Economic Prosperity and Equity Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities Greenprint Raleigh – Sustainable Development Coordinating Land Use and Transportation Managing Our Growth Expanding Housing Choices DRaFT PLaN avaILaBLE FOR REvIEW! It’s written in ink, but not etched in stone. We want your comments and continued participation! Photo courtesy of goodnightraleigh.com p 2 Growth Trends Since 1980, Raleigh’s population has more than doubled from about 150,000 to 380,000, » and the City’s land area has almost tripled in size from about 55 to 140 square miles. Raleigh’s population is projected to grow from a 2005 total of 380,000 to about » 580,000 in 2030, and nearly 600,000 by 2035, an increase of about 60 percent. Employment is expected to increase by 65 percent (an average of 2.2 percent annually) by 2035. » “The management of growth is key to the entire plan. The controls set in place on all aspects of growth need to be debated and detailed to cover all concerns of sustainability and infrastructure so that growth is not allowed to get out of control and take over.” — participant at November 2007 workshops Since the last Plan was written in1989, Raleigh’s population has grown by 72 percent. The transformation of Raleigh to one of the 50 largest cities in the United States creates some of our greatest challenges, yet presents unique opportunities. How do we grow while maintaining Raleigh’s outstanding quality of life and retaining the assets that make Raleigh special? How do we add to the community while preserving its past? How do we sustain our environment for the present and renew it for the future? How do we provide decent and affordable housing options? How do we position Raleigh to remain nationally competitive with a strong economy? The key policy document that helps make city life workable, livable, and prosperous is the Comprehensive Plan. Growth Provides Opportunities and Challenges The new draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan provides the vision and strategies for Raleigh to prosper and grow as a modern, 21st century city. The plan seeks to: Inspire with bold ideas to help shape » development today and tomorrow Provide the basis for orderly, » consistent and predictable land use decision-making Facilitate quality development » throughout Raleigh Provide a “greenprint” for more » sustainable growth patterns Build on the ideas and guidance » from the many participants in the Planning Raleigh 2030 process The draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan sets the vision and course of action to move forward to confront Raleigh’s growth and development challenges. Residents, business owners and City staff worked together to create a vision Statement to guide the Comprehensive Plan’s development and the City’s overall path forward. “We will be a city that values and fosters development that provides economic prosperity, housing opportunity, and equity for all Raleigh residents. Raleigh will embody environmental conservation, energy efficiency, and sustainable development. Raleigh will be a great place to live with distinctive and attractive neighborhoods, plentiful parks and green spaces, quality schools and educational opportunities, and a vibrant downtown.” a vision for the Future Raleigh’s current Comprehensive Plan is almost 20 years old. City staff, elected officials, residents, developers and business owners have said that the current Plan no longer works as well as it should. The draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan provides new ideas and strategies for issues that you told us need to be addressed such as: Increasing transportation options including transit. » Focusing growth to provide more convenient » and sustainable building patterns. Improving coordination of land use » and transportation. Conserving existing neighborhoods » as change and growth occurs. Focusing on green development practices to reduce » energy use and conserve our natural environment. Providing housing choices for households » across the spectrum of income and needs. The draft Comprehensive Plan’s potential impacts on transportation, sewer and water capacity and the environment have been analyzed to make sure that Raleigh has the capacity to support the growth and development that the Comprehensive Plan envisions. The draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan brings Raleigh’s long-range planning efforts into the modern era of plan-making. It incorporates many policies from the 1989 Plan and other plans, while adding new features and maps to make the plan easier to use and understand. as Raleigh’s primary policy and planning document, the draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan will be used to: Establish the vision for what Raleigh aspires to achieve by 2030. » Include the growth and development related policies for all » the City departments in one comprehensive document. Guide decision-making and evaluation of » zoning map and text amendments. Coordinate capital investment by linking the capital » improvement plan to the Comprehensive Plan. Identify short to long-term strategic actions for the City » to undertake. These actions will be monitored annually to ensure implementation and accountability. Quick Guide to the New Plan Need for a New, More Predictable Plan p 3 p 4 New Maps Provide Framework Two new maps provide the framework for the draft Comprehensive Plan’s written recommendations. The Future Land Use and Growth Framework maps provide essential land use and development guidance and supplement the text of the citywide elements. almost all city and county comprehensive plans have future land use maps that express public policy about future land uses. The 2030 Raleigh Comprehensive Plan includes a Future Land Use Map for the first time. q Future Land Use Map a new Future Land Use Map is the centerpiece of the Land Use Element and the primary means by which the draft