Plan Implementation (12%) Flashcards
What are the two different types of policy analysis/policy impact analysis/policy evaluation/policy assessment?
- Descriptive Policy Analysis
- Predictive Policy Analysis
What is a community benefits agreement?
an approach to plan implementation
What is capital improvements programming (CIP)?
an approach to plan implementation
I. Includes a multiyear schedule of public physical improvements
II. Includes a capital improvements budget that are programmed for the next fiscal year
III. Dates back to the 1909 Plan of Chicago
IV. Includes collected impact fees
When can policy analysis take place in relation to policy implementation?
Policy analysis can take place before or after its implementation!
It can be conducted to anticipate results of alternative policies in order to choose among them or to describe the consequences of a policy.
What is descriptive policy analysis?
Policy analysis that is evaluative and takes place after it has been implemented to describe the consequences of it.
Or it is the interpretation of past policies.
What is predictive policy analysis?
Policy analysis that takes place before it has been implemented to anticipate the potential results of implementing the policy and choose among the best of alternative policies.
What are the 6 steps of basic policy analysis?
- Define the problem
- Determine evaluation criteria
- Identify alternative policies
- Evaluate alternative policies
- Compare them
- Assess the outcomes
How do you define the problem in order to conduct policy analysis?
Understand the positions and influence of various people.
-who is concerned about the issue?
-why?
-what are their stakes in the issue/what power do they have to affect a policy decision?
A lot of policy analysis involves…
DATA, data analysis, and accumulating data.
What are the “Big Three” data agencies?
- Census Bureau
- Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
BEA and BLS provide statistics and counts on employment.
What is empirical data?
A lot of the intelligence collected about a public policy issue is empirical data.
Graphic presentation of this data is essential to make it palatable and capture the meaning of the data (eg. bar chart, histogram)
quantities and proportions
Often what is collected when evaluating a public policy issue.
What types of graphs are used to present empirical data?
- Bar Chart
- Histogram
What is the difference between a bar chart and histogram?
A bar chart has distinct groups (eg. race) while a histogram has continuous categories (eg. income)
What are costs and benefits as an economic concept?
Cost = use of resources (eg. tax dollars) diverted from other uses
Benefits = “negative costs”
-can be direct or indirect
-can be tangible or not
-monetizable or not
-short-term or long-term
What is standing as an economic concept?
refers to who is to be considered when costs and benefits are being computed.
who is being counted when the pros and cons of alternatives are being estimated?
What is externality as an economic concept?
a phenomenon or effect external to a producer or consumer but that affects a producer or consumer (eg. breathing bad air)
Externalities can be positive (eg. community college trains people in IT and they are hired by a local industry)
What is elasticity as an economic concept?
a concept important to policy analysis because government speculate about what the response will be to different price points.
For example, what municipal price of water will encourage/impact water conservation.
elasticity is used to measure the change in the aggregate quantity demanded of a good or service in relation to price movements of that good or service.
What is marginal analysis as an economic concept?
a principle from microeconomics
if marginal costs = marginal revenue then it creates an equilibrium condition
What is marginal analysis as an economic concept?
a principle from microeconomics
if marginal costs = marginal revenue then it creates an equilibrium condition
What is equity and sustainability as an economic concept?
Efficiency and equity criteria are difficult to (and are seldom both) maximize in the same program.
Programs that provide a lot of efficiency might be inequitable or unsustainable.
What are __ types of commonly used evaluation criteria?
- Technical feasibility criteria
- Economic and financial feasibility criteria
- Political viability criteria
What is technical feasibility as commonly used policy evaluation criteria?
Examples include: will the bridge carry the expected traffic? will the water be treated to the quality level sought?
What is economic and financial feasibility as commonly used policy evaluation criteria?
Measures what the program costs are against the benefits that the policy produces.
Economic and fiscal impacts of a policy are not the same thing.
What is political viability as commonly used policy evaluation criteria?
Measures policy or program outcomes in terms of impact on relevant power groups.
What is administrative operability as commonly used policy evaluation criteria?
Measures how possible it is to actually implement the policy or program.
Eg: Is staffing available? Will employees cooperate? Can it be done on time?
What is a fiscal impact analysis?
Fiscal impact analysis IS NOT economic impact analysis.
Fiscal impact analysis calculates the total cost to the city of new development, as well as the tax revenue that is generated from the development.
Fiscal impact analysis generally refers to efforts to estimate the budgetary effects of various types of land uses on local governmental jurisdictions or other local service providers.
Used to estimate the impact of a development, land use change, or plan on the cost and revenues of governmental units.
Fiscal Impact Analysis involves estimating the net impact of a particular project on government and seeks to connect planning and local economics by estimating the public costs and revenues that result from property investments.
Eg. looking at a city’s tax rate and the average cost of educating a child in the local school system (education cost), or the average cost of constructing a public building (facility cost)
The method you would use to study the fiscal impacts of the proposed annexation.
What is economic impact analysis?
Focuses on the cash flow to the private sector measured in income, jobs, output, or indirect impacts.
What is the difference between building codes, subdivision regulation, and zoning?
What are building codes?
Building codes are based on health and safety standards.
Building codes control design, construction, and materials used in construction.
What are subdivision regulations?
Subdivision regulations control the manner in which blocks of land over a certain size can be converted into building lots.
What is a subdivision plat? What does it look like?
What kinds of characteristics are included in a subdivision plat?
-site features (topography, flood hazard areas)
-lot dimensions & layout
-street rights-of-way
-type and dimensions of streets
-type, size, and placement of utilities
surveyor precisely prepares final plat map
What do zoning ordinances specify?
-what can be constructed in each zone
-what uses are allowable
What is the Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R)?
FAR is the amount of floor area on a parcel to the amount of land on parcel.
Calculations of this ratio are used to determine floor space in relation to the lot size.
For example:
If FAR=3, it can be a 3-story building completely covering a parcel of land (3:1) ratio
FAR=3 could also be a 6-story building covering half of a parcel of land. 6*.05=3/1=3
What is Gross Leasable Area (GLA)?
GLA is a measure of floor space used to estimate the number of parking spaces required (depending on use).
How do you calculate the Floor Area Ratio (FAR)?
You obtain FAR by dividing the gross (total) floor area of a building by the total area of the lot
FAR is usually expressed as a decimal fraction (eg. 0.5)
What is the difference between a preliminary plat and a final plat?
A final plat is prepared by a surveyor.
FAR is the ratio of what to what?
Gross floor area to total lot size(area)
When is a variance to zoning granted?
A variance is granted because of specific characteristics of a particular property
Might allow deviation from dimensional requirements (like setbacks and heights)
A variance might alter the allowable use of a parcel.
_________ typically deals with approving or denying variances/site-specific modifications of local zoning regulations.
Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)
(or Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) - as in Pgh)
What is a Conditional Use/Special Use Permit?
allows land uses in zones where the use isn’t currently allowed
eg. special use permit for a residence to be constructed in an industrial zone (like Chateau)
What is overlay zoning?
This type of zoning allows a mixture of uses and promotes flexibility and design in density.
Commonly used, overlay zoning allows a community’s functional concerns to cut across existing zoning designations.
You apply the overlay zone over one or more previously established zoning districts to establish additional standards for properties in addition to the requirements in the existing district.
Used for a historic or downtown district or flood control district, for example.
What is a floating zone?
Floating zone districts are described in a zoning ordinance but haven’t been included on the zoning map.
Delineates conditions that have to be met before zoning can be approved.
Floating zoning implements concepts like the Planned Unit Development (PUD), or cluster development
What is a Planned Unit Development (PUD)?
a PUD is a floating zone intended to create a mix of uses, density and infrastructure standards, to allow flexibility in the development standards for specific uses on the subject site.
Once approved, and the PUD is attached to a specific piece of land, the zone becomes added to the official zoning map and is no longer “floating” as a concept.
a land use tool you would use if you wanted to reduce lot sizes in exchange for open space concessions.
kind of like where GM lives - a community of single-family homes, and sometimes condos or townhomes, where every homeowner belongs to a homeowners association (HOA) but has church, grocery store, etc.. usually
ADVANTAGES:
Allows greater flexibility in site design
Allows zoning through negotiation
Allows differing densities throughout the development
A term used to describe a housing development not subject to standard zoning requirements for the area.
What is the key difference between a variance and special/conditional use permit?
Both are limited exceptions to the zoning ordinance; however:
A variance is granted because of the specific physical conditions of a particular property (eg. setbacks or building height), while the special use permit is granted to allow land uses in zones where the use isn’t allowed.
How is an overlay zone different from a floating zone?
A floating zone doesn’t appear on the zoning map, but is a type of zone that can be applied in a proposed location.
An overlay zone applies rules to a specific area.
What is form-based code/zoning?
Focuses on the form of the built environment. Use is incorporated but isn’t the main driver.
Design-based regulations NOT guidelines.
Form-based codes are meant to be visual, easy to understand and clearly show the community’s vision.
Focuses on building form as it relates to streetscape and adjacent uses. Encourages mixed use. Relies on design.
Creating a form-based code begins with:
Asking a community to envision its future.
Form-Based Codes are composed of two types of standards:
- Building Form Standards
- Public Space Standards
both of which are mapped into a regulating plan
What are Building Form Standards?
Building Form Standards regulate:
-setbacks (how far buildings are from sidewalks)
-how much window area a building must have
-how tall a building is in relation to width of the street
-how accessible and welcoming front entrances are
-where a building’s parking goes
What are Public Space Standards?
Regulate:
-individuals streets
-how individual streets connect and function
eg. walkable interconnected street system vs. contemporary car-oriented street system (cal-de-sacs)
What is a regulating plan and what does it look like?
The regulating plan is the controlling document and tool for implementing form-based code.
It maps the locations where the building form standards and public space standards are being implemented.
What is transect-based coding/planning?
It is a subcategory/type of a form-based code that applies the idea of a rural to urban transect/line where you might have developments that are more vs. less rural or urban.
The “transect” is a land-use term that describes a location based on its relative density, natural and/or built form characteristics
What is transect planning based on?
A long history of human settlements.
Patrick Geddes came up with a similar “valley section” idea
Transect code is implemented through ______.
The SmartCode
What is the SmartCode?
A continuum of transect zones from rural to urban. SmartCode is a transect-code that is also a form-based code.
Miami 21 was one of the first to adopt this transect-based form-based zoning code.
There are 6 transect zones plus one special district. There are many adaptations of the basic SmartCode template, and locally calibrated codes can have more zones than 6.
Denver Form-Based Zoning Code
considers zoning based on an area’s existing or desired future character.
it is context-based and takes into consideration existing block patterns, lot shapes, building forms, transportation, and parking.
What is the difference between form-based codes and design guidelines?
Form-based code is regulatory/required, it is not a guideline.
How is land use dealt with in a form-based code?
The regulation of land use is included in a form-based code but it is a secondary concern to the regulation of form.
What is Performance Zoning?
An alternative to zoning whereby performance standards regulate development by setting desired goals (eg. no negative impact on the watershed)
provides flexibility but it is not that common because it’s difficult to administer since someone has to determine what the performance measures are and whether or not developments are achieving them.
What are the 3 recommendations for managing zoning non-conformities?
- Rezone to minimize nonconformities
- Sanction benign nonconformities
- Phase out detrimental nonconformities
What is a design review board?
Popular, designed to implement urban design guidelines.
They don’t have to operate only in historic districts - they can deal with purely aesthetic issues like color.
Design review boards can exercise discretionary review.
They MUST have standards as a basis for decisions. Ideally, defined standards or an adopted comprehensive plan.
Why is performance zoning not more common?
It is more difficult to administer and costly because it requires you to establish performance measures and then monitor/evaluate developments to make sure they are achieving performance outcomes.
What can be done about zoning nonconformities?
- Rezone to minimize them
- Sanction benign ones
- Phase out detrimental ones
What are 8 different types of Revenue?
- Regressive Taxes
- Progressive Taxes
- User Fees
- Intergovernmental Transfers
- Property Taxes
- Local-Option Taxes
- Regulatory Fees
- Development Exactions/Special Assessments/Impact Fees
What are regressive taxes?
A type of revenue - Regressive taxes take a larger percentage of income from low-income earners than high-income earners.
Under a regressive tax system (e.g., sales tax), individuals and entities with low incomes pay a higher amount of that income in taxes compared to high-income earners.
APA does NOT prefer this.
What are progressive taxes?
Taxes that take a larger percentage of income from high-income earners than low-income earners.
A type of revenue - Progressive tax increases the tax rate as the tax base increases (i.e., the tax rate, along with tax liability, increases as an individual or entity’s wealth increases).
APA advocates for this over regressive taxes.
What are user fees?
A type of revenue that local governments can generate from a range of provider services, utilities, parking fees, fees for using municipal services…etc.
What are Intergovernmental Transfers?
A type of revenue where state taxes can be shared with local governments.
What are property taxes?
A primary mechanism/type of revenue from which local governments have generated a majority of their revenue.
What are Local-Option Taxes?
A type of revenue where in addition to property taxes, local governments can levy a local-option SALES TAX or individual and corporate income taxes.
What are regulatory fees?
A type of revenue local governments can generate through their regulatory powers (eg. fees to cover a cost for administering a business license, inspection, or code enforcement…etc)
What are Development Exactions and Special Assessments?
A type of revenue local governments can generate.
Impact fee - fee charged by local governments to developers as reimbursement of the cost to provide additional services for new development (eg. putting in a wider road or new sewer)
What are two examples of local-option taxes that are not property tax?
In addition to property tax, local government can levy local sales tax or individual income taxes.
What are the effects of a sales tax revenue structure on land development?
Could affect a lot of retail locating near the boundaries of your jurisdiction because it allows them to generate tax revenue and minimize expenditure on infrastructure and services for non-resident shoppers.
What are the effects of a income tax revenue structure on land development?
This might encourage employment-intensive uses such as office park development.
What are the effects of no sales or income tax on land development?
This might create a problem if you have a lot of vacant land. Prioritize policies that maximize property value and incentivize development of vacant land.
What are Community Benefits Agreements?
Address a lot of different issues relating to how the surrounding community is benefited.
Demand things like:
-local hiring
-job training programs
-having affordable housing nearby
-providing community facilities
Effective at addressing site-specific development impacts, but don’t easily get through politically bc of resistance from developers.
How might a sales tax affect land development?
A sales tax might have the effect of retail locating near the jurisdiction boundaries to avoid sales tax.
What is difficult about a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA)?
CBAs can be difficult to enact politically; sometimes there is no consensus on who represents the community side of the agreement.
What is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)?
A company that owns real estates and those trusts are bought and sold on wall street (private financing)
What are two kinds of bonds?
Bonds are a public financing option:
1.General obligation bonds
2. Revenue bonds
How do General Obligation Bonds differ from Revenue Bonds?
General Obligation Bonds are backed by the credit of the issuer and their power to tax (like a city), while a Revenue Bond is backed by a specific stream of revenue (like from building a stadium).
They have different sources of cash flow responsible for repaying they investors who provide the capital to issue the bonds.
What are general obligation bonds?
A public financing option.
Backed by the credit of the issuer, including the power of a city to tax its citizens.
general obligation bonds are backed by the general tax revenues and are generally considered safe investments.
What are revenue bonds?
A public financing option.
Backed by a specific stream of income/revenue (eg. building a stadium)
A revenue bond is backed by income from specific projects, such as a toll bridge or a stadium. Municipal bonds can be classified as either revenue bonds or general obligation bonds.
Revenue bonds are municipal bonds that can be used to finance income-producing projects. The bonds are secured by a specified revenue source. The bonds can be issued by any government agency that has a revenue source.
What are bond ratings?
Bond ratings are linked to a community’s debt.
Municipal bond ratings are assessments of the investment risk.
Moody’s is a service that provides an investment grade for bonds issued.
What is TIF district?
Tax Increment Financing: A real estate development technique where the anticipated increase in real estate tax revenue resulting from increased property values is used to pay off bonds that are sold to finance the development.
Public purpose is redevelopment of a blighted area or to prevent blight.
With a TIF, a city captures the additional property taxes that result from the development improvements.
Tax Increment Financing is often used to support the funding of capital improvements in a specific area of a community. This is achieved through capturing the increase in tax value.
- used to encourage economic growth in a blighted or soon to be blighted area
- for developers who can’t pay for their project on their own.
- must benefit the entire community (eg. grocery)
What is a Business Improvement District (BID)?
A Special District method of financing.
A business group bands together and funnels money by taxing themselves into the improvement of their business district.
What is the difference between a BID and a TIF?
In a TIF, an increase in tax revenue resulting from redevelopment is used to pay off bonds that are sold refinancing the development, while a BID involves businesses coming together to tax themselves to pay for district improvements.
What are 7 types of budgeting?
- Line-item budgeting
- Program budgeting
- Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS)
- Zero-Based budget (ZBB)
- Performance budgeting
- Annuality
- Participatory Budgeting
What is line-item budgeting?
The earliest, most traditional way of separating expenditures into different categories.
Costs categorized by department or administrative unit.
The advantage is that budgets are easily managed.
This type of budgeting is good for smaller agencies.
What is Program Budgeting?
Budgets are organized around specific programs.
Easier for staff working on the programs to manage.
What is the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS)?
a type of budgeting that originated in the defense industry.
PPBS combines program budgeting with short- and long-term planning targets.
This type of budgeting includes performance measures, a tracking system, and there’s an identification of a critical path needed to reach organizational objectives.
PPBS is about linking planning and budgeting and making the budget reflect objectives, strategies, and plans.
What is Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)?
A method of budgeting where expenses have to be justified for each new period.
As you start with a budgeting cycle, you start with a zero-base and then every function within an organization is analyzed accordingly.
this type of performance budget model involves decision units
What is Performance Budgeting?
This type of budgeting takes Program Budgeting one step further and ties the budget to specific performance objectives for each program.
ties budgets to performance objectives.
What is Annuality?
This is type of budgeting is common practice. You specify that a budget has to be prepared every year covering only one year (annual). If some funds aren’t spend by the end of the year. You return the unspent money to the general fund.
What is Participatory Budgeting?
A type of budgeting whereby people in the community get together to decide what the part of a public budget should be spent on.
What is Capital Improvements Programming?
A plan to fund infrastructure and building improvements over a fixed period of time.
It uses:
-forecasts
-population projections
-a proposed schedule of construction projects (often 5 years) for making improvements in order of priority
-cost estimates
-anticipated means of financing the projects
What is Net Operating Income?
a calculation used to analyze income producing real estate investments.
=Gross income - operating expenses
May include vacancy rate.
NOI is used to calculate the capitalization rate (cap rate).
What is a Cap Rate?
Capitalization rate is the rate of return on a real estate investment property based on the income that the property is expected to generate.
eg. If a $1M property generates NOI of $100k, the cap rate is 10%.
NOI/total property value (current market value)= cap rate
How is a CIP (Capital Improvements Program) related to a comprehensive plan?
A CIP is a key way that a comprehensive plan is implemented.
The CIP is supposed to be reviewed for its compliance with a comprehensive plan.
What are community indicators?
Regularly tracking how a community is doing.
Health measures, traffic impact, economic indicators…etc.
What are some examples of Smart Growth Criteria and Standards
REVIEW APPENDIX B PAS REPORT TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND PROJECT EVALUATION.
What are 3 things involved in project evaluation?
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Fiscal Impact Analysis
- Economic Impact Analysis
What is cost-benefit analysis?
Involves the actual and hidden costs of a proposed project measured against the benefits of that same project.
What is the purpose of Fiscal Impact Analysis (FIA)?
Primary purpose of a fiscal impact analysis is to assist city or county officials determine if a project will generate sufficient revenue to defray necessary public service costs
The purpose of Fiscal Impact Analysis is to estimate the impact of a development, land use change, or plan on the costs and revenues of governmental units serving the development.
Fiscal Impact Analysis might involve the projection of direct costs and revenues resulting from population or employment change in the local jurisdiction.
Fiscal impact analysis calculates the total cost to the city of new development, as well as the tax revenue that is generated from the development.
Why is Fiscal Impact Analysis (FIA) important?
It helps local governments evaluate the relative fiscal merits of plans or projects/developments.
How is a Fiscal Impact Analysis different from an Economic Impact Analysis?
Economic Impact Analysis focuses on cash flow to the private sector measured in income, jobs, output, indirect impacts…etc.
FIA focuses on cash flow to the public sector.
What might you look at in order to conduct a Fiscal Impact Analysis?
-City’s property tax rate
-Average cost of educating a child
-Average cost per sq. ft. of constructing a public building
DOESN’T LOOK AT HISTORIC TRENDS IN ASSESSED VALUE. It’s not about trends.
What is the Critical Path Method (CPM) project management technique?
CPM helps with decision-making and is about the optimal scheduling of tasks.
CPM is used for complex projects with inter-related activities.
CPM deals with PREDICTABLE activities (projects that are recurring) and concentrates on time rather than time-cost tradeoffs. CPM produces a reasonable time estimate.
Cost is the controlling factor and is more important than time.
What is the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) project management technique?
PERT is about the optimal scheduling of tasks. (sequencing events so that it is clear which activities need to occur in which sequence to ensure the success of the project and completion before the deadline).
PERT helps with unpredictable activities (non-recurring) where time needed to complete activities is not known. It concentrates on the trade-off between time and cost. It produces a “high precision” time estimate.
Time is the controlling factor. Attention is given to minimizing time to minimize cost.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique chart would allow for the rapid sequencing of tasks ensuring that the project deadline can be met.
The Program Evaluation and Review technique is a decision-making tool designed to achieve objectives in which time is a critical factor. This technique is most helpful when time expectations are significant.
What is a Goal Achievement Matrix (GAM)?
A way of setting goals and marking them against objectives.
Facilitates the process of project prioritization.
The Goals-Achievement Matrix can be used in plan evaluation to aid in seeing where implementation has been achieved and where revisions may be necessary.
What is a GANTT Chart?
a project management tool that helps you think through each task of a project, who is responsible, how long each task takes, and what problems your team might encounter.
Mapping this out helps you to ensure that the schedule is workable.
How would the APA prefer you to post and accept proposals?
Use electronic processes.
What are 3 key steps at the beginning of a project when engaging a consultant?
- Flesh out the details of the schedule.
- Establish preferred methods of communication.
- Give the consultant additional political, planning, and practical background on the project not in the RFP. (kickoff meeting Q&A)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of sole source procurement?
Worst procurement strategy in APA’s eyes
-20-45 days (shorter time)
-low cost
-higher legal/political concerns
-qualifications weaker generally and for specific projects
What are the strengths and weaknesses of selecting consultants from “off the shelf” (pre-qualified)?
-shorter timeframe to select after the shelf has been created
-excellent qualifications
-low cost
-low/medium legal/political concerns
-weak project specific qualifications
What are the strengths and weaknesses of an RFQ?
-75-90 day longer timeframe
-Excellent qualifications
-Fair project-specific qualifications
-Medium cost
-Low legal/political concerns
What are the strengths and weaknesses of an RFP?
-75-90 day longer timeframe
-Excellent qualifications
-Good project-specific qualifications
-Low legal/political concerns
-High cost
What are the strengths and weaknesses of a two-step RFQ-RFP?
Apparently the best in APA’s eyes, but it takes the longest amount of time.
-Excellent general and project-specific qualifications
-medium to high cost
-low legal/political concerns
READ THE APPENDICES OF WORKING WITH PLANNING CONSULTANTS
Is there a difference between CPM and PERT?
They are both project management techniques with differences. They are often used together.
What is the best way to engage citizens in a planning process?
Neighborhood meetings. Engagement includes opportunities for interaction, not just informing.
As the director of a non-profit housing advocacy organization that is growing, you realize that your organization needs to transform. You want your staff to work together to discuss the organizational topics that are most relevant to them as a staff-driven conversation, which participatory method do you choose?
Open Space allows for people to propose topics to discuss and those who are interested choose to participate in that dialogue. The groups prepare summaries of their discussion to share with the entire group.
NOT focus groups.
Operating and long-term maintenance costs should be considered in which budgeting technique?
Capital Improvement Planning
How many acres are in the south 1/2 of the southeast 1/4 of the northwest 1/4 of Section 6?
Townships are subdivided into sections. Each township is 6 miles by 6 miles, so a township contains 36 square miles, each one forming a section.
Calculations start at the end and work to the beginning of a sentence.
Each section is one square mile which is 640 acres. A quarter of 640 is 160. A quarter of 160 is 40 and 1/2 of 40 is 20 acres.
What 4 things can be used to preserve agricultural land (eg. zoning, ordinances..etc)?
I. Agricultural Zoning
II. Transfer of Development Rights
III. Purchase of Development Rights (<- the best method of protecting and preserving)
IV. Right to Farm Ordinance
a purchase program guarantees that land will be preserved in perpetuity.
What is the most important element of a contract for consulting work?
a list of milestones
In an RFP, the identification of milestones in the project is the most important because this makes it clear the expectations of the consultant.
What is a CDP, according to the U.S. Census?
A Census Designated place (CDP)
is recognized similar to a city, but it is not incorporated (eg a major master planned community in unincorporated areas)
What is an analysis of the relationship between two variables called?
Regression analysis.
A regression compares the relationship between two or more variables. Regression Analysis is a statistic that provides an estimate of one variable based upon other variables.
For example, the volume of traffic is based on land uses and type of roadway.
What 2 pieces of information are needed to conduct a shift-share analysis?
I. Industry employment for the region
II. Industry employment for the nation
A shift-share analysis, determines what portions of regional economic growth or decline can be attributed to national, economic industry, and regional factors.
Shift-share analysis helps identify industries where a regional economy has competitive advantages over the larger economy.
Which population estimation method would use building permits to estimate current population?
a Symptomatic approach would give the best estimate.
You have a meeting with a group of community leaders that have come forward that represents a shared interest. This is known as a:
Coalition
A coalition represents the interests of a variety of groups who chose to come together for a shared purpose.
The City Council for the City of Plannersville has asked you to undertake a fiscal analysis to determine if annexation of a 500-acre area makes sense. What type of fiscal analysis would be most appropriate?
Cost Revenue Analysis
Cost revenue analysis determines the full cost of delivering a service or group of services. For example, cost revenue analysis could be used to determine the economic feasibility of annexing various types of land uses into a city. Operating costs are apportioned to land uses in the proposed annexation area and compared to the tax yields anticipated from the development.
How is the official unemployment rate calculated?
Individuals unemployed divided by individuals 16 years of age and older in the labor force.
What is the difference between the lowest and highest score on an exam?
Range
What type of tax do real estate owners pay based on the assessed value of their property?
Property Tax - based on the assessed value of real property, and includes land and improvements.
How many acres are in a mile?
640 acres in one square mile
What is a legally permissible reason for delaying approval of a permit for a proposed development that complies with the city’s development codes:
A valid, temporary moratorium was in place before the application was submitted.
What are Consensus Conferences used for?
Consensus Conferences are used to inform a panel of citizens about a complex technological or scientific issue, incorporating public opinion and values. Then, the panel formulates a consensus position on the implications of the planning issue.
What is a budget that reflects one-time major expenditures to be used over a long period of time?
Capital Budget
What is a variance?
a form of relief from requirements of an ordinance based on “unnecessary hardships”
What is the intensity of residential land use measured by?
Dwelling units per acre
A nonconformity can be defined as…
Uses and structures that existed prior to the zoning ordinance and are not in conformity with its provisions.
What is a special use permit?
a device to provide flexibility within the zoning ordinance
Eg. where the zoning authorities allow a business to operate in an area that is not normally marked for business activities (such as in a residential area).
Eg. where a church is allowed to operate in an area otherwise marked for businesses.
This type of land use can be described as being allowed “by-right”
Permitted Use
What is an exaction?
an exaction is something the local zoning authority requires a property owner to give to the community, in order to obtain approval to develop land. The “something” can be almost anything: land; a portion of the value of the land; money (a mitigation fee); or other property.
Eg. a subdivider’s financial responsibility for public improvements associated with a development
What is the name of a fund established to manage the revenues and expenditures of a minor league baseball park or golf course?
An enterprise fund is an account that manages the revenues and expenditures of a self-sufficient activity such as a minor league baseball park, parking garage, golf course, or zoo.
“Enterprise Funds account for any activity for which a fee is charged to external users for goods or services.”
Which of the following budget methods would be most appropriate if the City Council has directed departments to create a series of decision packages upon which they can decide whether to fund or not?
ZBB - Zero Base Budgeting uses decision packages that can be independently decided upon for funding purposes.
Zero based budgeting assumes that every unit has $0 and then the governing body decides on a series of decision packages that will advance key goals and objectives of the organization.
Steps include:
-Isolating decision packages
-Analyzing decision packages
-Ranking decision packages in order of priority
What is linear programming?
Linear programming is about allocation of resources. On 1 timeline.
Linear programming can be used to find the optimum design solution on a project.
What is push analysis?
A push analysis determines the sales capacity of a market area and if the introduction of a new business will generate additional customers.
What is meant by quasi-judicial?
Quasi-judicial refers to a proceeding conducted by an administrative or executive official or organization that is similar to a court proceeding.
Examples of quasi-judicial decisions include decisions on: variances, special exceptions, consideration of a conditional use permit, consideration of a variance request, Amendment of the Master Plan, subdivision plats, zoning code violations, site-specific rezoning to PUD, site plan review and the decisions of a board of adjustment, and many decisions of a planning commission.
associated with Zoning Board of Adjustments
NOT a revision to the zoning ordinance or review of rezoning requests or reviewing final plats (that is legislative)
Almost all planning and zoning decisions made by local zoning boards, commissions, and elected officials fall into one of two categories: legislative decisions or quasi-judicial decisions. The basic difference between the two categories is…..?
legislative decisions ESTABLISH POLICIES for future application, while quasi-judicial, or administrative decisions are the application of those policies.
What are 3 examples of legislative (not quasi-judicial) decisions?
adoption of plans
adoption or revision of zoning ordinances (eg. amendments to ordinances)
passing budgets
completed by the governing body: City Council or County
NOT by the Planning Commission
What is used to project future economic activity?
The US Department of Commerce uses an index of 12 LEADING INDICATORS to measure the direction of the economy:
interest rates, stock prices, oil prices, unemployment, housing starts, consumer expectations, and more
When are impact fees usually collected?
When building permits are issued.
When making a zoning map amendment, it is a minimum requirement prior to a public hearing to _________.
notify property owners within the set distance of the zoning amendment
What is T1 in Transect Code?
Natural Zone
What is T2 in Transect Code?
Rural Zone
What is T3 in Transect Code?
Suburban Zone
What is T6 in Transect Code?
Urban Core Zone
What is a responsibility of the Board of Zoning Adjustments?
Reviewing variance requests, which are deviations from the dimensional requirements of a zoning ordinance pertaining to height, width, location of structures, or setbacks. The Board of Zoning Adjustments is responsible for quasi-judicial actions, such as variances.
Rezoning and plats are NOT reviewed by the BZA, they are reviewed by the Planning Commission.
What is a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA)?
a legal contract between a developer and community-based organizations representing residents’ interests.
-CBA must be related to one specific development project.
-CBAs can be private contracts or contracts enforced by local governments.
-CBAs can promise local hiring quotas
-CBAs may not be enforceable if the coalitions who signed them dissolve after signing.
one of the first CBAs, an agreement between Staples Center developers and Los Angeles residents.
What is Cumulative Zoning?
Cumulative Zoning is a method of zoning in which any use permitted in a higher-use, less intensive zone is permissible in a lower use, more intensive zone.
Eg. under this method, a house could be built in an industrial zone but a factory could not be built in a residential zone.
Eg. the community expresses interest in allowing residential uses in an industrial zone, which the current code does not allow.
What is Euclidean Zoning?
divides towns into districts based on permitted uses, and in so doing creates specific zones where certain land uses are permitted or prohibited
Euclidean zoning is the separation of land uses by type—residential, commercial, retail, industrial, etc.—each into their own zones
What is Pyramid Zoning?
Including more restrictive uses in less restrictive uses.
Eg. Residential use (more restrictive) would be allowed in an area zoned commercial (less restrictive)
Eg. commercial (more restrictive) would be allowed in an area zoned industrial (less restrictive).
The Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook
The American Planning Association created this document to encourage states to revise their standard state zoning enabling acts.
The Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook and its accompanying User Manual are the culmination of APA’s seven-year Growing Smart project, an effort to draft the next generation of model planning and zoning legislation for the U.S.
What are the steps in the subdivision process?
-The Initial Survey
-The Draft Plat Exhibit and Preliminary Construction Plans
-Staff review of preliminary plat
-City and County Submissions and Revisions
-Planning Commission approves preliminary plat
-Final Plat and Engineering Plans
-Recordation of the plat
A rezoning is not associated with the subdivision of land.
The City of Plannersville is developing a downtown plan. Over the last 20 years, the downtown has experienced significant disinvestment. The plan calls for one activity node to be focused on downtown housing with a park in the center. What would be the most effective method for financing the park?
TIFs are best used in blighted areas that have the potential for an increased tax base. A TIF is used to finance public improvements through the increase in tax value on the surrounding property.
A General Obligation bond and special assessment could be used, but a TIF would be the most effective and politically feasible option.
Which of the following would you include in the drafting of a zoning ordinance?
I. Minimum lot sizes
II. Maximum building heights
III. Procedures for changes in zoning
IV. Placement of infrastructure
I. Minimum lot sizes
II. Maximum building heights
III. Procedures for changes in zoning
A zoning ordinance would include information on lot sizes, building heights and procedures. It would not include information on placement of infrastructure, which is more likely to appear in subdivision regulations.
What is the purpose of zoning?
-To attract business and industry.
-To protect and maintain property values.
-To promote public health and safety.
Zoning works to implement the comprehensive plan by guiding growth and development, and providing standards for development.
As the planning director in Dallas, you just completed an update to your comprehensive plan and as a result are updating the capital improvement program. The update to the CIP should include which of the following?
I. Land acquisitions
II. Police cars
III. Pavement repairs
IV. Concurrency
Only land acquisitions and concurrency.
According to Planning and Urban Design Standards, a capital improvements program (CIP) is typically a 5-7 year plan for planning and funding public facilities and infrastructure.
It includes both the construction of new facilities and the rehabilitation or replacement of existing capital facilities. A key element is the link between growth in a community and timing of capital investments – also known as concurrency.
What is a cost-revenue analysis based on?
Cost Revenue Analysis takes into account a set of economic assumptions for both anticipated sources of revenues and expected expenditures (in capital and recurring sources).
Cost revenue analysis determines the full cost of delivering a service or group of services. For example, cost revenue analysis could be used to determine the economic feasibility of annexing various types of land uses into a city. Operating costs are then apportioned to land uses in the proposed annexation area and compared to the tax yields anticipated from the development.
What is the annual rate of interest paid on a bond that a borrower pays to the bondholder?
Coupon Rate is the rate of interest for bonds, notes, and other securities.
What is Negotiation-based Land Value Recapture?
An increasing number of developers have been seeking rezonings allowing for increased development. Given the development pressures, you want to understand how the public will “recapture” a reasonable share of the increased land value in the form of community benefits. This would be the approach you use.
Negotiation-based Land Value Recapture results in negotiating development agreements that ties increased densities to community amenity contributions.
What are common ways in which cities use Tax Increment Financing (TIF)?
I. To fund capital improvements to jump-start development in a specific area.
II. To retain existing businesses by investing in infrastructure upgrades or additional services in a district.
Tax Increment Financing is often used to support the funding of capital improvements in a specific area of a community. This is achieved through capturing the increase in tax value.
used to encourage economic growth
A change to the text of a zoning ordinance is known as a:
a zoning text amendment.
A __________ involves a zoning map amendment.
rezoning
As part of the comprehensive plan, the staff created a goals-achievement matrix. It is now time to use the matrix. At what point in the process are you:
Plan evaluation
What is ZBB?
Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB) is method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each budget period.
Zero-base budgeting starts from a “$0 base” and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. Budgets are then built around what is needed for the upcoming budget year, regardless of whether the budget is higher or lower than the previous one.
-Breaks the budget into decision packages
-Starts the budget each year from scratch
-Ties decision packages to long range goals
This method allows for strategic goal implementation and integration into the budgeting process by tying goals to expenditures.
What is a multi-attribute utility analysis?
Multi-attribute Utility Analysis will allow for weight to be assigned the various values and for different alternatives to be evaluated.
Multi-attribute Utility Analysis allows for weighting of a series of values dimensions. For example, participants are given a number of points that can be allocated between the value dimensions or participants can be asked which of two values is more important.
What is proportional tax?
A type of revenue - A proportional tax (aka a flat tax) assesses the same tax rate regardless of income or wealth.
What is a tax increment?
A tax increment is the additional property tax generated by a development; the increment is “captured” to finance development costs.
What is the Proportional Valuation Method?
The proportional valuation method is a fiscal analysis that examines increases in community revenues and expenditures related to development and estimates the average costs of the development.
Specific costs and revenues are allocated to residential, commercial and industrial land uses in proportion to the share each represents of the total property base as reflected in property value.
After costs and revenues are allocated, a current cost per acre by land use type is estimated and this is then applied to the development.
Eg. You are charged with redeveloping a 25-acre former public housing site into a office park. You need to conduct a fiscal analysis that estimates the average costs of the proposed office development.
What is the Employment Anticipation Method of fiscal analysis?
The Employment Anticipation Method is a recently developed marginal costing technique for projecting the impact of nonresidential growth on local municipal costs and revenues. The Employment Anticipation Method is applicable in situations where the analyst wants to know the impact of exclusively nonresidential facilities on municipal costs.
What are examples of performance standards? (for which you might evaluate the outcomes of a vision process)
-Setting a target number of new housing units to be built within the center of the city
-The adoption of an amendment to the zoning ordinance allowing transit oriented development
-Setting the number of new neighborhood organizations to be created to assist the city in policy evaluation
NOT “Setting a goal of improving open space” - this is not a performance standard. Probably because there isn’t a specific measure for this indicated.
What are best practices in support of the Accountable Implementation process?
-Establish interagency and organizational cooperation.
-Adjust the plan as necessary based on the evaluation.
-Connect plan implementation to the capital planning process.
A capital improvement budget includes those facilities that are planned for construction in which of the following time spans?
1 year - The budget applies to the first year of the capital plan.
What is a Zero Lot Line?
A zero lot line property is any property in which the structure of the home touches or comes very close to the boundary of the lot.
What is Cluster Zoning?
Cluster development (or “open space development”) preserves open space and directs development away from natural, scenic, historic, and agricultural areas by limiting construction to small areas.
Cluster zoning is a type of zoning in which density is determined for an entire area, rather than on a lot-by-lot basis.
What are the goals of a site plan?
-provision for adequate parking and loading facilities
-improve the aesthetics of projects
-preservation of on-site natural features
NOT to increase the value of the property
The general purposes of site plan review are to protect the health, safety, convenience, and welfare of the inhabitants of the community by providing a comprehensive review of land use and development plans on a site by site basis.
Special Assessment District
The street lights will have a fixed cost for installation that can be assessed to property owners over a period of time. This assessment could for example be based on the linear feet of street frontage over a period of seven years. Property owners would pay this special assessment as part of their property tax bill.
Eg. Residents in have raised concerns about neighborhood safety. They have lobbied the city to introduce street lights into the neighborhood. Residents are agreeable to paying for the street lights.
What are Special Districts?
Special Districts are an independent unit of local government often created by referendum and organized to perform government functions in a specific geographic area. They usually have the power to incur debt and levy taxes.
Eg. a way to set up a separate unit of government that can raise taxes and take over management of a unique recreational area that draws a lot of tourists.
The County Engineer reports that it will take $10 million to upgrade the major arterial to handle additional development. You are meeting with the finance director to discuss opportunities to raise funds to support future infrastructure to support this area of the city. You have proposed a transportation impact fee which has the following feature:
The impact fee should be based on a rational nexus demonstrating how the fee is proportionately related to the impact of the development.
This would best occur by the fee being based on the projected number of trips based on the land use.
What is a subarea plan?
Subarea plans are detailed plans prepared for a smaller geographic area within a community.
The areas can encompass neighborhoods, corridors, downtowns, or other types of special districts that show cohesive characteristics.
