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HomeMy WebLinkAboutB_PolicyPlan_IntroGeorgetown 1996 CENTUR "!t AN Georgetown POLICYPLAN CITY OF GEORGETOWN, TEXAS �V.\ Adopted by the Georgetown City Council March 8, 1988 Revised September 24, 1996 CENTURYPLAN m Georgetown AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION NATIONAL PLANNING AWARDS 99 5 Outstaudiug Plaimigg Award for BampreheKsive Pamfliug iu a small jurisdictieff to Zhe ijeargetawu C.-W ry plait POLICY PUN CITY (X G Ceorgetown TEXAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS March 8, 1988 Adoption MAYOR Jim Colben CITY COUNCIL Joan King - Mayor Pro Tem *Luther Laubach - From 1987 *Marvin Lackey Barbara Pearce - From 1987 William H. Connor - To 1987 William C. Shell - To 1987 Eb C. Girvin - Mayor Pro Tem - To 1987 CITY MANAGER Robert Gaylor -Ex-officio members of all Century Plan Task Groups CENTURY PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE Jim Colbert, Chair* Tim Kennedy, Co -Chair W.T. Johnston, Co- Chair ** Jeanne Mosier, Co -Chair Marvin Lackey* Pat Crowley Karen Gilbert ** Luther Laubach* Rex Titsworth Patty Eason ** Phil Baker F.L. Tom ** Wayne Meadows ** Ron Gahagan Henry Vasquez ** Armistead Davis ** CENTURY PLAN TASK GROUP MEMBERS TASK GROUP ONE Phil Baker, Chair W.T. Johnston ** F.L. Torn ** Gene Bernd Kay Cordi Mark Dixon Claude Hays Jack Hunnicutt Ethel Moore Paula Oliver Glen Schmidt Dale Shuddin Rae Wheeler Ben Whisler TASK GROUP TWO Tim Kennedy, Chair Ron Gahagan, Chair Henry Vasquez ** Bob Allen Larry Bingham Karen Dormois RobinHallett Don Hennings Jon Hittman Toby Lierman Gwen Morrison Daniel Vasquez Red Youngman 11 POLICYPL.LV CRNTORYPLAN Georgetown ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS September 24, 1996 Revision MAYOR Leo Wood CITY COUNCIL Ferd Tom - Mayor Pro Tern George Arroyos Lee Bain Charles Burson Shelly Davis Susan Hoyt Dick Vincent CITY MANAGER Bob Hart CITY STAFF Edward J. Barry, AICP - Director of Development Services Clyde von Rosenberg, AICP - Chief of Long Range Planning Susan Morgan, CPA - Director of Finance and Administration Kenneth Bloom - Planning Intem POLICYPLAN M F CRNTURYPLAN Georgetown TEXAS TASK GROUP THREE Jeanne Mosier, Chair Karen Gilbert** Renee Carey Patsy Bracamontez Art Carroll Kathy Corbett Eugenia Harrell Walt Herbert Nancy Raper Cliff Saxon Fred Stevener Lois Vasquez David Voelter TASK GROUP FOUR Pat Crowley, Chair Patty Eason ** Jose Alejo Barbara Brightwell Scherry Chapman Jim Donovan Tex Kassen Jeannine Fairborn Joann Ford Jerry Graham Delia Gutierrez Rosemary Crossfield Birdie Shanklin TASK GROUP FIVE Rex Titsworth, Chair Wayne Meadows ** Larry Bullock Armistead Davis ** Ed Olson Vern Harris Paul Williams Norm Peterson Gary Pickett . Bill Smith Emma Thornton Ruth Thrash Many Tyree Linda Flory- McCalla CITY STAFF Edward J. Barry, AICP- Director of Development Services Randall A. Gaither, Chief -Long Range Planning Hildy L. Kingma, AICP - Senior Planner Eric W. Winter, AICP- Senior Planner Tammy Hughey, Secretary *Council persons * *Planning and Zoning Commissioners POLICY PLAN Georgetown PoucrPiav TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PACE I INTRODUCTION I. Scope of the Century Plan 2 How the Century Plan Works 3 II PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS 7 Principles 8 Assumptions 10 III POLICYAREAS 13 Economic Development 16 Education 18 Environmental and Resource Conservation 19 Facilities and Services 20 Finance 22 Governmental Affairs 23 Growth and Physical Development 24 Health and Human Services 25 Historic Preservation 26 Housing 27 Recreation and Cultural Affairs 28 Transportation 29 Urban Design 30 Utilities and Energy 31 IV ADMINISTRATION 33 Article I. General Administration 35 Article H. Implementation 38 Article III. Revision Process 44 Article IV. Amendment Process 47 Article V. Modifications to Chapter 4 51 Article VI. Definitions 51 V APPENDICES 55 1. Section 1.08 of City Charter 56 2. Resolution Number 870239.019 59 3. State Statutes 61 4. Overview of Process 62 5. Georgetown Century Plan Base Studies 70 6. References 72 7. Ordinance Number 96140 73 8. Ordinance Number 880097 76 Georgetown Po[.rcrPZav ou 19 CENTURY PLAN G eorgetown rxns Ell