Comprehensive Plan seeks to guide the City’s future growth. It shows the general character and distribution of recommended and planned uses across the City. The map sets forth planned land uses in the horizon year of the Plan, roughly 20 years from now. The Future Land Use Map provides the geographic framework for the City’s land use and zoning policies. It will be used to help determine whether changes to zoning are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. It is not a zoning map. While the Future Land Use Map will influence future zoning, it does not alter current zoning. The map will also be used to develop geographically-detailed projections for the future growth of the City, which in turn will be used to plan for roads, transit, parks, utilities, and community facilities. p 5 p Growth Framework Map The new Growth Framework Map updates and replaces the Urban Form Map. Unlike the Future Land Use Map and 1989 Plan’s Urban Form Map, the Growth Framework Map is not a statement of land use policy. Instead, it is illustrative and tells the story of where the City wants to encourage and focus higher-density mixed use development. It overlays these areas on a roadway hierarchy that identifies priority parkway, multi-modal, urban, and highway corridors. The Map helps communicate how the City will manage its projected growth over the next 20 years. Implementing the Plan Good plans both inspire and provide a framework for action. The draft Comprehensive Plan’s vision Statement, guiding themes, and policies provide general guidance to manage the City’s growth and development. The Plan’s actions are specific measures to implement the policies. These actions are prioritized and assigned to different City agencies in the Implementation Element which also highlights critical tie-ins to needed regulatory updates and the Capital Improvement Program, subject to funding availability and budget priorities. The Comprehensive Plan is the City’s main policy document addressing growth and development. It will be used to inform all discretionary decisions regarding land use and development, as well as priorities for public investment. It will be used by elected and appointed officials, the City government, residents, businesses and developers, and others with an interest in the future of Raleigh. The Comprehensive Plan’s guidance is very different from regulatory tools such as zoning ordinances and development codes, which are law. It provides the policy basis for the City’s codes and standards. The draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan consists of two volumes. Both volumes work together to offer the reader different levels of detail – citywide guidance, area-specific plans, and in-depth background analysis. Comprehensive Plan » Elements are the core of the Plan and include the Introduction and Framework, the Citywide Elements, area Plans, the Growth Framework and Future Land Use maps, and the Implementation Element. Recommendations from many of the 1989 Plan’s area Plans have been incorporated into the draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan and their land use recommendations merged into and reflected on the Future Land Use Map. Other relevant area-specific policies have been compiled into an area Plans section of the Plan. The Plan’s policies and recommendations » are informed by the Community Inventory Report, which provides an extensive background and analysis of existing conditions. Using the Plan p 6 p 7 Planning Together, in Person and Online Civic engagement is central to the comprehensive planning process. Thousands of people have participated in the draft Plan’s civic engagement process across 21 workshops, community meetings and roundtable discussions, Kid City and Big Ideas Week, as well as on-line through web-based surveys and interactive documents. From the kick-off meeting through the draft Plan comments needed now, Raleigh residents, business owners, and other stakeholders are integral to developing a new Comprehensive Plan. p 8 Next Steps City staff, residents, and other interested stakeholders will gather at the following meetings to celebrate the creation of a draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan and to comment on its contents. December 3: Release of the draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan – » Raleigh Convention and Civic Center, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Public Workshops (same content at three different locations) all from 6:30-8:30 p.m. » January 13, North Raleigh - Providence Baptist Church – January 14, Downtown - Moore Square Museum Magnet Middle School – January 15, Southeast Raleigh - Church of God of Prophesy – Comment Period: Comments on the draft Plan will be taken from December 3, 2008, » through January 31, 2009. The final steps in the Comprehensive Plan process – including a final revision to the Plan based on public input; a public hearing with the City Council and Planning Commission; Planning Commission review and recommendation; and City Council review and adoption – will take place in the spring and summer of 2009. How Can I Stay Engaged? Please attend the draft Plan workshops. In addition, another way to stay informed is to visit the Comprehensive Plan web site at www.planningraleigh2030. com. The Raleigh Department of City Planning posts meeting notices and documents on this web page. You can also comment on draft documents and see summaries of previous public comments and meetings. The full text of the draft Comprehensive Plan is available online and web-based comments can be entered for any Plan paragraph, policy, and action item. The draft Comprehensive Plan is also available for review at all public libraries and also in CD and hard copy through the Department of City Planning. For more information, contact the City of Raleigh Department of City Planning at 516-2626 or visit the project web site at www.planningraleigh2030.com.