Land use policies and regulations are drafted and adopted at the community level, but are not consistent from place to place. There are certain choices that communities can make to change trends that may be detrimental to the region. If current development trends continue, the region will struggle to fund adequate infrastructure, have limited mobility choices, and experience further separation of land uses and people.

The goals of the Community Choices effort are:

• to assist communities in establishing and expressing goals for the future and a realistic way to accomplish those goals
• to offer local governments tools for effective comprehensive planning and for implementing strategies for transportation, economic development and many other subjects that can benefit the community.
• to provide communities choices that provide for adequate public facilities and services to support development and redevelopment

Local governments don’t have to use the tools produced by OKI. They can use, modify or ignore OKI’s tools and techniques as they see fit. OKI is committed to help our partners in local governments implement well-defined land use and transportation strategies and to fully participate in regional transportation plans. This, in turn, will produce better land use and infrastructure decisions – a winning formula for taxpayers.

Community Choices Toolkit
Determining the timing and location of land development and associated infrastructure, leads to a calculation of how much it all will cost. OKI’s Community Choices tools listed below can be adapted or ignored as communities see fit and are intended to be flexible to meet the needs and special circumstances of a community.

Comprehensive Plan Guidance

• Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan - This 55-page guide is very detailed in terms of content and process. It is meant to be scaled to local circumstances and resources. This document takes the reader through a methodical process for each plan element, including inventory and analysis and the creation of goals, objectives and policies. This document was created through an extensive peer review process with planners and administrators from throughout the region. (For more information on about this document, please email Bill Miller, Larisa Sims or Jane Wittke of OKI staff or phone 513-621-6300.)
  
  
• Minimum Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan - A six-page summary of the longer guidance with background about why OKI is interested in linking regional transportation planning with local land use planning and other documents and resources. It is tailored to those who may not want to get into as much detail about writing a comprehensive plan as the longer guide provides.
  
  
• Making the Most of Limited Taxpayer Dollars - This two-pager outlines OKI’s comprehensive plan guidance, why local governments should care about it and what topics are covered in the six- and 55-page documents.

Implementation Tools

During OKI’s strategic planning process, we heard about the need for technical assistance and day-to-day implementation tools for local land use planning. A comprehensive plan should guide a community’s future, and day-to-day land use activities should support that long-range plan. OKI’s resource list includes a series of references to Web sites and documents, by topical area. Our listings are not exhaustive, but should provide enough information to inspire additional research.

The land use – transportation connection is woven through the sample ordinance topics and resource listings. If you are interested in additional topics, please email Bill Miller, Larisa Sims or Jane Wittke of OKI staff or phone 513-621-6300.

• Sample Ordinances
  • Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Standards
  • Connectivity
  • Corridor Overlay Zones
  • Infill Development
            The Infill and Redevelopment Code Handbook, Transportation and Growth Management Program Oregon Department of Transportation, 1999
  • Large Scale Retail Development
  • Mixed Use Development
  • Transit Friendly Development

• Resource Listings
  • Economic Development
  • Housing
  • Land Use
  • Natural Systems
  • Public Facilities
  • Transportation