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Zoning and Growth Management
Zoning Ordinances and Unified Development
Codes
A brief overview of Camiros' approach to zoning ordinances
and unified development codes, reveals three key strategies
that are applied to every community, regardless of the size
of the community or the scope of the project.
- Enhance Community Economic Development and Quality of
Life. If an ordinance does not link development regulations
to community aspirations, it cannot fulfill its objectives.
To this end, it is imperative that we understand present land
uses and any directions established by development plans.
Camiros is adept at recognizing the connection between community
goals and development regulations, and then translating these
concepts into workable controls.
- Create Clear and User-Friendly Organization. A good ordinance
is self-explanatory so that users with a basic level of familiarity
can fully understand and "find their way around" it. The key
to creating a user-friendly ordinance is maintaining a logical
organization of the document.
- Employ State of the Art, Customized Regulations. Our extensive
experience in ordinance preparation has exposed us to the
emerging trends in development and land use that require new
standards of regulations. Because we have undertaken similar
zoning ordinance revisions for both large, mature cities and
smaller municipalities, we are particularly knowledgeable
of the regulatory issues facing many kinds of communities.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Growth Management
Growth management is a term that we all use but rarely define.
Webster's Dictionary says that manage means "to handle, direct,
or control in action or use." Growth is defined as "development
from a simpler to a more complex stage." Hence growth management
can be defined as directing or controlling urban development
from simpler to more complex stages. Sounds simple, doesn't
it? But whose values determine the direction? In the end,
perhaps growth management is best understood as directing
the location, timing and nature of development desired by
a community's citizens in a manner which protects valuable
natural, built, social and financial assets.
Through its work, Camiros has learned some important lessons
about growth management:
- It forces community decision-makers to set clear priorities
and understand the consequences of their decisions.
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Its potential problems - inflated land values, litigation
and economic exclusion - can be overcome through careful analysis,
good planning and zoning, and an understanding of the local
culture.
- It requires effective planning tools, including realistic
growth projections, meaningful community goals and development
policies, an understanding of public finance, capital-improvement
programs, intergovernmental coordination, and analyses of
impacts on the community's environment, finances and cash
flow.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
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