INTRODUCTION POLICY PLAN Georgetown residents share a basic concern that the high quality of life currently found in this community should be maintained and enhanced. There is also a general understanding that in order to develop and maintain a pleasant, attractive, dynamic, and healthy community it is important to plan ahead. This comprehensive plan, officially entitled the Century Plan (Plan), represents a first -time effort on the part of the City to document and formalize the process by which Georgetown will strive to enhance its quality of life. In April 1986, the residents of the City of Georgetown approved an Amendment to the City Charter mandating the preparation and adoption of a comprehensive planning process to become "a continuous and ongoing governmental function. " It also requires that all future development; both public and private, conform to the adopted comprehensive plan, The Century Plan provides the guidelines and structure for maintaining the public welfare, ensuring the reasonable use and protection of land and other natural resources, facilitating the provision of facilities and services, and protecting natural resources. The City Council and other local policy- makers, private developers, residents of the community, and City staff will use this document as the framework for assessing community needs and desires and setting the course of action to implement its policy recommendations. PLAN Georgetown POLICY PLAN SCOPE OF THE CENTURY PLAN The process developed for preparation and adoption of the Century Plan required that a Policy Plan be adopted by the City Council by April 1988. The Policy Plan is the central element of the Century Plan in that it contains the overriding policy recommendations and administrative structure of the Plan. These have been adopted by ordinance and are legally binding. The City's policies are implemented through the adoption and use of a governance model. The governance model is an advanced approach to Council operations which provides for Council to set policies through the use of Ends statements. These Ends are expressed through the Council's Mission Statement and through Policy Ends statements and Focus Ends statements. The Mission Statement is considered the broadest of all Ends, an overall statement of purpose. Policy Ends statements, which are shown in bold in Chapter Three, are expressions of the desired results for the community and are written broadly enough to be relatively permanent, express the community's values, and have the consensus of the general public. Focus Ends statements are also included in the policy Plan in order to clarify and define the Policy Ends and to establish the framework of the Functional Plans. These statements, which are shown in regular print in Chapter Three, are more specific than Policy Ends and provide clarification and further definition. Preparation and adoption of the Policy Plan and the individual Functional Plans is the responsibility of the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Century Plan Task Groups, with staff support from the Planning Department and Director of each City Division. Preparation and approval of the Functional Plans, which address specific elements in greater detail, will occur subsequent to preparation and adoption of the Policy Plan. This introductory chapter of the Policy Plan provides a general background for the Plan. The remaining chapters describe the principles and assumptions; the Ends statements and the administrative structure which will be used to guide Georgetown's growth and development to the year 2010. PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS, the second chapter, describes the foundation of values and conditions on which the Policy Plan was based. There are some beliefs which have come to be so fundamental in the history and culture of the United States, that even without our open acknowledgment, they influence our determination of needs and desires for the future of the community. Similarly, there are certain socio- economic conditions and trends that are widely accepted to be fact. These are assumptions that will have a significant impact on the needs and aspirations PLAN Georgetown POLICY PLAN of the Georgetown