Area Planning/Masterplan

Area Plans and Master Plans are often directed at specific areas. These projects can involve quasi-judicial Comprehensive Plan amendments or be part of a Legislative amendment process or may include both.  Area Plans or Master Plans are often appropriate where specific policy objectives for the area have been identified or because the area itself has unique characteristics that should be differentiated from the general development regulations that would otherwise apply.  CSA has extensive experience developing Area Plans and Master Plans that are directed as specific areas.

Examples of the types of Plans that CSA has experience with and often benefit from Area Planning or Master Planning efforts include:

  • A land area that is proposed to be added to a City’s Urban Growth Boundary to meet certain identified land needs in a manner that is different from the rest of the City.
  • Mixed-use developments where common design themes are desired for a large area such as architectural elements and streetscape designs.
  • Area Plans (sometimes also called Neighborhood Plans) can be important tools for preserving the character of existing neighborhoods.  For example, current City street standard designs may not be appropriate in certain established neighborhoods, but the zoning in those areas might allow some of the larger lots to be further divided.  An area plan can apply special streetscape standards to allow land division to occur but in a manner that continues the established streetscape in the neighborhood.
  • Areas where specific infrastructure investments need to be coordinated with private development, such as an Urban Renewal Plan or Industrial Master Plan Area.

CSA also Works on Master Plans that Focus on Specific Facilities or Ownerships

Examples of these types of Master Plans are plans such as a School District Master Plans or a Sewer Service District Master Plan.  CSA typically works on these plans in a team approach with experts in the respective technical field for the particular Master Plan.  CSA typically prepares future year projections with spatial distribution as an input for the facility experts to evaluate existing conditions and location and capacity to handle future demands.  CSA works with the team to identify creative solutions to facility issues, builds financial models to address deficiencies, and provides policy direction to the facility managers and policy makers.