PRESCOTT - Communities in the unincorporated areas of the county that are thinking about writing a community plan or already are writing one soon may be following new county guidelines.
Development Services Director Chad Daines on Wednesday distributed to commissioners a revised draft version of the plan, which should get unincorporated communities and the county "on the same sheet of music" when it comes to writing a community plan.
The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission must vote to recommend it before forwarding the draft to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
Daines is not rewriting the county's entire community plan policy, but "clarifying" its guidelines, he explained.
"Community plans are an extension of the county's General Plan," he said. He describes a community plan as a mini-general plan. "They provide communities with long-range plans for their area in terms of land use, open space, roads and transportation, and water resources."
The Board of Supervisors must approve a community plan before it becomes part of the county's General Plan, Daines said.
In 2005, the board approved Cornville's community plan. Daines said Cornville's plan is so well written that other communities are using it as a model for their community plans.
Creagan McConnell, Paulden Area Community Organization president, who is working on a community plan, said that he is concerned about having to "start all over again" if the county adopts a new community plan policy. Daines said that only portions of the plan that do not conform to the community plan guidelines would require rewriting.
The county's General Plan defines what "community" means.
For example, a community has a "core or center that gives it place and name recognition." A community "contains a series of amenities and services providing convenience of daily needs for its residents."
"The important aspect of a community plan is that it represents the community, and not a select group of the community," Daines said.
Communities can initiate a community plan process through development services, or the Board of Supervisors could do it, Daines said. Either way, development services assigns a community planner to work with the community and oversee the process.
Members of a community choose whom they want to be on a Community Advisory Committee to meet with county officials during the planning process. Those residents should represent "a broad spectrum" of the community, according to the policy draft.
Williamson Valley resident Connie Eichenlaub told commissioners that the policy "needs a clear standard of criteria" for what defines a "broad spectrum."
The Board of Supervisors would appoint a second committee, the Plan Advisory Committee, as an "overall steering committee for all community plans." Two county employees and one person from each supervisor's district would comprise the five-person PAC.
Daines will discuss the draft community plan policy June 17 during the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in Cottonwood.
If commissioners agree on the plan, they will forward their recommendation to the supervisors for discussion July 6 in Prescott.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2009
Article comment by:
DaveH
The way it is supposed to work is that the COMMUNITY PLAN gives people a voice in their COMMUNITY planning.
The Supes have been ignoring and denying every attempt at community plans except for Cornville (Guess who has a Villa there)
Williamson Valley has been trying for years to get a community plan.
The BIG item was the freeway one Supe wants. We were told the Community spokespeople COULD discuss a community plan--IF there was no mention of Williamson Valley Road.
The Community Plan is supposed to be a part of the General Plan...BUT... a Superior Court has ruled that the Supes do not have to follow the General Plan.. It's just a "Guideline"
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2009
Article comment by:
Priorities
This is a joke! First, the BOS is playing three card monty with this process. The "rules" are constantly changing under the guise of "standardizing" the process. It only remains "standardized" until the next version of the plan is submitted and then a "New Standard" (hurdle) is introduced.
Next, how many layers of government will eventually be added to the process? The proposed changes add two more committees between the taxpayers and the BOS. At a time when private sector corporations are sinking under the weight of the overheads they have added to themselves, the BOS thinks it's a good idea to add more "touches" to a process.
As to the Broad Spectrum of the community, read BOS campaign contributors.
