(June 21, 2018) Forward Together Building a Better Spartanburg County COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2035 SPARTANBURG COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA Comprehensive Plan Introduction South Carolina Code of Laws (6-29-510): (A) The local planning commission shall develop and maintain a planning process which will result in the systematic preparation and continual re-evaluation and updating of those elements considered critical, necessary, and desirable to guide the development and redevelopment of its area of jurisdiction. (E) All planning elements must be an expression of the planning commission recommendations to the appropriate governing bodies with regard to the wise and efficient use of public funds, the future growth, development, and redevelopment of its area of jurisdiction, and consideration of the fiscal impact on property owners . 2 | C o m p r e h e n s i v e P l a n Comprehensive Planning and the Comprehensive Plan A community has many qualities that contribute to its success as a place to live, learn, work, play and invest. Individual persons or groups will be aware of, or consider important, some qualities more so than others. Comprehensive planning is a participatory process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of a community’s physical development. The planning process considers all the various assets and shared concerns of the community, then facilitates agreement on common goals and lays out a path to achieve them. The Comprehensive Plan is the resulting written document that provides the basis for policies and regulations that guide the development of a community. It is a long-range plan—looking 20-30 years into the future—and it addresses a wide range of recommendations relating to land use, economic development, transportation, community facilities, parks, open space, agriculture and rural issues, community character and identity, and housing and neighborhoods, among others. In essence, the Comprehensive Plan sets the foundation for all decisions relating to land use and closely-related community matters. Its aim is purposeful planning, and it is mandated by the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994 for jurisdictions that have land development and zoning regulations. The Plan in itself, however, is not a regulatory document. Its map and policies are intended to shape decisions regarding land use, infrastructure, economic development, housing, and other fundamental decision-making. The purpose of a Comprehensive Plan is to serve the functions listed below. It is the means by which a community balances competing community interests. Comprehensive planning seeks to strike a balance among the many competing demands on land by creating development patterns that are orderly and rational, provide the greatest benefits for individuals and the community as a whole, and avoid nuisance conflicts between land uses. The plan provides continuity. The Plan provides continuity across time, and gives successive public bodies a common framework for addressing land-use issues. It provides justification for decisions. The Plan provides a factual and objective basis to support land use decisions and will be used to defend decisions if challenged in court. It promotes economic development. The plan contains valuable information that can help drive the location decisions of prospective firms. It is the means by which a community can protect public investments. Providing public services to well-planned, orderly and phased development is less expensive for a community than providing those services to low-density, scattered development. 3 | C o m p r e h e n s i v e P l a n It allows communities to plan development in a way that protects valued resources. The Plan identifies features like wetlands, agricultural lands, woods and steep slopes and suggests strategies for preserving those resources from destruction or degradation by inappropriate development. It provides guidance for shaping the appearance of the community. The Plan can set forth policies that foster a distinctive sense of place. Through public dialogue, citizens express a collective vision for the future. Last, but certainly not least, the planning process provides citizens an opportunity to consider and discuss the future of their community. A plan developed through a robust public input process enjoys stronger community support. Subsequent decisions that are consistent with the plan’s policies are less likely to become controversial. Spartanburg County’s Comprehensive Plan It is no secret that Spartanburg County is recognized globally for working together to accomplish community goals. There has been and continues to be a number of citizen input processes carried out by multiple partnership agencies. In developing the Comprehensive Plan, Spartanburg County will give consideration to the information gathered through these community efforts. Much of the content of the Plan, in regards to opportunities, challenges, and goals comes from citizens and community leaders by way of these efforts. It is significant to note that the many community processes have identified duplicated and overlapping issues and strategies. More specifically, the identification of assets, opportunities, challenges, and goals, was developed through public comment and stakeholder interviews by County Staff through its on-going Area Performance Planning effort and Comprehensive Plan public meetings, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s One Spartanburg, the Chapman Cultural Center’s Culture Counts, as well as other public processes. All other plans taken into account by the Comprehensive Plan have included vigorous citizen/stakeholder interviews and/or public input processes, such as the SPATS Long Range Transportation Plan, the Spartanburg County Impediments to Fair Housing, the Spartanburg County Consolidated Housing Plan, the Spartanburg County Tourism Action Plan, etc. The Plan’s elements address the interrelated concerns of land use, economic development, housing, natural resources, cultural resources, community facilities and transportation. The Priority Investment Element identifies public infrastructure and services funding and provides some thoughts about how that funding may be better used to implement the goals herein. The Population Element looks at growth trends in the County and anticipates what that growth will look like over the next 20 years. Spartanburg County will continue to grow. It has been the trend every decade, with just one exception, since it has existed. The document is a community Plan for guiding that 4 | C o m p r e h e n s i v e P l a n growth. It is not intended as a rigid and unyielding land use document. The Plan will help Spartanburg County, its citizens and elected officials alike make informed decisions about development issues in the best interests of both property owners and the broader community. Comprehensive Planning Process The State Statute that mandates the Comprehensive Plan is certainly a key consideration in how the document is structured and its subject matter. The following is a general summary of what must be included in the nine Comprehensive Plan elements as required by the South Carolina Code of Laws. SECTION 6-29-510. Planning process; elements; comprehensive plan. (A) The local planning commission shall develop and maintain a planning process which will result in the systematic preparation and continual re-evaluation and updating of those elements considered critical, necessary, and desirable to guide the development and redevelopment of its area of jurisdiction. (B) Surveys and studies on which planning elements are based must include consideration of potential conflicts with adjacent jurisdictions and regional plans or issues. (C) The basic planning process for all planning elements must include, but not be limited to: (1) inventory of existing conditions; The first step in the planning process is an inventory of existing conditions for each element. An important part of the inventory is an assessment of the current situation and the identification of issues associated with that element. (2) a statement of needs and goals; The second step in the planning process is the identification of needs, goals, and objectives that address the inventory assessment of each of the planning elements. Citizens and officials will participate in this effort through the public participation process over the Internet and at public meetings held in various locations around the county. The statement of needs and goals is a prescriptive element of the comprehensive plan, because it outlines general policies that will guide the future direction of the community. (3) and implementation strategies with time frames. The third step in the planning process is the development of implementation strategies that address the needs, goals, and objectives for each of the planning elements. The implementation strategies serve as a specific five-year work agenda for the community. A timeline and budget for the accomplishment of the strategy will be established. The strategy will be assigned to a responsible individual, party, organization, political district or authority. 5 | C o m p r e h e n s i v e P l a n Organizational Layout of this Document The links below will take you to the element indicated. Each element may link to further information associated with each subject area. Population [Link] Economic Development [Link] Natural Resources [Link] Cultural Resources [Link] Community Facilities [Link] Housing [Link]