Comprehensive Planning - Why Do We Do It
What is a comprehensive plan? A comprehensive plan is a set of policies guiding the development of the community a roadmap for the future. Specifically, the comprehensive plan enables local government officials and citizens to anticipate and deal constructively with changes occurring within the community and to shape the physical development of the community over the long-term. It seeks to understand the important physical relationships between each part of the community.
A Comprehensive Plan is the articulation of the community’s values and priorities for physical development and should be the foundation for all decision-making in matters involving land use planning. It guides and coordinates the changes the community is experiencing by providing for:
- The sustainable use of land and resources;
- A good environment for people to live in;
- Anticipated future needs;
- Beneficial development patterns; and,
- The most cost-effective use of tax dollars.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, comprehensive planning and preparation of a Comprehensive Plan is required of all local governments. The Code of Virginia, Sections 15.2-2223 through 15.2-2230 prescribes what must be or can be in the local Comprehensive Plan. The City of Norfolk has historically referred to its Comprehensive Plan as the General Plan of Norfolk.
The current General Plan was prepared in the late-1980s, early 1990s, and was adopted in 1992. It replaced the 1967 General Plan of Norfolk, prepared in the mid-1960s. It is important that the plan be kept current to set policies and recommendations to address changing realities and to anticipate the future needs of our community.
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The Code states that the Comprehensive Plan shall show the long-range general development of the jurisdiction. It is intended to guide “coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development…to best promote the health, safety, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of our citizens, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.” Surprisingly, Comprehensive Plans in Virginia are required to address the following:
- Land use;
- Transportation, including a transportation map, with cost estimates for improvements;
- Affordable housing;
- Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act comprehensive planning requirements; and,
- Implementation
However, the Code states that a Comprehensive Plan may also address the following topics of relevance for Norfolk:
- Community service facilities (e.g., location of parks, schools, public buildings, hospitals, public utilities, etc.);
- Historical areas;
- Areas for redevelopment;
- Recycling;
- Military installations and adjacent safety areas;
- Corridors or routes for electric transmission lines of 150 KV or more; and,
- Issues identified by the Planning Commission.
The Code further directs how a Comprehensive Plan shall be prepared. A draft plan is to be developed, followed by a Traffic Impact Analysis (527 Review) conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and forward a recommended plan to City Council. The City Council will hold a public hearing and must take action on the Planning Commission’s recommendation within 90 days of receipt of such recommendation.
Once a Comprehensive Plan is adopted, the Code has one additional requirement—the Planning Commission must conduct a review of the Comprehensive Plan every five years to determine if if it needs to be revised. This provides an opportunity to assess the success of plan implementation—to determine if it has had the desired effect—and to ascertain if there has been a change in conditions that that warrant plan modifications.
| Project Team and Contacts |
For more information about the PlaNorfolk 2030: Making Connections project, contact:
Long Range Planning Division
5th Floor, Room 508, City Hall Building
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
Telephone: 757-664-4752
Facsimile: 757-441-1569
