By By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
Washington is gearing up to develop a new comprehensive plan.
Among the things a comprehensive plan addresses are land-use and zoning matters, along with other growth- and development-related issues, according to John Rodman, the city’s director of planning and community development. It also sets policies regarding those matters.
Rodman provided the City Council an update on the comprehensive-plan process during the council’s meeting Monday. The Planning Board likely would play a key role in developing the revised comprehensive plan, but the council would have final say on it.
The city likely would hire a planning consultant to help revise the existing comprehensive plan.
“They (comprehensive plans) usually don’t cost less than $20,000. The average is $40,000 to $45,000 for a city of our size,” Rodman said in a brief interview Wednesday.
A comprehensive plan will indicate where the city’s at when it comes to managing growth, development and land-use matters, determine where the city wants to be regarding those matters in 20 to 30 years and how the city will get to where it wants to be, Rodman said.
“The comprehensive plan is a guide,” said Rodman, noting that land-use regulations and zoning regulations are derived from the policies and guidelines set forth in the comprehensive plan.
A comprehensive plan would outline what kinds of development are desired in the city and where those types of development should occur. It also would address the issue of preserving and protecting historical and cultural buildings, sites and landmarks in the city.
City officials use the comprehensive plan when reviewing requests for land to be rezoned to see if the requested rezoning would be in compliance with the comprehensive plan.
In 2007, the city adopted a revised land-use plan that’s required under the Coastal Area Management Act, which applies to 20 coastal counties including Beaufort County. Washington has elected to develop its own CAMA land-use plan instead of coming under the county’s CAMA land-use plan.
A CAMA land-use plan is different from a comprehensive plan in that it addresses only coastal areas of counties, not inland areas of counties, Rodman said.