Implementation Planning
For many cities and counties, an important aspect of the comprehensive planning continuum
is being left out. That is due to the fact that a static document (the enabling
ordinances) is used as the legal basis for enforcement of a dynamic document
(the comprehensive plan). While
the comprehensive plan clearly details the policy priorities of the governing
body, the enabling ordinances (zoning, subdivision, property maintenance, etc.)
out of legal necessity do not.
The text of enabling ordinances is insufficient to
communicate direction to staff on methods and styles of administration and
enforcement. Consequently, staff is often left to either (a) receiving direction from the
City Manager on an administration and enforcement policy, or (b) happenstance
created by the perceived health and safety threat of the violation. This
haphazard administration and enforcement method has the real potential of
thwarting the political will of the elected body when it promulgated the land
use policies in the comprehensive plan. Almost invariably, this thwarting is
discovered after the fact. As a result, the elected officials may sense their
political careers threatened, since land use controls are normally very politically
sensitive.
Adoption of an implementation plan reinstates a level of dynamism that is not present in the enabling
ordinances.
The implementation
plan not only provides priorities for enforcement of property maintenance
ordinances. It also establishes systems for the procedure in administration of
zoning requests (CUPs, variances, plats, zoning map amendments, etc.) and
dealing with the inevitability of “after the fact” requests. The implementation
plan can also have a fiscal element in lieu of a formal capital improvement
plan. Finally, the implementation plan can be useful in providing a tool for evaluating
the performance of staff.
Development of an implementation plan involves three steps:
1. Discussion with staff on particular issues it is facing in implementing the comprehensive plan and enabling ordinances.
2. A meeting with the elected officials, planning commission, staff, and (ideally) the City/County Attorney to discuss desired elements of the plan. Since each jurisdiction is unique, the component parts of the plan will be different for each city/county.
3. Drafting and presentation of the plan for review, comment, and approval.