Creating the Plan

WHY WAS A NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN NEEDED?

On November 11, 2019, the Plano City Council appointed a 16-member ad-hoc advisory committee called the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC). The role of the CPRC was to review the city’s Comprehensive Plan and recommend updates to address community concerns related to four key topics: Land Use, Transportation, Density, and Growth Management. They were also to act as advisors and ambassadors of the planning process, working with the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) to find consensus among the diverse viewpoints of city residents.

On August 5, 2020, the City Council repealed the previous Comprehensive Plan and adopted an “Interim Plan” to serve as a temporary replacement until the CPRC and P&Z could complete their work. The Interim Plan was based on the city’s comprehensive plan from 1986, including subsequent updates through 2012. Although this Plan had previously served the city well for many years, its goals and policies were rooted in the days of Plano’s rapid growth and were not well-suited for the challenges of a mature and mostly developed city as Plano is today.

After 20 months, the CPRC and P&Z completed their work and moved forward a draft plan for public comment and review. On November 8, 2021, the City Council adopted the Comprehensive Plan 2021. Much of the new Plan may look familiar, as aspects of the previous Comprehensive Plan outside the four topic areas assigned by City Council, such as policies related to the environment, social services, and the economy, remain largely unchanged. However, significant changes were made to many of the most impactful parts of the Plan, and important new content was created, including a set of Guiding Principles, a Redevelopment & Growth Management Policy, and Future Land Use Dashboards.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS

The Comprehensive Plan Review Committee kicked off on January 11, 2020, with meetings generally held the first, third, and fifth Tuesday of each month and supplemental meetings as needed. Through a series of facilitated discussions, presentations from Plano staff and the Plano Independent School District (PISD), surveys, tours, and homework assignments, the Committee proposed modifications to Plan elements including the Future Land Use Map, policies, and individual action statements. The CPRC also drafted new Guiding Principles to direct the vision of the Plan as a whole.

Per Council’s direction, all recommended Plan modifications were met by broad acceptance, with a supportive three-quarters vote from the CPRC members present. The recommendations were then presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission, where a simple majority vote was needed.

In January 2021, after a year of meetings, the Committee had reached consensus on many Plan elements, but decided to have a subcommittee iron out the remaining issues to continue moving forward. This subcommittee was able to present an updated, complete draft Plan to the full Committee in April 2021.

Want to hear more from the CPRC? Watch CPRC testimonial videos to learn more about the Comprehensive Plan Review process and why the CPRC members support this Plan!

Plan Priorities (What Changed)

The revisions to the Plan fell in six general categories:

This multi-year process has resulted in a comprehensive plan that includes a Future Land Use Map and Dashboards, 42 Policies, and 271 Actions revised to reflect the current needs and vision of the greater Plano community, and a set of Guiding Principles designed to ensure that Plano’s growth is not only sustainable but maintains the suburban character as we know Plano today.

The following videos were used to educate the community about the Draft Plan update process and the recommended changes.