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1. What is a comprehensive plan?

A City’s comprehensive plan can be defined as a long-range planning tool that is intended to be used by City staff, decision-makers and citizens to guide the growth and physical development of a community for ten years, twenty years, or an even longer period of time. It is a vision of what the community can become and is a long-range statement of public policy.

Goals

In basic terms, the primary objectives of a comprehensive plan are to accomplish the following:

• Coordination of public and private investment
• Cost-effective public investments
• Efficient delivery of public services
• Management of growth in an orderly manner
• Minimization of potential conflicts between land uses
• Be a rational and reasonable basis for making decisions about the community

Components

Comprehensive plans include the important Future Land Use and Transportation Plans which, together, set the development framework from the community. These two important features help the community coordinate future land use, transportation and infrastructure decisions, such as:

• New fire stations
• New Parks
• New water and sewer lines
• Right-of-way acquisition for future roadways

The comprehensive plan also helps to serve as a basis for development regulations, such as Odessa’s Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, landscape standards and signage regulations.

2. Why is Odessa preparing a comprehensive plan?

The last comprehensive plan for Odessa was completed in 1988. On average, communities update their Comprehensive Plans every five to ten years, depending on how rapidly the community is developing. Updating the community’s comprehensive plan ensures that plan recommendations are relevant and applicable. It also ensures that the goals, objectives and recommendations are in-line with the overall community vision as defined by Odessa’s residents.

Odessa is currently experiencing rapid growth due to the reemergence of the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin. Defining the community’s vision and setting new recommendations will help to guide growth as it occurs and will ensure that new growth reflects the desires of Odessa’s residents. This Comprehensive Plan, Envision Odessa, will help to guide current and future governing bodies, such as City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Departments, as daily decisions are made on the growth and development of Odessa.

3. How does a comprehensive plan impact me?

Think about the neighborhood you live in. Your neighborhood, most likely, began with a vision. Think about where you get your groceries, where you take your children to school, where you go to the movies, where you shop or work, which park you go or what you do on the weekend. Most of these things did not occur by chance but were most likely rooted in some type of vision or plan.

Envision Odessa will set the vision for the community for the next 20 years. The next park, shopping center, residential neighborhood, etc. will be based upon the plan. A revitalized downtown Odessa and fixing the community’s great neighborhoods begin with a plan.