Existing Conditions and Trends

• Economic Study: commerce and industry (employment and sales), government service, jobs/housing balance, regional “fit”

• Demographic Study: population characteristics, income, households

• Natural and physical environment: biologic, geologic/soils, hydrologic (ground and surface water), climate, regional issues

Inventory and Analysis continued:

• Land Uses: commercial, industrial, residential, institutional, agricultural, public facilities

• Infrastructure and public services: sewer, water, power, roads, transportation, green infrastructure (active and passive open space)

• Cultural resources: historic, archaeologic, social/cultural

Natural Resource Analysis: Science x Community Preferences

• Existing characteristics: what is there?• Evaluate for quality: High quality, medium

quality, degraded• Identify trends based on projected processes• Set priorities for preservation, restoration,

enhancement • Translate into practical, implementable

policies and alternatives

Setting Priorities

Example of priority setting

• Priority Development Areas (PDAs)

• Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs)

Alternatives Modeling

Elements of a Comprehensive Plan

• Overall Vision, Goals and Objectives• Land Use• Resource Protection• Transportation• Community Facilities• Housing• Economic Development• Implementation Strategies

Example: Mission/Vision Statement

• “Mission Statement: To protect and enhance watershed health in Portage County”

• “Vision Statement: Well-planned and managed development, abundant farmland and greenspaces, a full range of housing opportunities, and economic prosperity”

Example: Goals

• Broad Goals or Guiding Principles To protect and improve water quality

• To encourage and enable sustainable development

• To Protect natural areas

• To encourage public involvement in watershed health and protection

Example: Goals ctd.

• “Population growth shall be consistent with economic and land use goals”.

• “The transportation system will be improved to address existing and future traffic challenges”.

• “Housing opportunities shall be expanded, with an emphasis on affordability, quality and revitalization of neighborhoods”.

Example: Policies

• “Target commercial growth rate at a maximum of .75 percent per year (measured as square footage”

• “Develop two industrial parks”• “ Encourage a higher-density development pattern

through zoning bonuses in Growth Areas – areas with adequate infrastructure”

• “Incorporate Open Space Design into zoning regulations”

Example Policies (cont’d)

PRIORITY WETLANDS

• GOAL 1: To protect priority wetlands for their value for flood protection, sediment and pollution control, ground water recharge, wildlife habitat and open space– Objective 1 There should be "no net loss of

wetlands" within each watershed[1]– Objective 2 The County and local governments

should utilize both incentives and regulatory methods to protect wetlands.

Zoning Tools

• Riparian Setbacks

• Wetlands Setbacks

• Stormwater Management

• Erosion and Sediment control

• Conservation development

• Compact Development!

• Meadow Protection

• Source Water Protection

• Steep Slope Protection

• Woodland Protection

• Agricultural Lands Protection

• Historic Protection

• Scenic Protection

Private Tools

• Mixed Use PUD Development

• Landowner Estate and Conservation Planning

• Conservation Easements

• Historic Preservation with Tax Credit

Public/Private Partnerships

• Purchase of Development Rights

• Transfer of Development Rights

• Special Improvement Districts

Resources

• Ohio Lake Erie Commission, Balanced Growth Program www.epa.state.oh.us/oleo

• Ohio Planning Conference www.ohioplanning.org• Smart Growth Online www.smartgrowth.org• EcoCity Cleveland, www.ecocitycleveland.org• The Countryside Program,

www.countrysideprogram.org • The Farmland Center of Northeast Ohio,

www.centerforfarmlandpreservation.org

Resources Continued

• Scenic America, www.scenic.org• Scenic Ohio, www.scenicohio.org• Downtown Ohio/Heritage Ohio

www.downtownohio.org• Ohio Office of Historic Preservation

www.ohiohistory.org• Wild Ones Natural Landscapers,

www.for-wild.org • Ohio State University Extension, Land Use Team

www.landuse.osu.edu

The Countryside Programwww.countrysideprogram.org

Kirby Date, AICP, Coordinator216-687-5477

k.date@csuohio.edu