02-16-12 Regular, Public Hearing and Workshop Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission

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DRAFT FEBRUARY 7, 2012 place to raise a family” might translate into another’s “there’s nothing to do in this town.” Quality of place is about providing options, not just for current residents, but also for those who will be residents in the future. While La Porte has made significant strides in the last decade by establishing its Citywide trail system and improving the Downtown and Sylvan Beach areas, according to residents, further improvement is warranted. Therefore, Main Street and Sylvan Beach should still remain high priorities for action during the horizon of this plan. Expanding La Porte’s quality of place amenities and enhancing its community character will go far in making the City an attractive location for educated and skilled workers. This chapter builds upon the core community character theme – and associated action strategies – that are found throughout this Comprehensive Plan, particularly in the Land Use and Character chapter. 5.2 Focus Areas, Goals, Actions and Initiatives Throughout the planning process a number SWOT Analysis of issues were identified regarding economic sustainability, which was often framed in SWOT analysis (alternately SLOT analysis) is a strategic terms of a lack of availability and diversity of planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, retail stores, restaurants, and other non- Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats of a industry businesses in the City. There were community and its economic development. Among others, additional concerns regarding the amount of it involves specifying the economic and quality of life retail leakage (and loss of associated tax objectives of a community and identifying the internal and dollars) to neighboring jurisdictions, and the external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to apparent disinvestment in certain types of achieve these objectives. Setting the objectives is to be businesses. In addition to the public done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This participation efforts conducted throughout allows the determination of achievable goals or objectives to be set for the community. the planning process, information was Strengths: characteristics of the community that gives incorporated from the City’s existing it an advantage over other communities or regions Economic Development Strategic Plan Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics that (January 2009), which was an in-depth study place the community at a disadvantage relative to of the City’s economic issues and strategies others to improve them. Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. increase tax base) in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and environment Threats Analysis Threats: external elements in the environment that As displayed in Table 5.1, SWOT Analysis (on could cause trouble for the community in achieving its next page), one component of the Economic objectives Development Strategic Plan was the facilitation of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Identification of SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for achievement of the Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis, selected objective may be derived from the SWOTs. which was performed to frame economic issues in the City. Articulating the issues in Source: Kendig Keast Collaborative. this manner is intended to facilitate the 5.4 Chapter 5