Purpose

Land use plans provide a community a guide for decision making regarding physical development and the allocation of resources. They provide local government officials direction in developing programs and strategies, making capital expenditures, and setting annual budgets. Although land use plans focus on many aspects of community life related to the physical environment, they can touch on some important social aspects as well.

Land use plans fall under many categories such as “comprehensive plans”, “corridor plans”, and “neighborhood plans”. Regardless of how they are titled, such plans encourage residents and businesses to join together to ensure that the community’s vision for its future development is achieved.