community during the planting period. To the extent possible, these principles and assumptions are described in Chapter Two. Chapter Three, POLICYAREAS, lists the Policy Ends and Focus Ends which will guide decisions about Georgetown's future. This chapter is organized by fourteen categories, each of which can be directly related to one or more of the City Charter mandated comprehensive plan elements while also accommodating the interrelations among these elements. As an introduction to each Policy Area, a description of its relationship to the City Charter and other categories is provided. The fourth chapter, ADMINISTRATION, describes the method by which the Ends and the Functional Plans will be adopted, implemented, and modified. Because the Century Plan is a dynamic document, it will have to be continually adjusted to reflect changing conditions, resources, and desires. The process for making these changes is included in Chapter Four and is printed in bold type to indicate that it has the same legal stature as the policies in Chapter Three. The final chapter of the Policy Plan, the APPENDIX, contains the supporting documents to the Plan. A more detailed description of the Policy Plan, including the background of comprehensive planning in Georgetown, the need for this Plan, and the manner in which the Plan was initially prepared and is to be continually maintained, is included. In addition, SECTION 1.08 of the City Charter and the major City Council actions relating to the Century Plan are included. Finally, the nine inventory reports upon which. the Plan is based me included by reference. HOW THE CENTURY PLAN WORKS City Council adoption of the Policy Plan provides the vision for the ongoing process of comprehensive planning in Georgetown. Exhibit 1 is a schematic flow chart which illustrates the dynamic nature of the Century Plan process. Subsequent to approval of the Policy Plan, the Century Plan Task Groups will begin to develop the individual Functional Plan Elements. Fifteen Functional Plans are proposed to describe in detail the manner in which the Policy Plan will be fulfilled. The preparation and adoption of the Functional Plans, including Land Use, Transportation, Utilities, Parks, Environmental, Citizen Participation, Facilities and Services, Housing, Economic, Health and Human Services, Historic Preservation, Airport, Annexation, Urban Design, and Capital Improvements, are to be completed in subsequent years. The chart . Georgetown POrrcrPtax on Exhibit 2 shows the sequence for completion of the major Century Plan elements. As a dynamic document the Plan must continue to reflect the conditions, resources, needs, and desires of the community. Therefore, provisions have been made. in Chapter Four for amendments and revisions will be made to the Plan. Similarly, based on the mandates of the Policy Plan and the individual Functional Plans, revisions will be made to local regulations which affect land development, including the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances and many other aspects of the City's decision - making process. N 3 m A a a a Georgetown EXHIBIT 1 THE CENTURY PLAN PROCESS CHARTER AMENDMENT FORMULATE WORK-PROGRAM AND BUDGET BASIC PREPARATION & DETAIL SCOPE OF WORK BASE STUDY INVENTORY DEVELOP POLICY PLAN APPROVE POLICY PLAN DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL PLANS APPROVE FUNCTIONAL PLANS POLICY PLAN IMPLEMENT FUNCTIONAL PLANS: 1. Create capital improvements program 2. Amend zoning /subdivision ordinances 3. Annual division work program UPDATE BASE STUDIES AMEND POLICY PLAN AMEND FUNCTIONAL PLANS POLICY PLAN CENTURYPLAN GeorgetoEYV / 6 Base Mapping Socio-Economic Physical Features Land Use Transportation Utilities Facilities & Services Housing Historic Preservation Urban Design C N E w ro a v IN EXHHiIT 2 CENTURY PLAN WORK PROGRAM COMPLETED ELEMF,NTS Policy Plait Development Plan Element Land Use Plan Transportation Plan Utilities Plan Economic Plan Parks Plan Facilities and Services Plan POLICY PLAN YYa7D_aIKa .d• r t Historic Preservation Plan Airport Plan Urban Design Plan Annexation Plan Environmental Plan Citizen Participation Plan Housing Plan Health & Human Services Plan Capital Improvements Program