While the plan goals and objectives have been organized under these and other categories, they are all interconnected and implementation relies on treating each component as a part of a whole. Great care was taken to ensure the Plan provides policies, programs, and recommendations within the context of that basic reality. With this framework in mind, this section is meant to help community leaders adopt and implement the comprehensive plan.
The vision, goals, and recommendations included in the plan have been vetted by the project steering committee and confirmed by residents, but the plan must be treated as a living document. With the plan being entirely website-based, it will be easier for the City to use it as a living plan and make amendments as needed. This means that the plan should continue to evolve over time as physical, economic, and market conditions change, and as resources become available.
The key implementation challenge often comes in translating a plan’s vision, goals, and recommendations into the day-to-day operations and actions of City government. As the City determines how to implement the plan’s recommendations, it is important to continuously consider the integrity of the planning process, Lebanon’s values, its resources, and why the policy, recommendation, or project is important to the City’s future. A plan is a community’s desired future. It is the collective will and roadmap for how to achieve that future. It is critical to find ways to give the plan life and maintain its integrity.
Extensive discussion was undertaken to ensure the comprehensive plan reflects the desired land use pattern for the community, and identifies improvements needed for undeveloped and targeted redevelopment areas over the next 20 years. This 20-year period allows adequate time to implement new development ordinances, adjust existing land use patterns where needed, and improve the multi-modal transportation network. It also allows the City adequate time to formulate capital improvement strategies and funding sources to implement the recommendations and achieve ultimate success of this planning effort. The planning department will track progress in meeting the plan goals and objectives, when an update should be initiated, what changes should be incorporated, and how those changes will be incorporated. Any amendments should include an evaluation of the vision, goals, objectives, and key initiatives.
Once the planning process is over, many communities struggle with what to do first. This section provides guidance on what needs to be completed and in what order. This section is broken down into ten subsections including:
- Early Action Initiatives
- Adoption
- Interpretation
- Implementation Committee & Work Plan
- Annual Review & Report
- Monitoring & Updating the Plan
- Unified Development Ordinance Update
- Fiscal Considerations
- Capital Improvement Program
- Private Land Use Decisions
- Coordination and Partnerships