Checklist for Municipal Officials

Checklist for Municipal Officials

Will We Work Together?

Do you work with your neighbors to solve common problems? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed planning studies and projects with your neighboring communities. To reach a sustainable future we must work together across municipal boundaries. Congratulations and continue to plan and work together.

No = If you answered no, agree to plan and work together. Attaining balance and a sustainable future will require multi-municipal efforts and actions. Many strategies are targeted for multi-municipal efforts. Several of these may be completed as a part of a multi-municipal comprehensive plan.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 4: Multi-Municipal Planning and Zoning Strategy.

Will We Retain Our Distinct Communities?

Do you know how much new growth and development will be accepted by your community? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed a build-out analysis to determine the desired level of development for the next 20 years. This
analysis was used as the basis for developing a future land use scenario.

No = If you answered no, complete a build-out analysis to determine the desired level of development for the next 20 years. Use this information as the basis for developing a future land use scenario.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 1: Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation Strategy.

Do you know the best areas for your municipality to accommodate growth; that is, the areas which will be able to handle more traffic and provide more public services at the lowest cost and least environmental impact? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have designated growth areas, future growth areas, and rural resource areas based on a review of existing conditions, capacities and locations of your utilities and roadways, farmlands, open lands, critical resource areas, and water supply.

No = If you answered no, designate growth areas, future growth areas, and rural resource areas to protect and preserve important critical resource areas, water supplies, farmland, and open lands and to manage the cost of utilities and roadways.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 1: Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation Strategy,
Strategy 13: Open Lands Prioritization and Management Strategy, Strategy 14: Sustainable Water Supply Protection Program Strategy.

If your municipality contains villages or a "main street" area and there is an area for new development within or surrounding the area, do you know what style of new development will be accepted by the public or will fit into the community’s character? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed a future land use scenario, an audit of your existing land use ordinance, and have revised your land use ordinances for consistency with the scenario.

No = If you answered no, complete a future land use scenario including design principles for specific areas. Follow through with an audit of your existing ordinances and use master planning techniques and model ordinances to modify existing ordinances to meet the objectives of the land use scenario.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy, Strategy 27: Land Development Audit Strategy, Strategy 28: Sustainable Design Toolkit Strategy.

Do you feel comfortable that the character of your rural areas is not changing and will not change? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have developed a future land use scenario for your rural areas based on your understanding of the location of and priorities for water, farmland resources, core habitat areas, scenic areas, planned greenways, and public lands. You have put in place land use regulations to meet these priorities and future land use scenario.

No = If you answered no, complete a future land use scenario (map and concept) based upon an analysis that sets priorities for water, farmland resources, core habitat areas, scenic areas, planned greenways, and public lands. Prepare land use ordinances to meet these priorities and the future land use scenario.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario, Strategy 13: Open Lands Prioritization and Management Strategy.

If an interchange is located in or near to your municipality, answer the following questions:

Do you know if your constituents want new development to occur at the interchange?
Do you know what type of development is desired?
Do you know how much development is desired and its economic impact?
Do you know what impact development will have on area roads?
Do you know what impact development will have on public water, sewer, and other services?
Do you know what impact development will have on farmland and natural resources?

Yes to all = You have completed an interchange planning process through which you have delineated the maximum growth area of the interchange area, put in place a land use and transportation master plan, and amended other land use ordinances in addition to adopting a revised overlay district.

No to at least one = Complete an interchange plan that will define a maximum area for growth, as well as a land use and transportation master plan. Adopt land use ordinances to put the plan in place.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 3: Interchange Area Planning Process Strategy (due to the impending opening of I-99, this strategy should be in the immediate action plans of all impacted municipalities).

Will We Have a Diverse Economy?

Are your villages, downtowns, or main street areas thriving economically? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have a clean and attractive area with few vacancies, expanding or new businesses, lots of people on the streets, and a business community that works together.

No = If you answered no, complete a "main street type" program to market targeted properties, support small businesses, create pedestrian-friendly environments, pull the business community together, and market and promote the businesses.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 25: Main Street Program Assistance to Local Jurisdictions Strategy, Strategy 20: Entrepreneurial Development Strategy, Strategy 24: Reuse and Redevelopment Program Strategy, Strategy 27: Land Development Audit Strategy, Strategy 28: Sustainable Design Toolkit Strategy.

Is expansion of businesses keeping pace with expansion of residences? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you are experiencing new business growth and existing business expansion. This nonresidential growth is keeping pace or growing faster than your residential growth; therefore, your tax base is either staying the same or increasing.

No = If you answered no, ensure that areas are available for increased business activities, identify reuse and redevelopment areas, and
encourage business participation in regional economic development efforts.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy, Strategy 3: Interchange Area Planning Process Strategy, Strategy 23: Infrastructure Investments to Designated Growth Areas Strategy, Strategy 24: Reuse and Redevelopment Program Strategy, Strategy 19: Workforce Development Program Strategy, Strategy 20: Entrepreneurial Development Strategy.

