CPL Exam 2

Characteristics of the comprehensive plan

• covers entire community 

• areas such as land use, environment, housing, transportation, economic development

  • addresses linkages among different functional areas such as “land use and transportation” or “land use and environment”

• long term (ex. 20 years)

• may be optional or required by law

goals of comprehensive plan

• public health

• public safety

• circulation

• provision of public services and facilities

• fiscal (financial) health

• economic goals

• environmental protection

• redistributive goals

comprehensive planning process

1. research phase

   1. data collection and analysis on all aspects of community and land use

   2. forecasting

2. formulation of community goals and objectives

   1. meetings with the community and elected officials

   2. working with consultants and planners to get community interested

3. plan formulation

   1. writing the plan

   2. after draft, approval process then start implementing

4. plan implementation

   1. done after review and approval

comprehensive planning in RI

• required for all 39 municipalities by law

• approval

  • local government and planning board has to approve it

  • statewide planning approves

  • must utilize a minimum 20 year planning timeframe

  • must contain several components (don’t need to know)

• periodically reviews every 10 years

  • redo goals, strategies to account for changing conditions

  • fully update and re-adopt its entire comp plan

2 types of tools of land-use planning

• public capital facilities investment

• land use controls (zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations)

• have to make sure documents compliment each other

types of capital facilities

• roads, bridges, schools, civic buildings (city/town hall, library), parks, water and sewer lines, harbor facilities

• require VERY LARGE investments of public resources, not easy to change once built

eminent domain

• government has the right to take private property for public purposes

• government must compensate the owner of the land for the fair value of what is taken

3 phases to follow for the provision of “capital facilities” in a community

• planning phase

• financing phase

  • how to pay for the future facilities? sources of funding?

• programming phase

  • prepare a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) usually for a 5 year period

    • too hard to estimate anything past 5 years

key elements of a local “Capital Improvement Plan” (CIP)

1. list of projects and their general purpose

2. capital costs for each project

3. operating costs for each project

4. methods of financing and source of funds for each project 

5. financing schedule (excel, mayor and finance director rely on and track)

4 common methods of financing “capital facilities”

1. cash

2. establishment of “reserve funds”

   1. save money over several years, mayor is only one who can withdraw money

3. borrowing in form of “bonds” - most common

4. grants 

5. (also fundraising, not on list)

Bonds (and types)

• long term debt instruments issued by state and local government to raise funds for capital facilities

• 2 types: general obligation bonds, revenue bonds

general obligation (GO) bonds

• give municipalities a tool to raise funds for projects that will benefit the ENTIRE community such as building a town hall or park

• do NOT provide direct source of revenue

revenue bonds

used to fund projects that will generate revenue to pay off the debt through user fees such as building a public parking garage or toll bridge

“Site Layout Requirements” in a zoning ordinance

• minimum lot area

• minimum lot frontage and depth 

• minimum setbacks 

• maximum percent that the site may be covered by a structure (building footprint)

• placement of driveway or curb cuts 

• parking requirements 

• screening requirements 

• limits on the size or placement of signs 

requirements for structure building characteristics

• max height of structure 

• max number of floors or stories 

• max floor area of structure

Subdivision regulations

• identify specific standards and requirements for development of residential, commercial and industrial subdivisions 

• identify specific standards for subdividing a parcel of land into 2 or more lots 

examples of “design and public improvement standards” included in a subdivision regulations ordinance

(most important part of ordinance)

• street design standards 

• lot design standards 

• utilities standards (ex. water lines, sanctuary sewer, storm drainage, electricity and gas lines)

• open space requirements and standards 

• landscaping and lighting standards 

cluster zoning

• permit the building of houses on smaller lots provided that the space saved is used for common purposes such as green or open space

• concentrates the number of allowable units on the most suitable or buildable part of the tract of land, leaving the rest open 

• does not increase overall density of housing 

incentive zoning

• some communities may allow increased or additional densities in certain districts if the developer agrees with the requirements

• in a residential zone, zoning may allow additional densities if the developer agrees to have a specific number of housing units be reserved for low and moderate income households

• in a commercial zone, zoning may allow additional height or stories if a developer will provide certain amenities at ground level such as a plaza in front, a direct entrance to the subway station or a park

types of urban design projects

• an individual land parcel 

• a neighborhood or district (most common)

• an entire city 

• a transportation corridor 

goals and objectives of urban design

• to improve the quality of life

• make cities more livable and sustainable 

• make cities accessible to every 

• make cities safe

urban design elements

• individual buildings and their architecture 

• groups of buildings and city blocks 

• public spaces 

• streetscapes and transportation systems

• public amenities

3 alternative modes of transportation

• surface transportation 

  • pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation 

  • auto, truck and highway

  • bus transit 

• air transportation 

• water transportation

local and state governmental agencies involved in transportation in RI

• local level

  • public works department

• state

  • Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program 

  • Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)

  • Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA)

  • Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC)

trip

a one way movement from an origin to a destination

trip origin

location a trip begins

trip destination

the location where a trip ends

trip purpose

the travelers primary purpose for making a trip

person trip

a trip made by 1 person

vehicle trip

a trip made by a vehicle (the number of persons occupying the vehicle is not relevant)

mode

the means used for travel (walk, drive my own car, bus, etc)

modal split

the share of travelers using each mode of travel

recent trends in urban transportation

• rapid increase in car ownership 

• decline in public transport use 

• worsening traffic congestion in urban and suburban areas 

• increasing human and economic/environmental costs of traffic congestion 

• increasing concerns about public safety of the transportation system 

• negative impacts on low-income and poor population 

• telecommuting is expanding (work from home)

planning for public transportation

• public transportation is expensive 

  • ex. construction cost for a light rail system in Sacramento was $9.6 million per mile 

  • bus is cheaper than rail, light rail cheaper than heavy

• to function adequately, public transit requires high population densities along its corridor and around its stations 

• financially, public transit systems are heavily subsidized 

• in the past, both light-rail and heavy rail systems have been built on a radial plan to carry suburban workers to downtown jobs

benefits of public transportation

• alleviate traffic congestion on the roads

• it lowers the energy dependency on oil 

• improves air quality 

• promotes a more compact urban and suburban form 

• cheaper compared to driving 

• safer 

• serves the young, elderly, handicapped and those who can’t afford their own car 

methods of financing used for the construction of new roads and highways 

roads and highways 

• federal and state gasoline taxes 

• tolls

• debt financing (ex. bonds)

• private financing 

public transit

• federal gasoline taxes

• state and local funds

• fare revenues

• debt financing

• private financing