Chapter IV

OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPLES, AND STANDARDS

INTRODUCTION
Planning is a rational process for formulating and meeting
objectives. Consequently, the formulation of objectives
is an essential task that must be undertaken before plans
can be prepared. This chapter presents a set of land use
objectives along with supporting principles and related
standards recommended by the Technical Coordinating
and Advisory Committee on Regional Land Use Planning
as a basis for the preparation and evaluation of the year
2020 regional land use plan.
BASIC CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
The terms "objective," "principle," "standard," "plan,"
"policy," and "program" are subject to a range of inter-
pretations. Although this chapter deals with only the first
three of these terms, an understanding of the inter-
relationship between the foregoing terms and the basic
concepts which they represent is essential to any con-
sideration of objectives, principles, and standards. Under
the regional planning program, these terms have been
defined as follows:
1. Objective: a goal or end toward the attainment of
which plans and policies are directed.
2. Principle: a fundamental, primary, or generally
accepted tenet used to support objectives and pre-
pare standards and plans.
3. Standard: a criterion used as a basis of comparison
to determine the adequacy of plan proposals to
attain objectives.
4. Plan: a design which seeks to achieve agreed-
upon objectives.
5. Policy: a rule or course of action used to ensure
plan implementation.
6. Program: a coordinated series of policies and
actions to carry out a plan.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
THE LAND USE OBJECTIVES,
PRINCIPLES, AND STANDARDS
One of the most important tasks accomplished as part of
the first regional land use planning study in the mid-I 960s
was the formulation of a set of objectives, principles, and
standards expressing the desired direction, magnitude, and
quality of future development within the Region. Formu-
lated under the guidance of a broad-based Technical
Coordinating and Advisory Committee, these objectives
provided the basis for the development of the first regional
land use plan-the design year 1990 plan adopted by
the Commission in 1966. About 10 years later, the ini-
tial objectives, principles, and standards were carefully
reviewed and evaluated by the Technical Coordinating
and Advisory Committee and the Commission. In that
review, consideration was given to the degree of attain-
ment of each of the objectives since their initial adoption,
as well as to both adverse and favorable public reaction
to plan implementation proposals. The objectives, princi-
ples, and standards were subsequently reaffirmed, with
only minor modification, and recommended for use as a
basis for the preparation of the second regional land use
plan-the design year 2000 plan adopted by the Com-
mission in 1977. Subsequently, the adopted objectives,
principles, and standards were reviewed and evaluated in
a similar manner; were again reaffirmed with only minor
modification; and were recommended for use in the
preparation of the third regional land use plan-the design
year 2010 plan adopted by the Commission in 1992.
Under the current effort to extend the regional land use
plan to the year 2020, the land use objectives, principles,
and standards were again reviewed and evaluated by the
Technical Coordinating and Advisory Committee. Follow-
ing that review and evaluation, the Advisory Committee
recommended that the land use objectives adopted as part
of the year 2010 regional land use plan be incorporated
without change into the year 2020 plan. The Advisory
Committee reaffirmed the principles and standards of
the year 2010 plan, with only minor change, for use in
the preparation of the year 2020 plan. The balance of this

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