Community Plans

Community Plans Explained

Pre-Planning Outreach

Some neighborhoods have characteristics that make them unique from others - such as a common history, architecture, geographic features, or population density - and may require special planning because their differences don't conform to broader regulations. To begin the process, planners and the public meet to explore planning options. This could be an area plan, neighborhood plan or community blueprint. If a planning process develops, broader public engagement will be the next step.

Area Plans & Blueprints

Area plans and community planning blueprints are policy plans focused on planning for and addressing the issues in a specific area. A plan or blueprint can take the form of a policy document, future land use map or even an action plan to serve the needs of that particular area. A Community Planning Blueprint is similar to an area plan but is shorter, takes less time to prepare, and focuses on one or two specific issues. A Blueprint can be developed for any location, and will provide more fine-grained, in-depth analysis than some larger-scale planning efforts.

If you are interested in finding out more about whether a Blueprint is right for your neighborhood, take a look at the Community Planning Blueprint Initiative, the City-adopted document that will explain more about Blueprints, how to apply for a Blueprint, and how they are designed and implemented.

Occasionally, both community blueprints and area plans lead to specific sets of regulations such as a special zoning district or overlay. Special zoning or overlay districts are ordinances that have a set of unique zoning and land use provisions and/or development characteristics and are regulatory in nature.