08-02-11 Planning and Zoning - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT ]D[Yl5.208 see whether mrnot the community's vision and aspirations for the future have changed imthe past decade. All combined, these influences and more, have the ability tochange the character and heel of La Porte. So why is this update important? This mid-pla4 comprehensive update, allows the City to celebrate its accomplishments over the past 10Veans, determine major and minor course corrections, and to proactively respond to (i.e., embrace and accommodate; or mitigate) c6un8|n8 |mHmeoaes, conditions, and priorities; all toensure that the quality oflife continues to improve and sustain the citizens ofLaPorte. The process required to create this comprehensive plan and its updates may prove more valuable than the plan itself since the documents are just snapshots in time. The planning process involves major community decisions about how much and where development and redevelopment will occur, the pattern and character ofthat future development, and the community's capability to provide and maintain the necessary public services. This leads to the pivotal discussions about what is °best~for the City and how everything from taxes to "quality of|ife" will be affected. 1.2 Demographic Economic, and Historical Snapshot Please see the following two 11xD'foldout pages for ademographic, economic, and historical snapshot of the City of La Porte. 1.3 Envisioning the Future Avislnn isthe first step toward understanding the past, recognizing existing circumstances, collectively deciding on a preferred scenario, and setting o course of action for realizing what is envisioned in the future. This community vision documents citizens' expectations for "tommroxw"and forms aframework 6ywhich each individual element of this plan follows. It is long-range and intentionally idealistic aoa means to stretch the imagination of what is possible. Casting a vision allows the community to come together to decide what it will be like in2Uyears and toput eplan inmotion toachieve it. ^Michae| Chandler ioa planning consultant based in Richmond, Virginia. He is a former Professor and Community Planning Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech and co-founder ofthe Virginia Institute for Planning Commissioners.