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• Develop factual base - includes inventories of communities’ physical and human resources, analysis of past trends, and projections of future trends usually for a 20-year period
  
• Develop functional elements - this is the main body of the plan where the goals are addressed. Plans are generally (although not always) organized by goals (e.g., land-use, natural resources, transportation, economic development, housing, etc.).
  
• Develop local goals - these determine the relative emphasis a community will place on economic growth, energy conservation, urbanization, alternative transportation modes, and many other matters of local concern.
  
• Develop Plan Map and Policies - local goals are addressed in the physical development pattern and in a set of written plan policies. Specific policies are further reflected in development criteria and standards contained in the communities implementing ordinances.
  
• Citizen Participation and Intergovernmental Coordination - are required under the Oregon system. Each plan must make specific provisions for citizen involvement and intergovernmental coordination in the planning process.
  
• Formal Adoption and Acknowledgment - the plan must be adopted by the appropriate decision-making bodies. The plan is then forwarded to DLCD for review and acknowledgment for consistency with Statewide Planning Goals.

Comprehensive plan components

• Citizen involvement
• Housing
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Recreation and open space
• Agriculture
• Forests
• Public facilities
• Transportation
• Urban Growth

Ordinances and measures for comprehensive plan implementation

• Land use regulations—land divisions, zoning, plan map
• Zoning regulations—zoning map, text
• Subdivision regulation
• Nonregulatory approaches

Land use regulations

Basically includes subdivision and zoning ordinances

Zoning regulations

What is zoning?

1. The division of a municipality (or other governmental unit) into districts, and the regulation within those districts of:
2. The height and bulk of buildings and other structures;
3. The area of a lot which may be occupied and the size of required open spaces;
4. The density of population;
5. The uses of buildings and land for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes.

What special circumstances do zoning ordinances usually address?

• Conditional uses—zoning ordinances specify three types of permitted uses for each zone: outright uses, prohibited uses, and conditional uses. Conditional uses are uses that would not be appropriate throughout the zone, but would be beneficial to the community if their number, location, design, and relation to surrounding property were controlled.

Typical review criteria require the use be compatible with and have a minimal impact on the livability of abutting properties and the surrounding neighborhood. Examples of uses that are frequently conditional uses include churches, schools, nursing homes, fraternal organizations, public offices, etc.

• Variances—most zoning ordinances allow deviation for some standards in limited instances. The unique conditions where variances are allowed typically include: instances where the application of the standards would cause unnecessary hardship, such as the size or topography of a lot.

• Design review—many communities have design review to ensure that development is consistent with the communities vision. Under design review, the design of the development, including site design, and sometimes, off-site facilities, is evaluated for compliance with requirements such as density, preservation of light and air, provision of facilities , vehicle access, open space, landscaping, and visual screening.

• Planned unit development (PUD)—most communities have planned unit development ordinances. PUDs typically are applied to larger developments and are intended to allow developers flexibility in meeting standards of building siting, density, access, etc.
  
• Nonconforming uses—all communities have uses that do not conform with zoning standards when the zoning ordinance is adopted. These uses are called nonconforming uses. Most zoning ordinances have provisions for the continuance, expansion, rebuilding, or discontinuance of nonconforming uses.

• Exclusive farm use zones (EFU)—all counties are required to have exclusive farm use zones. Beyond the intent of preserving agricultural land, EFU zones also allow landowners to have their property assessed at its value for agriculture. This deferral of taxation reduces the impact of property values on farmers and reduces incentives to convert farmland to urban uses.

Related zoning provisions

• Floodplain regulation
• Sign control
• Geologic hazards regulation
• Historic, archaeological and cultural preservation
• Airport approach control
• Architectural control
• Estuary, beach, dunes, and coastal related regulations

Subdivision regulations

Controls partitioning of land including standards for:

• Street widths
• Street alignments and grades
• Curbs
• Sidewalks
• Lighting
• Dedication of land

Nonregulatory measures

• Capital improvement program
• Conservation easements
• Economic development program
• Public and publicly assisted housing
• Land banking and greenbelts

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This page maintained by Bob Parker
January 10, 2002