Orange County NC Website
15 <br /> 4 . 0 . IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION <br /> 4. 1 OVERVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES <br /> The awareness and desire for appropriate and managed development and <br /> use of the land which led to the conception and development of the <br /> Orange County Land Use Element will remain merely a "good idea" <br /> unless a commitment is made to translate the concept into physical <br /> form through adoption and implementation . The Land Use Plan is a <br /> carefully thought out statement of policy regarding the pattern of <br /> physical development in the County. As the long-range planning <br /> framework, it should be considered in the day-to-day decision-making <br /> and implementation of policies affecting the use of land. <br /> To be effective a commitment should be made by decision-maker and <br /> citizen alike to the policies outlined in the Plan. Failure to do so <br /> may result in a weakening of the day-to-day decision making process <br /> and could lead to deterioration of the man-made and physical <br /> environments . Uncoordinated decision-making, inconsistent with the <br /> goals ands policies set forth in the Plan, will result in arbitrary <br /> and unreasonable actions affecting the development and integration of <br /> land uses in the County. <br /> Commitment to the Plan does not presume an inflexible and <br /> unchangeable document. Commitment should correspond with a <br /> willingness to recognize and adapt to the constant change in the <br /> planning context by incorporating flexibility in the Plan . As long as <br /> internal consistency is maintained and the goals and policies remain <br /> intact, and until such time as the public participation element calls <br /> for a revision of the goals and policies, the Land Use Plan will <br /> remain a flexible policy document guiding development as intended . <br /> The success of the planning activity, however, is dependent on the <br /> degree to which public and private development actions and decisions <br /> are coordinated since the Plan is not "self-executing" . Legal, <br /> financial and administrative tools must be developed and utilized <br /> effectively. The implementation tools include: a zoning ordinance; <br /> subdivision regulations; a sedimentation and erosion control <br /> ordinance; a flood damage prevention ordinance; building and fire <br /> codes , among other; water and sewer extension policies ; a <br /> thoroughfare plan; community development projects; public <br /> investments; coordination with other plans; and public education and <br /> awareness . <br /> *Zoning Ordinance <br /> *Amended 6/28/89 <br /> The Zoning Ordinance is the major legal tool for implementing the <br /> Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The Zoning Ordinance <br /> serves as the means to achieve the desired relationship between land <br /> uses; to prevent incompatible land use associations ; and to encourage <br /> and provide incentives for the more compact and efficient land use <br /> patterns deli neated in the Land Use Element . <br /> • <br /> 4 . 1-1 <br />