Comprehensive plans provide communities with information and policies that will guide future planning and community decisions. A Comprehensive plan will incorporate a twenty-year vision and provide a rational basis for local land use decisions. Because communities vary greatly, the uniqueness of individual comprehensive plans reflects community-specific and locally driven planning processes.
We understand there are issues and concerns to be addressed during the comprehensive planning process. We also recognize that the planning process must represent a delicate balance between engaging the community's residents and stakeholders in a meaningful discussion about the future of the community and the responsibilities of those officials who are elected and empowered to make decisions on behalf of the community as a whole. This process is sometimes further complicated by the need to identify and resolve inconsistencies that may exist between plans generated by adjacent jurisdictions.
Stevens uses a consensus-driven planning framework offering specific enhancements, including conflict resolution techniques, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the comprehensive planning process.