03-20-12 Special Called Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission

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planning staff/consultants (or others) who prepared the plan did not adequately involve and inform the citizens, planning commission and/or city council regarding plan implementation. Another reason for non -implementation is lack of linkage of the long-range comprehensive plan to day-to-day planning decisions carried out by the staff, the planning and zoning commission, and/or the council. Yet another reason for "gathering dust" is the failure to consistently keep the long-range physical vision of the community before municipal officials, the development community, and the general public. These pitfalls maybe avoided by discussing within the comprehensive plan document those elements that comprise the plan implementation program. Again, implementation is one element in the on -going comprehensive planning process. The comprehensive plan should contain recommendations for the utilization of land and resources as they relate to the future development of the community. The plan provides the community with a reference framework for undertaking and evaluating development projects in regard to long-range goals. It also provides short-range guidelines for reviewing proposals for site plans, rezonings, and proposed subdivisions of land. The plan will be useful only to the extent that it is implemented. Implementation will occur as various actions are taken by the municipality and other public agencies, developers, business, industry, and private citizens. These action steps can include voluntary public compliance with the plan proposals, coordination by the planning and zoning commission ofplans and proposals made by other levels of government with the recommendations in the plan, and municipal actions taken in regard to site plans, requests for rezonings, and new subdivision proposals. Many communities already have the tools available that are necessary to implement the comprehensive plan. For example, many cities have adopted and are enforcing zoning and subdivision regulation ordinances. These will help eliminate many of the problems related to future development by giving local governing officials the proper instruments of control necessary to ensure orderly growth, It is especially important to provide adequate regulations for the unincorporated areas within the planning area, since these areas are oftentimes intended to be ultimately annexed. Currently in Texas, municipal zoning does not extend beyond city limits; however, subdivision regulations can be enforced within the city=s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ET7). Other mechanisms available to a community to implement its comprehensive plan are described in the following paragraphs.