Meeting 121495 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

APPENDIX A OVERVIEW OF M PLEMENTATION STRATEGIES (Summarized from Section 4, Land Use Element, Orange County Comprehensive Plan) A land use plan is merely a "good idea" unless a commitment is made to translate the concept into physical form through adoption and implementation. The success of the planning activity is dependent on the degree to which public and private development actions and decisions are coordinated since the Plan is not "self-executing". Legal, financial and administrative tools must be developed and utilized effectively. The implementation tools include: a zoning ordinance; subdivision regulations; a sedimentation and erosion control ordinance; a flood damage prevention ordinance; building and fire codes; water and sewer extension policies; a thoroughfare plan; community development projects; public investments; coordination with other plans; and public education and awareness. Zoning Ordinance The Zoning Ordinance is the major legal tool for implementing the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan and small area plans. The Zoning Ordinance serves as the means to achieve the desired relationship between land uses; to prevent incompatible land use associations; and to encourage and provide incentives for the more compact and efficient land use patterns delineated in the Land Use Element. Simply stated, zoning is the division of a jurisdiction into different districts and the regulation of population density, buildings and land use intensity, lot coverage, and building setbacks within those districts. Most zoning ordinances divide land uses into three general categories of residential, commercial, and industrial use and specify the areas (or districts) where each of these uses is permitted. Subdivision Regulations Subdivision Regulations govern the conversion of raw land for intensive use. They serve as the means to secure a well designed and coordinated pattern of streets, lots and utilities in advance of subdivision, given the relative permanence of the character of the subdivision once completed. This implementation tool is particularly necessary to coordinate existing development and potential future development with proposed development. As the interest of the developer is generally short term, their application of subdivision regulations protects not only the individual homeowner, but also the general public by providing for a review process which suggests and facilitates coordination of the proposal with the long range specifications of the plan. By providing an opportunity for negotiation it likewise allows for the potential coordination of public and private activities. Erosion and Sedimentation Controls The Orange County Sedimentation and Erosion Control Ordinance provides the legal means by which the adverse impacts of land disturbing development activities can be minimized. The Ordinance serves to control and prevent accelerated soil erosion, maintain the ecological balance, prevent the obstruction of natural and artificial drainageways, inhibit flooding, reduce the undermining of roads and protect water quality. Before a construction permit is granted, a developer must submit an erosion and sedimentation control plan. These plans include the type of soils present at the site, the topography and location of nearby streams, erosion control measures to be taken during construction, and the operation and maintenance of any structural controls during the life of the project.