Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Comprehensive Plan?
Why do we need a new Comprehensive Plan?
What are the anticipated components of the new Comprehensive Plan?
What documents currently serve as Austin's Comprehensive Plan?
How was the Interim Update created?
What is the current status of the Interim Update?
Where can I find a copy of the Interim Update?
What are the general concepts for the development of a new Comprehensive Plan?
How can I get involved with the new Comprehensive Plan?
What are the goals for the new Comprehensive Plan?
What are the legal aspects of the Comprehensive Plan?
What are some key milestones in order to complete the plan by the end of 2011?
What is the web address for the new Comprehensive Plan?
Why is the City seeking a consultant?
How was the Scope of Services for the Request for Qualifications for the consultant developed?
Why didn’t the City develop the citizen participation plan prior to hiring the consultants?
What does the new Comprehensive Plan mean to the current Neighborhood Planning Process?
What is the Comprehensive Plan?
A comprehensive plan contains a city's policies for growth and development. The Austin City Charter further spells out specific items that need to be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan (see below).
Why do we need a new Comprehensive Plan?
The current Comprehensive Plan of record, the Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan (ATCP), was developed during the 1970s and adopted in 1979. It has been amended numerous times through the adoption of neighborhood and transportation plans. In 2008, it was amended through a limited update that removed obsolete policies and replaced them with current ones. Even with this most recent update, the ATCP remains a product of its time and does not address many contemporary issues facing the City such as sustainability and climate change. Also, the ATCP has lost its relevance and remains largely unknown to the majority of Austinites. The lack of a contemporary, community-based vision for the City's future has lead to many "ad hoc" policy directives.
What are the anticipated components of the new Comprehensive Plan?
The Austin City Charter spells out specific items that need to be incorporated into the City's comprehensive plan. According to Article X: "Planning":
The council shall adopt by ordinance a comprehensive plan, which shall constitute the master and general plan. The comprehensive plan shall contain the council's policies for growth, development and beautification of the land within the corporate limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city, or for the geographic portions thereof including neighborhood, community and area wide plans. The comprehensive plan shall include the following elements:
- A future land use element
- A traffic circulation and mass transit element
- A wastewater, solid waste, drainage and potable water element
- A conservation and environmental resources element
- A recreation and open space element
- A housing element
- A public service and facilities element, which shall include but not be limited to a capitol improvement program
- A public buildings and related facilities element
- An economic element for commercial and industrial development and redevelopment
- A health and human service element
The new comprehensive plan will have two components. The first is a Vision and Policy Framework component that lays out the vision for the community and incorporates and integrates key themes to respond to the question "where are we going?" The second component creates the ten City Charter-required elements and addresses the question "How do we get there?" In addition to the ten Charter required elements, the planning process may identify additional elements that may be included.
What documents currently serve as Austin's Comprehensive Plan?
The Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan (ATCP) was adopted in 1979 and has continued to serve as the City's comprehensive plan of record. The ATCP was subsequently amended each time a neighborhood plan was adopted by Council. As demographics, City policy, and life in general have evolved over the past three decades, the ATCP has lost some of its teeth and the need for a new comprehensive plan was expressed by neighborhood groups, community advocates, and city officials. On November 13th, 2007, Planning Commission recommended that the City Council authorize and direct the City Manager and responsible city planning staff to proceed with an interim update of the Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan that would "remove obsolete policies and replace them with existing adopted policies, revise the various maps with the best data currently available, and integrate existing adopted city plans and policies regarding growth and development into one cohesive document. When completed this plan is to serve as an interim update of the Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan." On December 13th, 2007, the City Council authorized the Interim Update to the Comprehensive Planning Process.
How was the Interim Update created?
Based on the direction of Planning Commission and City Council, Neighborhood Planning and Zoning staff collaborated with other departments (Austin Energy, Health and Human Services, Public Works, Economic Development, Watershed Protection and Development Review, etc) to analyze the existing Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan (ATCP) and update its goals, objectives, and policies based on actions approved by Council since 1979, without changing the vision of the original document.
Chapter 2 of the original ATCP was updated to include the policies collected by each department. Addendums, including new maps and a synopsis of pre-1979 and post-1979 City policy, were created for Chapters 1, 3 and 4 of the original ATCP.
Each draft of the Interim Update was posted to the City website for public review and comment. Citizen input was also gathered at public hearings during both Planning Commission and City Council. Staff worked to ensure that public concerns were acknowledged and, where possible, incorporated into the interim update.
What is the current status of the Interim Update?
The Interim Update was unanimously approved by City Council on November 6th, 2008. The Interim Update will serve as the City's comprehensive plan until the new comprehensive plan is completed.
Where can I find a copy of the Interim Update?
