CONCLUSION
The year 2020 regional land use plan presented in
this report was prepared as an extension in time of the
previously adopted year 2010 regional land use plan. The
new plan incorporates the basic principles and concepts of
the previous plan. Like the year 2010 plan, the new year
2020 regional land use plan promotes a compact, cen-
tralized regional settlement pattern, with urban develop-
ment recommended to occur within, and along the
periphery of, existing urban centers; promotes the location
of new urban development in areas which are physically
suitable for such development and which may be readily
served by basic urban services, including sanitary sewer,
water supply, and public transit services; and seeks to
preserve the remaining primary environmental corridor
lands and the most productive farmlands in the Region.
Although progress has been made in terms of imple-
menting the regional land use plan over the past three
decades, many challenges remain. These challenges
include the following:
* Maintaining and restoring older urban areas, includ-
ing brownfields and other unused or underutilized
areas, as desirable places to live and work.
*  Confining new intensive urban development to
existing and expanding urban centers that are
capable of providing basic urban services in an
economical and efficient manner.
* Increasing cooperation between incorporated and
unincorporated communities in planning future land
use and arrangements for the provision of urban
services and facilities in areas of mutual concern.
*   Implementing a more comprehensive approach
to natural resource preservation, involving, as
appropriate, county and local governments, State
government, and private interests, focusing on
upland resources as well as lowland resources.

* Strengthening of efforts to ensure the permanent
preservation of the most productive farmlands and
to maintain open space and rural character in other
areas of the Region located beyond the proposed
urban service areas.
*  Providing a sufficient range of homeowner and
rental housing opportunities for persons of all ages
and income levels within each urban area in the
Region, maximizing the opportunity for household
members to live near their places of employment
and schools of their choice.
The regional land use plan provides a framework within
which the concerned local, county, State, and Federal units
and agencies of government and private interests can
respond to these challenges. The plan promotes a more
compact, centralized settlement pattern; encourages maxi-
mum use of existing and planned public utility, trans-
portation facility, and other public facility systems; fosters
the maintenance of existing urban areas as desirable places
to live and work; seeks to maximize access of the resi-
dent population to neighborhood and community facilities
and employment centers; and seeks to preserve environ-
mentally sensitivc arcas and the most productive agri-
cultural lands.
The regional land use plan is advisory to counties, cities,
villages, towns, special-purpose units of government, State
and Federal agencies, and private interests. Implementation
of the plan involves a number of plan implementation
measures and requires close cooperation among the units
and agencies of government and private interests involved
in the application of those measures. Among the most
important measures are the following: additional land use
planning at the county and local levels to refine and detail
the areawide plan; regulatory measures, such as zoning,
land division control, and official mapping; oversight of
sanitary sewerage systems and private sewage disposal
systems; park and open space acquisition; and municipal
boundary and utility extension agreements. Attainment of
the regional development and open space preservation
objectives will require the consistent application of these
implementation measures in accordance with the regional
land use plan.

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