A comprehensive plan (Comp. Plan) establishes policies and land use designations to achieve and support specific planning goals; includes a synopsis of comprehensive planning in support of CSS, with examples of policy changes neccessary to remove obstacles to the plan.

Comprehensive Plan

The Comprehensive Plan (Comp. Plan) establishes policies and land use designations to achieve and support statewide and ARC Livable Communities planning goals. When considering CSSD in your community, the Comp. Plan is the place to start. The Comp. Plan enshrines the collective, community vision, and establishes development goals, objectives and policies, to guide the physical form, shape, and feel of your community.

The first step is to evaluate the Comp. Plan to determine if current goals, objectives and policies encourage and support CSSD in your community. If some Comp. Plan provisions are obstacles to creating context sensitive streets, a Comp. Plan change may be in the best interest of your community, to remove the obstacles and include policies that are supportive of CSSD.

Once a determination has been made to change the Comp. Plan, alternative strategies should be considered, including the following:

Specific Development Plan: Policy would allow public agency to work with land owners, developers, stakeholders and affected public agencies to develop specific area development plans, including conceptual design plans for CSSD projects. Under this policy, an incentive to the private sector could include streamlined approval for development projects that comply with the adopted Specific Development Plan.

Transportation-efficient Development Pattern: Policy would encourage commercial and residential development patterns that encourage pedestrian, bike and transit travel.

Transportation Management: Policy would establish a process for developing and implementing neighborhood-wide transportation management plans, including safe pedestrian and bike routes to schools, traffic calming and "green," water-quality friendly streets.

Local Street Plans: Policy would encourage a broader range of local and neighborhood collector street types than are currently allowed. "Skinny" street and other street designs could result in several benefits to the community, including:

• Reduction in construction and maintenance costs

• Reduction in the negative environmental impacts of street construction

• More efficient land use

• Improved traffic safety

• Improved neighborhood character

Pedestrian Corridors and Districts: Policy would allow designation of pedestrian corridors and pedestrian districts in the community.