The Comprehensive Plan is a 20 to 30-year framework to guide the city’s future, providing policy and direction related to future growth and redevelopment. The Zoning Ordinance acts as a tool to implement and enforce the Comprehensive Plan by regulating the uses of land; the height, number of stories, sizes of buildings and other structures; and the density of housing units. All zoning change requests, along with updates to the Zoning Ordinance and other development regulations, are reviewed for conformance with the Comprehensive Plan.

No, only zoning can regulate the use of private property.  Per state law, comprehensive plans shall not be used as zoning; but if a city has zoning regulations, they must be created in conformance with a Comprehensive Plan.  

Yes. Any future development must still be approved through the Planning & Zoning Commission and ultimately, the City Council.  The Commission and Council will consider each proposed development as they have throughout Plano's history, with objective and careful scrutiny to determine if it is appropriate for Plano.

Click here for more information about the Zoning Process. Questions and concerns regarding the Zoning Process should be addressed to city staff at 972-941-7151.

Approximately 4% of Plano's total land area remains undeveloped.  For more information, click here.

Per the Comprehensive Plan Guiding Principles, the Plan promotes the safety, viability, and vibrancy of Plano’s existing neighborhoods, managing growth, and shaping change the complements the city’s suburban character and rich history. The Plan respects the suburban character of Plano and seeks to preserve and enhance the built environment.

Each Future Land Use Dashboard includes a general description, list of priorities, mix of uses chart, and table of design characteristics which are desirable to meet the community’s vision for these areas. In the “Neighborhoods” Future Land Use areas, single-family residential should remain the primary use within neighborhoods. It is the intention to preserve and enhance these uses and to regulate the design of new residential infill products to be within the context of the surrounding environment.

Click here to learn more about the Future Land Use Map and Dashboards.

With less than 4% (approximately 1,800 acres) of undeveloped land remaining, the area available for new housing in Plano is limited.  As such, residential growth will depend largely on redevelopment of existing commercial sites.  Since precise market support for redevelopment is unknown, Low and High Redevelopment Scenarios were included in the Comprehensive Plan upon its original passage in 2021, projecting Plano’s population between 322,600 and 331,000 by 2050.   However, changes to state law in 2025 require that multifamily or mixed-use residential be permitted in any area that allows office, commercial, retail, warehouse, or mixed-use development.  For Plano, this means multifamily or mixed-use residential must be permitted in any nonresidential zoning district.  With increased land availability for residential development and continued housing demand, Plano’s population is now projected to grow to between 368,400 and 385,000 by 2050.