If you live in a community where farming is either economically or culturally important, is the municipality able to prevent new development from locating on farmland or displacing the agricultural industry? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have land use regulations in place to protect prime agricultural land and locations where a critical mass of working farms exists. You have entered into a dialogue with your farmers to help address economic issues.

No = If you answered no, complete a land use analysis to identify the location of a critical mass of working farms and prime agricultural soil conditions. Enter into a dialogue with farmers to determine the best method for preserving farmland, make land use adjustments, and create economic incentives.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 13: Open Land Prioritization and Management Strategy, Strategy 5: Agricultural Preservation Models Strategy, Strategy 26: Agricultural Diversification Promotion Strategy, Strategy 15: Environmental Management Systems Strategy.

Are your tourism activities and businesses increasing? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have been working with local organizations and your business community to promote tourism and related assets. You have reviewed and changed your land use ordinances to provide additional opportunities for the location of specialty shops. You have completed an Open Space Plan and have designated connections to the county’s trails and outdoor activities.

No = If you answered no, work with local organizations and the business community to promote tourism and related assets, review and change land use ordinances to provide locations for specialty shops, and complete an open space plan with connections to trails and outdoor activities.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 22: Tourism Promotion Strategy, Strategy 13: Open Lands Prioritization and Management Strategy, Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy, Strategy 27: Land Development Audit Strategy.

Will We Have an Efficient Transportation System?

Are you able to maintain and upgrade your roadways, when needed? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have coordinated your roadway system with your designated growth and rural areas and with your future land use scenario so you can plan for and manage existing and future roadways.

No = If you answered no, complete a future land use scenario that is coordinated and planned with the existing and future roadway system and develop a local roadway classification system.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 6: Functional Roadway (Transportation) Classification System Strategy, Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy.

Are you able to keep your roadways as safe as possible? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed an assessment of your roadways, highlighted current and future deficiencies, and have started to implement access management and traffic calming measures.

No = If you answered no, complete a roadway assessment to highlight current and future deficiencies, including areas for retrofitting access management and areas to calm traffic. Develop a program to resolve deficiencies.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 7: Highway Corridor Access Management Program Strategy, Strategy 9: Traffic Calming Measures Strategy.

Do you have access to efficient public transit and other alternative modes of transportation? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have assessed your community’s travel needs and worked with the transit providers on options such as transit routes, stops, and park and ride lots. Access is available to residences, places of work, and other activities. You have also integrated pedestrian paths and bikeways into your neighborhoods.

No = If you answered no, work with the community, employers, and CATA to determine local need. Plan for and attain new routes, stops, and park and ride lots with connections to residences, work places, and activities and work on integrating pedestrian paths and bikeways into neighborhoods.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 10: Public Transit Enhancement Strategy.

Are you able to reduce existing and future traffic congestion? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed all the activities identified in the questions above.

No = If you answered no, review and complete the activities for the questions above.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 6: Functional Roadway (Transportation) Classification System Strategy, Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy, Strategy 7: Highway Corridor Access Management Program Strategy, Strategy 9: Traffic Calming Measures Strategy, Strategy 10: Public Transit Enhancement Strategy.

Will We Have a Healthy Environment?

If additional growth and development occurs, can you help ensure water resources will stay clean and plentiful? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you know the baseline conditions of your water resources (quantity and quality) and monitor these conditions. You have developed goals and objectives for water protection by subwatershed. These objectives are incorporated into your future land use scenario. You have put in place management techniques to retain clean and plentiful water.

No = If you answered no, obtain baseline conditions and goals and objectives for your water resources, incorporate these objectives into the future land use scenario, and put in place water protection and management techniques.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 14: Sustainable Water Supply Protection Program Strategy, Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy.

Are you controlling excessive noise? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have incorporated noise regulations into your land development ordinances.

No = If you answered no, complete an audit of your ordinances to determine how you currently address noise and adjust based on site development principles and model ordinances.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 27: Land Development Audit Strategy, Strategy 28: Sustainable Design Toolkit Strategy.

Are you able to control development in or near critical land areas, such as, recharge areas, wetlands, floodplains, habitat areas, scenic areas, greenways, and natural heritage areas? Yes or No

Yes = If you answered yes, you have completed an analysis, prioritized criticallands, and created community objectives for these lands. At a minimum you have created management options for these lands. Ideally, you have integrated this information into an open space plan and future land use scenario, which led to land use standards and regulations.

No = If you answered no, complete a critical lands analysis and developcommunity objectives. At a minimum create management options for the lands. A more comprehensive approach is to complete an open space plan and future land use scenario as the basis for land use standards and regulations.

Need help getting started? See the Vision 2020 Strategies Handbook: Strategy 13: Open Lands Prioritization and Management Strategy, Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario Strategy, Strategy 28: Sustainable Design Toolkit Strategy.