Preparing A Master Plan for Your Community

1 Preparing A Master PLANFOR YOUR COMMUNITYA Handbook for Planning BoardMembers, Planners andVolunteersPREPARING A Master PLANFOR YOUR COMMUNITYA Handbook for Planning BoardMembers, Planners andVolunteersPrepared BySouthern New hampshire Planning CommissionJune 2004 This document was financed through a grant fromThe New hampshire Office of Energy and PlanningTABLE OF CONTENTSF orewardChapter 1 Introduction1 Purpose of Handbook1 Organization/Contents of Handbook2 Chapter 2 The Master Planning Process4A Brief History of Master Planning in New Hampshire4 What is a Master Plan?6 The Basics Characteristics of a Master Plan7 Legal Significance of a Master Plan7 Roles and Responsibilities in Preparing a Master Plan8 The Process of Preparing a Master Plan9 Outline of the Organizational Steps in Preparing a Master Plan11 What Makes a Good Plan?

2 14 Chapter 3 What Should Be Included in Your Master Plan15 Mandatory Sections15 Other Master Plan Sections16 Supplemental Master Plan Sections27 Chapter 4 Phase I: Getting Started29 Step A:Deciding to Plan and Commit Resources29 Step B: Preparing Work Plan and Sharing with ElectedOfficials and the Public30 Step C:Ensuring That Resources Are in Place35 Summary of Action Steps for Developing Your Master Work Plan36 Chapter 5 Phase II: Community Visioning37 Step 1: Community Visioning: Developing Vision Statement, Goals,and Objectives37 The Visioning Process38 Visioning Models38 Incorporating Vision Statements, Goals, and Objectives into a Master Plan41 Chapter 6 Phase III: Building the Information System42 Step 2:Data Collection and Inventory Preparing the CommunityAssessment and Existing Land Use Map42 Step 3:Data Analysis: Formulating Future Development ScenariosBased on Vision Statement, Community Assessment,and Land Use Maps64 Chapter 7 Phase IV: Building the Plan67 Step 4:Evaluating Future Development Scenarios67 Step 5:Selecting the Preferred Development Scheme (FutureLand Use Map)/ Preparing and Adopting the Plan 68 Chapter 8 Phase V: Implementation78 Step 6:Implementing the Plan: A Summary of Available Tools78 Steps 7 & 8: Monitoring, Amending, and Updating Your Plan84 Chapter 9 Basics of Planning Theory86 What is Planning?

3 86 Why Do Communities Plan?87 Why Should Your Community Want to Prepare a Master Plan?88 How Much Will It Cost to Prepare a Master Plan?88 How Long Will It Take to Prepare a Master Plan?89Is Hiring a Professional Planning Consultant Necessary?89 Some Helpful Hints in Preparing Your Plan90 When Should You Update an Existing Plan91 Different Ways to Plan91 The Various Approaches to Planning91 The Different Types of Master Plans95 Which Master Plan Makes the Most Sense for Your Community99 Other Related Community Plans100 Master Plan Examples101 Chapter 10 Tools and Techniques 104 Build-Out Analysis104 Strategies for How to Get the Public Involved106 Community Surveys107 Tips for Writing Press Releases109 Printing and Publishing Your Master Plan109 Maps111

4 Visioning Models112 Innovative Land Use Controls 114 Chapter 11 Planning Concepts and Themes116 New Trends in Master Planning116 Growth Management117 Smart Growth118 Smart Growth Audit118 Compact Growth119 Urban Growth Boundaries119 Integrated Planning119 Neotraditional Development119 Traditional Neighborhood Development120 Chapter 1 Bibliography/Resources 121 Visioning121 Citizen Participation123 Land Use125 Smart Growth129 Transportation135 Community Facilities141 Housing143 Economic Development147 Natural Resources152 Natural Hazards163 Recreation165 Cultural & Historic Resources167 Regional Concerns170 Neighborhoods173 Community Designs175 Mapping Resources178 Other Useful Resources179 Internet Resources181 Regional Planning Commisions189Fo rewo rdPreparing a Master Plan for Your Communityis an interactive CD-ROM, accompanied by a supportinghandbook, to assist New hampshire communities with their planning Southern New hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC)

