Title: Land-Use Controls: Comprehensive Plans, Zoning, and Property Restrictions
Headings: Land-Use Controls: Comprehensive Plans, Zoning, and Property Restrictions
Land-Use Controls: Comprehensive Plans, Zoning, and Property Restrictions
Legality for Land-Use Controls
Comprehensive Plan
Zoning
Subdivisions
Building Codes and Certificates of Occupancy
Changing Zoning: Zoning Boards, Variances, and Conditional Use Permits
Private Land-Use Controls

Content: A transportation infrastructure must also be provided: highways, public transit, parking, and possibly pedestrian and bicycle paths. To protect health and the environment, there must be a comprehensive plan for utilities, including water sources, sewage, storm drainage, flood management, waste treatment and disposal. A comprehensive plan will also consider means of conserving resources, such as energy. For instance, the efficiency of transportation will depend on decisions regarding the location of traffic signals, timing of the signals, two-way or one-way traffic and which directions for the one-way traffic. Zoning
If the comprehensive plan is the general blueprint, then zoning is the details, local laws enacted according to the comprehensive plan, usually designating specific districts for particular types of structures or activities, such as residences and businesses. A zoning ordinance generally defines: the purpose of the ordinance
the zoning classifications of permitted uses for the different sections of land
restrictions, such as setbacks and height limits
procedure for allowing nonconforming uses
procedure for granting variances, amendments, and hearing appeals
penalties for violations
Zoning determines: permitted uses for each parcel of land
lot sizes
types of structures
building heights
setbacks, being the minimum distance between structures on the property and streets or sidewalks
density, either population density or the amount of structures per unit area of land
style and appearances of structures
protection of natural resources. The city planning department creates and maintains a zoning map, a diagram of the existing zoning classifications: