By Karla Llanos, FCCMA Student Member
What is a Comprehensive Plan? The Comprehensive Plan is probably one of the most important documents in a city or county. “Comprehensive planning is a process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development” (APA, 2015). The Comprehensive plan is typically a long range plan that will dictate public policy in terms of transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing. Comp plan are typically updated every 7-10 years and the city of Bonita Springs had partnered with Florida Gulf Coast University to update the Comprehensive Plan.
Based on the Evaluation Appraiser Report (EAR) Presentation given on January 13, 2016, the purpose of the EAR report was to evaluate the Comprehensive Plan to see if there any recommendation for changes. The city hired Dr. Margaret Banyan, a Florida Gulf Coast University associate professor of political science and public administration, FGCU grad students in the Master of Public Administration program and Local Planners from Ensite and Waldrop Engineering to help put together the EAR report.
Often, municipalities do not have the budget to hire an outside entity to evaluate the Comprehensive Plan. The collaboration between the municipality and a local university will help lower cost of an EAR and provide substantial hands-on experience for university Grad students who are getting ready to enter the work force. Cities/Counties can use their local resources to evaluate their programs and do not have to rely on hiring companies to do an evaluation at a high cost.
Reference
Riley, Patrick (2016) Bonita Springs public workshop focuses on comprehensive plan, city vision. Naples News. Retrieved from http://www.naplesnews.com/community/banner/Bonita-Springs-public-workshop-focuses-on-comprehensive-plan-city-vision-365231231.html.
