HAMMOND COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN Y OUR CITY Y OUR VISION Y OUR FUTURE J UNE 1, 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mayor Mayson Foster City Council Johnny Blount, District 1 Jason Hood, District 2 Robert “Bobby” Martin, District 3 Lemar Marshall, District 4 Michael Williams, District 5 Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Jimmy Meyer Dr. Sam McClugage Ralph Ross William Travis Stanley Young Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Jeffrey Smith, Chair Charlotte Banks Louise Bostic Gretchen Chauvin Nancy Coleman Dr. Celine Echols Bonnie Lewis Lemar Marshall Dr. Sam McClugage Barbara McKaskle Robby Miller Bro. Eddie Robertson Pierre Theriot Karen Wallsten City Staff Ginger Fortson, City Planner Tracie Schillace, Planner/GIS Technician Leanne Rushing, GIS Technician Northshore Community Foundation Frank Saxton Consultant Team Dover, Kohl & Partners Villavaso & Associates Hall Planning & Engineering With sincere thanks to the hundreds of members of the public that helped create the plan, the Northshore Community Foundation, and the untold numbers that will endeavor towards its realization. I NTRODUCTION & VISION 1 L AND USE 2 C OMMUNITY DESIGN 3 T RANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE 4 H OUSING 5 N ATURAL RESOURCES 6 R EGIONAL COORDINATION 7 P UBLIC FACILITIES & SERVICES 8 I MPLEMENTATION 9 P UBLIC PROCESS APPENDIX A L AND USE APPENDIX B R EFERENCE DOCUMENTS C G LOSSARY D June 1, 2011 i I NTRODUCTION & VISION 1 INTRODUCTION This Comprehensive Master Plan adopted by the City of Hammond Planning Commission on __________ is in ful- fillment of the requirements of LA RS 33:106 and serves as the basis for the City’s laws and policies that guide the physical development of the municipality in the exercise of its police power to protect the health, safety and wel- fare of the public. This plan is a living document pro- viding a flexible framework that can be updated, revised and improved in order to stay relevant both to the issues the City must confront as well as the ambitions the City decides to pursue. The plan contains a detailed vision, using illustrative master plans and visualizations created with direct community input to insure that as the plan evolves it stays true to the overall vision. The plan can serve as a tool to evaluate new development projects, di- rect capital improvements, guide public policy, and en- sure that Hammond continues to be the community that its citizens desire it to be. The plan identifies goals, objectives and policies that will enhance the City’s quality of life, respect its natural en- virons and support complimentary economic growth and development. Each element of the plan contains: 1. A discussion of the City’s concerns or intentions; 2. Goals which chart a course of action based on the community vision; 3. Objectives to accomplish each goal; and 4. Policies which list implementation actions and the principles that form the basis for City regulations and procedures. Within each element the plan’s goals, objectives and poli- cies range from the level of the region, which includes the City and surrounding lands, to the level of the individual street and lot, both existing and proposed. By design- ing at all scales using the same overall principles the City has created a vision that can operate cohesively, and help guide the efforts of the City’s many stakeholders and de- cision makers at every level. By reference herein, the following documents shall be considered a part of this Plan: Major Street Plan, City of Hammond, LA by Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc., June, 2006; 2002 Master Plan Update, Downtown Development District by Dufreche, Marak and Torre, February, 2003; Recreation Plan, Phase 1: Existing Conditions and Needs Assessment by Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc., December, 2006; and Workforce Housing Strategic Planning Report, The City of Hammond, LA, June 20, 2007. June 1, 2011 1.1 H AMMOND COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN THE PURPOSE OF PLANNING By building smarter at all levels, by accommodating Residents of the City of Hammond value their downtown growth within already developed areas and making more and its variety of uses, the character and diversity of their efficient use of existing infrastructure, the City seeks to neighborhoods, and the quality of their natural environ- lessen the amount of development that will occur in ar- ment. Yet, residents express concern about the impacts eas that lack facilities and services or contain pristine of new growth on traffic, the cost of public facilities, and lands. To accomplish this the Comprehensive Master Plan community character. provides detailed sample plans that show compact devel- opment in order to promote development and economic Much of the growth that has affected the City has oc- growth in areas that can be efficiently served by public curred on Parish lands and the City recognizes the impor- facilities and services. More than this, the illustrative tance of coordinating growth and development with the master plans were created with close coordination with Parish under an agreed-upon set of principles that utilize