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The City of Duncan has recently begun a comprehensive planning process as directed by the Duncan City Council. The City has appointed a committee to oversee the process.
The Comprehensive Plan will establish the City's vision and goals for the future;determine where and how the City should grow; provide guidance in making land use decisions; decide which types of development opportunities are compatible with the vision;recommend transportation improvements; preserve and improve the integrity of neighborhoods and overall quality of life; and promote economic development. The idea behind a Comprehensive Plan is to examine general community trends and existing conditions to determine how resources could best be used to achieve a communityvision 15-20 years into the future. While the emphasis is on the physical environment, the Comprehensive Plan takes into consideration various related programs and activities affecting the physical environment as it is shaped over time. Citizen input is vital to establishing the vision and goals and setting out priorities on how the community should grow. Once the plan is developed and adopted, the City will useit as a guide for making decisions involving land use issues, providing infrastructure and public services, and community development needs. Overall, the Comprehensive Plan will help public (e.g. local officials) decision-makers provide services and facilities to support development and efficiently allocate public funds. Additionally, it informs any individual concerned with growth and development and it serves to coordinate all of the activities. The Comprehensive Plan process serves several functions: Identifies Community Values and Aspirations Bottom line motivation for planning is to respond to citizens’ aspirations for a better community, for economic prosperity and for a city that values beauty, retains identity andcreates a sense of connectedness. The critical core value questions are: What aspects of our life today do we value and wish to retain and enhance? What are our aspirations for thefuture of our community? What are we willing to do to achieve this future? Please complete the public input survey to assist in providing valuable public input into the Comprehensive Plan. Establishes Foundation for Policies, Strategies and Actions The vision must be backed by a credible, factual understanding of the dynamics of community change. These begin with certain socio-economic and technological trends. Localmarket and growth pressures influence land use patterns, which in turn influence, and are influenced by, transportation and other public facility demands, all of which determine the community’s quality of life. The Comprehensive Plan process examines, sorts, and compares cutting edge concepts and strategies, leading to the selection of a preferred approach that is the best path for the community. Community’s Call to Action The Comprehensive Plan should be crafted to provide for action in support of the adopted vision and goals. Policies and strategies, with a timeline of short-term, intermediate andlong-term actions, become the community’s call to action. An action program and schedule identifying short, mid-term and long-term actions tobe taken, where responsibilities are assigned and resources identified A protocol for plan administration, including updates and amendments An annual review program that identifies what parts of the action plan have andhave not been accomplished
Process for Community Consensus Questions of how to deal with growth and change often elicit very different responses from citizens. The Comprehensive Plan process often acts as a wake-up call, prompting recognition of the trends underway and their consequences, raising awareness of the choices to be made in how this growth might be best managed, and guiding public opinion toward a consensus on what approach is best for the common good of the community. Typically, a Comprehensive Plan has a horizon of 15-20 years. The plan should be updated every five years to respond to changes in the market. Keep me Informed! You may go to www.ohhkc.com/duncanok/ and sign up for comprehensive plan updates. |
