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Planning Principles
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Using These Principles
Managing Land Use & Land Use Change
Public Facilities & Services
Transportation
Environment
Economy
Implementation
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Using These Principles
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Communities and individuals that study these Planning Principles will discover that their implementation can help increase awareness of the coastal resources around them and the effect that these resources have on the functioning of their community. They also will find that these principles advocate policies that are neither pro-growth or no-growth. Instead they encourage growing smarter, understanding and accepting the relationships between natural features and resources, and community development (including economic development). They can help you create communities that are more enjoyable to live in, communities that have diverse local economies, offer opportunities for jobs and housing, and enhance and strengthen a quality of life that many communities throughout the nation are rushing to try and recreate.
These Planning Principles have grown out of a set of project Findings that are listed elsewhere and linked to this area of the CD. These Findings summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the coastal area of the county. In broad terms they capture images of what is occurring in coastal areas and organize them into five different categories: Land Use and Managing Change; Public Facilities and Services; Transportation; Environment; and the Economy. These same five categories are used in presenting the Planning Principles.
Local communities are urged to study these Planning Principles and understand how they relate to the Findings, and even more importantly, how these principles relate to their community. As stated above, the Findings present very broad statements from a county perspective. It follows that the Planning Principles are broad in nature as well and, if taken as literally written, may not fit your community. However, that does not mean some aspect of the principles or variation of them could not be useful in your community. It is highly recommended that you take the time to think of how they can fit and make adjustments you find are needed to achieve the same outcome.
Presenting recommendations, as we have, should be helpful in creating a vision of balanced communities. This report and website could be even more useful if it contained information you can use to research the concepts or ideas presented in the Planning Principles. We have done just that. We have included a number of guidebooks that deal with issues unique to coastal areas, and guidebooks that illustrate how to create this balanced community we speak of. You will find case studies or examples from other communities, you will find ‘tool boxes’ containing information on the planning tools you can use to implement these recommendations, and you will find lots of illustrations of what can be done to address common community concerns.
These resources should not be difficult to find. Make use of them, and if nothing else, become familiar with what is contained in them so you can refer back when the need arises.
If you have any questions about this project, the Planning Principles, Findings or reference material, get in touch with staff from the Metropolitan Planning Commission.
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Managing Land Use & Land Use Change
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1. Local communities should develop land use policy which preserves and enhances the character of their community. This includes historic, cultural, architectural, natural patterns boundaries and features which make that community unique. Joint efforts should be pursued when these resources are shared by or cross through more than one community.
2. The County and local communities should encourage the development of nonresidential land uses in locations that serve the needs of visitors and tourists, that creates jobs, and that increases the overall economic vitality of coastal communities.
3. A broad range of housing opportunities should be provided. These housing units should be designed with respect for local historic, architectural, and building placement patterns that are characteristic of existing residential and mixed use areas.
4. A range of housing opportunities should be established near employment centers.
5. Land development patterns should be managed to draw maximum benefit from existing county drains while minimizing the potential for flooding and contamination of surface waters.
6. Planned and approved land use patterns should be designed to enhance, preserve and protect surface water resources. This should include view sheds which highlight unique or valued natural or man made features found in the coastal area.
7. Local communities and county agencies should work together to ensure that land use proposals and planning efforts are coordinated and consistent with transportation plans.
8. Development should be directed to areas served with adequate transportation facilities, water, wastewater and storm water facilities. Communities should use the presence or planned provision of public facilities to direct growth and protect sensitive or unique coastal resources.
9. All levels of government should work together on land use and coastal issues of mutual interest and concern.
10. Coastal communities should create overlay zoning districts in those areas containing unique or sensitive natural and cultural coastal resources. Resulting standards should strive for directing and managing land use change as opposed to prohibiting it. As appropriate, multi-jurisdictional efforts should be undertaken.
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Public Facilities & Services
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1. Providing or upgrading public facilities and services should be planned to direct and manage the location and rate of growth. The provision of any public facilities and services should be consistent with community plans.
2. Public services should be provided efficiently. Alternative approaches to the provision of these services should be studied locally and considered for implementation.
3. Surface and groundwater quality within the coastal areas should be improved and protected through public infrastructure investment and implementation of facility or service policies. Investments and policy should include public utilities, development review guidelines, project review coordination, compliance with existing environmental regulation, and consideration of legislative controls.
4. Adequate amounts of private and public park and recreation facilities should be planned to meet existing and anticipated needs. This should include public investment in acquisition or preservation of resources that typify unique coastal features. Communities should work with the County Parks and recreation Commission to provide regional facilities where possible.