5 , under the direction of an oversight com-mittee of state, regional and town planners, has produced this useful new a Master Plan forYour Communityis intended to be used by volunteers, Community officials, and professional planners alike,as it provides helpful information, offers instructions, and condenses the Master planningprocess into easy-to-follow steps and planning is the foundation of Community planning. While almost all New hampshire communitieshave prepared Master plans at one time or another, many communities are at a loss when it comes time toupdate these plans. Some communities have Master plans that by today's standards are too lengthy, containtoo much information, and lack, often, the key components of Community visioningand land use a Master Plan for Your Community addresses these issues by educating the user about what it means to plan and why it is important to adopt a Master plan walking the reader through the essential steps of Preparing , adopting, and implementing a Master plan providing interactive capabilities and a bibliography that references avariety of planning-related publications, resources, videos, articles, websites,books.

6 And manualsWhile it is not the intention of this handbook to develop a model Master plan for any particular commu-nity, or to serve as a substitute for the consultation of a planning professional, Preparing a Master Plan forYour Communityis instructional, easy-to-use, and transferable from one Community to Master Plan for Your Communityalso serves as an excellent introduction to planning for members of localplanning boards, zoning boards of adjustment, conservation commissions, boards of selectmen, city councilors, and students, among interactive CD-ROM will enable users to easily maneuver directly to the information most useful tothem. Much of what has been constructed is built upon the innovative Planner on a Disc created by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in Springfield, Massachusetts.

7 Auburn Bedford Candia Chester Oeerfield Derry Goffstown Hooksett Londonderry Manchester New Boston Raymond WeareThe CD-ROM includes several important Master planning tools such as how to conduct a smart growth auditand a Community visioning process. The smart growth audit is a checklist that communities can use to reviewexisting plans and regulations for the inclusion and implementation of smart growth principles. Many com-munities across New hampshire are including a chapter on smart growth in their Master plans; and commu-nity visioning is now a mandatory section in all Master plans as required by state statutes. A step-by-step guideon how to prepare existing and future land use maps has also been included on the SNHPC looks forward to hearing what experiences you have in using this new interactive feel free to e-mail comments to or send a note to: SNHPC, 438 Dubuque Street,Manchester, NH SharmaExecutive DirectorSouthern New hampshire Planning CommissionChapter 1 Purpose of HandbookThis handbook is designed to assist planningboard members, planners, and volunteers inthe process of Preparing , updating, adopting,and implementing a Master plan.

8 It provides acomprehensive overview of the Master plan-ning process, so that it can be easily applied incommunities of all sizes and Master planning process, legal requirements,data analysis, and techniques, as well as the latestplanning concepts and themes, are described ineasily followed terms, tables, and interactive planning guides are one-dimensional, in thesense that they are descriptive aMaster Plan for Your Communityis different. TheCD-ROM makes it interactive. It includes linksand menus that enable the user to browse ormaneuver directly to the information most useful to them. Plus, it provides users instructional and analytical capabilities for carrying out a variety ofmaster planning processes, including communityvisioning and the developing of existing andfuture land use maps.

9 It also includes a checklist for conducting a smart growth a Master Plan for Your Communityisdesigned to help communities understand the plan-ning process by putting it in simple terms. In demon-strating that planning is neither difficult nor compli-cated, it shows that energetic volunteers can do it. Theprocess, however, requires a grasp of the basic plan-ning tools and techniques employed by professionalplanners and consultants. It also requires a highdegree of Community involvement, a willingnessamong local leaders to become stakeholders in theprocess, and an attitude of caring and great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast William James1 CHAPTER 1 IntroductionOrganization/Contents of HandbookThis handbook is divided into twelve chapters.

10 Eachchapter is identified and briefly described Explains the purpose ofthe Master Planning Process Begins with a briefhistory of Master planning in New hampshire . Itdefines what a Master plan is its basic purpose,characteristics, and legal significance. There is asummary of the roles and responsibilities of thosepreparing a plan and the eight basic steps of the mas-ter planning process. Those eight steps are organizedinto five phases, and the elements that make a goodplan are identified. Also included is a summary ofthe organizational steps involved in Preparing a mas-ter plan. Using the CD-ROM, you should be able toclick on any step in this summary and obtain imme-diate information on how to Should Be Included in Your Master Plan Lists the two mandatory elements of a Master plan,the vision and land use sections.