business owners and residents with the goal of providing statewide planning tools such as the Louisiana Land Use inspiring visions of the future. Growth can improve the Toolkit and Louisiana Speaks Plan. character and function of the City, if properly directed. The Louisiana Land Use Toolkit seeks to accomplish all USING THE PLAN of the goals of the City’s adopted zoning ordinance by The plan provides priorities for public action and direc- protecting public health, safety and welfare, while at the tion for private decisions. The Comprehensive Master same time fostering predictable built results and a high- Plan can serve as guidance to the Planning and Zoning quality public realm of streets and green spaces. It uses Commission, City Planner, and City Council when evalu- physical form rather than the automatic separation of ating development proposals and considering the rezon- uses as the organizing principle for creating places. ing or annexation of lands. The plan also provides user- friendly information for use by citizens and community The Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan showed how compact groups. Clear goals strengthen the partnership between development could improve people’s lives over placeless the public and private sectors and between citizens and development: less commuting times, more water purify- the development community. ing wetlands preserved, less family expenses spent on transportation, and community character restored to ar- Implementation of the plan will necessitate revisions to eas that have lost it. The plans contained in the Commu- the City’s land development regulations. This could, in nity Design Element of the Comprehensive Master Plan part, be accomplished by use of the Louisiana Land Use are the expression of those ideas at the local level. They Toolkit, and the plan provides direction for translating its are a plan to channel the forces that made Hammond a recommendations into specific Toolkit plans. The Com- highly liveable city to that continued end. prehensive Master Plan also provides guidance for capital improvement investments. The illustrative plans shown in the Comprehensive Mas- ter Plan are consistent with both the Toolkit’s recommen- The plan recognizes that there is a close link between the dations at the level of the individual lot and the Louisiana City of Hammond and the Parish, and that regional issues Speaks Plans’ regional objectives. such as the provision of public facilities and services, the accommodation of new residents, and the stewardship of the natural environment, requires intergovernmental co- ordination. Implementation of the plan is thus a joint ef- fort between regional government, elected and appointed City officials, citizens, community groups, and the private sector. This document is intended to provide a common point of reference for everyone involved in shaping the City’s future. ISION & V NTRODUCTION I 1.2 June 1, 2011 H AMMOND COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN A VISION FOR THE CITY OF HAMMOND Through the community workshop process and meetings with public and city officials the community arrived at a series of goals to guide future development and public policy in Hammond. The vision statement and supportive goals embody the citizenry’s vision for the future of their community. The goals summarize the results of the public planning process and promote responsible growth, planning and development. Specific design components and policies for each goal are further described and illustrated throughout the Comprehensive Master Plan elements. The City of Hammond’s vision is to continue its role as an expanding regional hub of economic, transportation, higher education and cultural activity while growing in a sustainable manner that respects our history, enhances our quality of life and creates a stronger, more complete community for all residents while maintaining our City’s character and appeal. The City of Hammond will: # Ensure that future development preserves and enhances existing neighborhoods; encourages a high-quality mix of uses in a traditional neighborhood form; respects the natural environment and agricultural areas; and discourages sprawl development. # Encourage sustainable design that enhances and expands the existing community character and identifies Hammond as a special place. # Provide safe and convenient mobility and support a multi-modal transportation system that provides linkages to neighborhoods, schools and other community facilities and uses; at the same time the city will efficiently provide for and equitably fund quality infrastructure facilities. # Encourage a variety of good quality, affordable housing choices through preservation, rehabilitation, code en- forcement and new development. # Improve the quality of Hammond’s natural resources, by protecting wetlands, native habitat, water and air quality; recognizing that local efforts have local, regional and global effects. # Identify and foster opportunities for expanded cooperation with the Parish, including intergovernmental and annexation agreements, to manage growth, promote economic development, create gateways that impart a positive image of the city, and form a rational city pattern.