INC NEWS - Comprehensive Plan

[pat carstensen]

A quick status update.  We can discuss tomorrow what actions neighborhoods 
may want to take.

Regards, pat

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As I understand it, elected officials are going to try to pass the 
Comprehensive Plan on February 28.  The Comprehensive Plan sets the bigger 
picture into which the UDO fits.  It:
1) Is more general than the UDO; for example, it sets targets for levels of 
service for libraries
2) Sets requirements for the UDO by, for example, directing it to encourage 
"attractive and varied residential development" in fairly specific ways
3) Includes a new Comprehensive Plan map showing boundaries for the tiers, 
residential vs. non-residential areas, and densities for development.  The 
UDO includes a process for developers to ask for changes to the plan when 
their proposal does not fit with the long-range plan shown in the map.


Public comment is officially closed.  There are some open issues – details 
in the map in the Old West Durham area and some problems identified by the 
Planning Commissioners, for example – but I think we need to move forward on 
the plan for two reasons.

1) We can’t move forward on the UDO until we finish the Comprehensive Plan, 
and development in Durham, while FAR from perfect under the UDO, will 
generally be better than what we have now.

2) The Comprehensive Plan has an awful lot to be proud of.  In addition to 
the big-picture stuff like tiers, the plan has some pretty good details such 
as:
a – Directing governing bodies to create a maintenance standard in a 
"non-residential code"
b – Forbidding traffic mitigation for new development from impacting 
existing development in the Urban, Compact, and Downtown tiers.
c– Mandating a process (including INC) to define standards and best 
practices for traffic calming.
d – Establishing levels of service for parks, such as needing 1 playground 
per 1000 people, or 230 playgrounds by 2010.
(This is a random sample of good ideas, based basically on what I happened 
to look at last)

The plan sets a very ambitious agenda for what various city and county 
departments need to do and will take a serious commitment of resources in 
terms of funding, staff that can carry out its goals, staff development and 
general community support.   For example, it will create greater density in 
some areas.  Since neighborhoods are justifiably suspicious of greater 
density (it too often means more traffic and de-stabilizing uses), we need 
to make sure we know how to replicate and celebrate what works and have the 
courage to analyze and correct what doesn’t work.