5. Use of incentives should be considered to direct growth at or away from sensitive coastal resources. The presence of public facilities and services should be used to attract and direct growth and private investment.
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Transportation
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1. A cost effective and efficient multi-modal transportation network should be established within the coastal region. This system should meet the transportation and recreation needs of residents and visitors. This network should connect homes, jobs, community centers, recreational and educational facilities.
2. Local and County comprehensive transportation plans should support long term community and county land use visions within coastal communities.
3. Within high growth corridors, land use plans and supporting transportation plans should be coordinated among those agencies with authority, control or interest. This should include land use planning agencies, legislative bodies, road agencies, and natural resource management agencies and the public. Overlay zoning districts should be considered in these high growth corridors and a multi-jurisdictional approach should be used as appropriate.
4. Nonmotorized paths or green ways should be located and designed to serve multiple functions; transportation, recreation, tourism, wildlife corridors and habitat, and filtration of surface waters. Neighborhood sidewalk and bike way networks should connect with these multi-jurisdictional and county wide paths/greenways and public transit.
5. Aggressive access management programs should be used in coastal communities to minimize the capital and maintenance costs of motorized transportation systems.
6. Pedestrian oriented design should be encouraged and accommodated throughout coastal communities. Community centers (town centers) should be retrofitted to support pedestrian traffic.
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Environment
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1. The County and local communities should develop land use policy which, in addition to accommodating land use change, ensures the continued or sustained health, diversity, and extent of coastal resources and features.
2. Local communities should work with citizens, the County, and state agencies to establish and implement proactive measures that will preserve, protect and enhance unique and sensitive natural features which define the character of coastal communities.
3. County agencies should coordinate creation of model land development policies which promote improved surface and ground water quality in coastal communities.
4. The County should work with state and federal agencies to expand local community ability to advance water quality goals established locally and in cooperation with the County.
5. County departments should work cooperatively to develop policy requiring the concurrent provision of county facilities and services consistent with county plans and policy. Such a policy should also be used to ensure the protection of unique or sensitive coastal resources. The County should work with local communities to assist in the creation of similar policy at the local level.
6. In an effort to ensure impacts on unique and valued natural resources are minimized and mitigated, County departments should work together to develop policy requiring the evaluation of all proposals to extend county facilities or services. Additionally, similar policy should be developed for local facilities and service expansions which require or have requested county assistance.
7. The County should take proactive measures to ensure local and county coastal resource goals are recognized and respected by regional, state, or federal agencies.
8. The County should work to increase public awareness and understanding of the unique relationships that exist between natural, historical, and cultural resources within coastal areas.
9. The County should work with appropriate agencies to minimize the transportation of hazardous material within and through the coastal area of the county. Additionally, the County should ensure that adequate capability exists to respond to hazardous materials releases.
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Economy
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1. The County should work to increase public and community awareness of the value and extent of economic activity that occurs within coastal communities.
2. Citizens and local officials should recognize the economic value of tourism in the county. Local communities should take action to attract visitor related businesses to community centers.
3. Appropriate agencies should ensure that as the coastal area develops and grows, public transportation opportunities will continue to exist connecting members of the labor force with places of employment, community centers, and educational facilities.
4. The County should work with local communities to ensure that adequate measures exist to minimize adverse impacts on coastal resources which may result from continued economic growth in coastal areas.
5. The County and local communities should increase their understanding of the relationship between coastal resources, including unique and sensitive natural features, and the economy. Understanding this relationship should lead to efforts to protect and preserve these features.
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Implementation
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1. Communities should approach local planning efforts with broad-based citizen involvement and support. These planning efforts should be coordinated with adjoining jurisdictions or agencies with multi-jurisdictional concerns and interest.
2. Existing community plans should be reviewed and amended, as determined locally, to embrace planning principles applicable to coastal resources within their community.
3. Implementation mechanisms, such as zoning, subdivision controls, and capital improvement plans should be amended to reflect adopted coastal planning principles.
4. All communities should develop and annually update capital improvement plans which have been coordinated and are consistent with community land use plans.
5. Zoning ordinances should include special use standards or overlay zone standards for those areas in the community which contain unique or sensitive coastal resources.
6. Local communities should increase their knowledge and understanding of local history, and how it affects land use patterns, community design, architecture, and the local economy. Appropriate historical elements should be incorporated into design standards.
7. Organizational structures should be developed which encourage the sharing of information, cooperative planning and cooperative review procedures.
8. The County and local communities should design their research and planning efforts to allow for increased public accessibility to data and involvement in the planning process.
9. County and local planning staff and agencies should institutionalize efforts to inform and educate citizens, students, private sector business, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
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This page last updated on 6/7/2002.
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