Agenda - 05-22-1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3.0 LAND USE PLAN 3.1 PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE, OF THE PLAN In its broadest sense, County planning is a process of guiding and managing the growth and development of the County through the application of sound planning principles. The planning process should reflect the social, economic and natural environmental, conditions throughout the County and be responsive to the needs and desires of the County citizens. From this planning process should emerge the comprehensive plan which includes the following elements: the Use, Circulation, mousing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Scenic Highways. The comprehensive plan constitutes the primary statement of policy regarding land use and development in Orange County. As an element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan, the Orange County Land Use Element is the official guide for the rational distribution of growth in the County. This element recommends management strategies which serve to allocate the uses of land to assure appropriate future development objectives. Further, the Element serves as a policy guide to assist public officials in their day-to-day decision making which bears on the land development process. The foundation of the Land Use Element is the County-wide goals and policies which provide the written framework to guide future public and private development decisions. The goals are general statements which express the ideals toward which the management of growth and development will be directed. Each goal is supplemented by policies which state specific public actions which should be taken to achieve the goal's objectives. To be effective, these goals and policies must reflect and be responsive to the needs and desires of the residents of the County. The key structural element of the Land Use Element are the township components. The township components refer to a township specific plan for each of Orange County's seven townships. These township components contain most of the land use planning information and recommendations of the Land Use Plan. The achievement of the objectives of the Land Use Element requires the adoption of appropriate implementation tools. These implementation tools include the zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, soil erosion and sedimentation control ordinance, flood damage prevention ordinance, stormwater management ordinance, capital improvements programs, thoroughfare plan, community development projects, coordinated inter-governmental planning mechanisms and improved public awareness of planning issues. A number of these implementation tools are currently in effect in Orange County. Others will be developed, as required, to insure that desired land use and development objectives are achieved. 1