An electronic copy of the Interim Update can be accessed and downloaded from the City's website: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/comp_plan_interim_update.htm.
What are the general concepts for the development of a new Comprehensive Plan?
- The goal of completing the plan by the end of 2011.
- Active engagement with community stakeholders, the Planning Commission, City Council, staff, and regional inter-agency working groups.
- An inclusive and transparent process with timely decisions.
- Technical work will be completed by a team that consists of City Staff and Consultants
How can I get involved with the new Comprehensive Plan?
The easiest way to get involved with the new plan is to sign up for the interest list. Members of the interest list will be notified of all public events. It is our direct connection to members of the public who are most interested in working on the new Comprehensive Plan.
The public is also invited to attend the February 12 Meet and Greet to meet the finalist teams who are vying to be the consultant for this project. The public can submit comments that will be forwarded to City Council and the Mayor either at the Meet and Greet on the 12th or by email until Tuesday, February 19.
According to the Scope of Services for the consultant, one of the first things that the consultant will be developing is a Public Involvement Plan. Prior to the main public kick-off, members of the public who have registered with the Comprehensive Plan interest list will be invited to a public workshop to solicit input on how the City and its consultant should involve the public.
What are the goals for the new Comprehensive Plan?
During a brainstorming session with the Comprehensive Planning Subcommittee, the Planning Commission identified objectives they hoped to accomplish through the development of a new Comprehensive Plan. These include the following:
- provides a framework for shaping and managing growth,
- creates a document that is supported by current and accurate data,
- incorporates best practices regarding multiple facets of planning and sustainability,
- addresses key issues facing Austin, links growth and development policies to the Capital Improvement Plan and bond programs,
- includes other implementation measures and strategies,
- provides a framework for more detailed long range plans,
- tells a compelling and engaging story about Austin's future,
- recognizes how Austin's history has shaped its identity,
- is clear, simple, visually attractive, and straightforward to use,
- provides a mechanism for review, updates, and amendments,
- focuses on the physical and economic aspects of the City as well as social issues such as human services and public safety,
- identifies and establishes consensus for legacy projects, and
- integrates regional planning efforts such as CAMPO and ECT.
What are the legal aspects of the Comprehensive Plan?
After a comprehensive plan is adopted, any public or private development, regulatory policy, or public expenditure of funds must be in conformance with the plan. The Austin City Charter, Article X: "Planning," states that:
No public or private development shall be permitted, except in conformity with such adopted comprehensive plan or element or portion thereof, prepared and adopted in conformity with the provisions of this article.
Upon adoption of a comprehensive plan or element or portion thereof by the city council, all land development regulations including zoning and map, subdivision regulations, roadway plan, all public improvements, public facilities, public utilities projects and all city regulatory actions relating to the land use, subdivision and development approval shall be consistent with the comprehensive plan, element or portion thereof as adopted.
What are some key milestones in order to complete the plan by the end of 2011?
Key milestones include:
- Consultant team selected - February 2009
- Public Kickoff - Spring 2009
- Draft Vision and Policy Framework plan available for public review - Winter 2009-10
- Vision and Policy Framework Component approved - Spring 2010
- Draft Plan available for public review - Spring 2011
- Adoption draft complete - Summer 2011
- Plan adopted - before the end of 2011
What is the web address for the new Comprehensive Plan?
The web portal for updates and resources related to the new Comprehensive Plan is: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/com_plan.htm.
Why is the City seeking a consultant?
A consultant team experienced in preparing big city comprehensive plans is needed to assist the City of Austin in the preparation of the plan. This is complex work requiring a wide variety of interdisciplinary skills and experiences. The roles of the consultant and staff are to work with the community to prepare the plan for review by community stakeholders and Planning Commission and adoption by City Council.
How was the Scope of Services for the Request for Qualifications for the consultant developed?
From November 2007 through May 2008, City staff and the Planning Commission, working through the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan committee meetings, developed recommendations for an approach to developing the comprehensive plan. Citizens were invited to provide input at each meeting. This approach was presented to City Council in support of setting aside financing in the 2008-2009 budget.
Why didn’t the City develop the citizen participation plan prior to hiring the consultants?
The proposed process allows the consultant to be involved in the citizen participation plan discussions with the Austin community. This benefits the process because citizens are able to work with the consultant’s experts in involving large populations. The citizen participation plan will be developed with ample citizen input and will be reviewed by the community and Planning Commission and approved by City Council.
What does the new Comprehensive Plan mean to the current Neighborhood Planning Process?
The neighborhood plans that are currently underway will be completed as scheduled. However, no new neighborhood plans are scheduled to be undertaken until the new comprehensive plan is completed.
