Richland County committee reviews neighborhood master plan program, seeks clearer goals and regular updates

At a Richland County Development and Service Committee meeting, staff reviewed the county's neighborhood master plan program, described gaps between older neighborhood plans and the county's comprehensive plan, and proposed policy changes to make master plans more useful and actionable.

County staff said the neighborhood master plan program began in the 2003'04 fiscal year and grew from council-directed reinvestment areas rather than an explicitly enumerated set of goals. Director Sunithia Williams told the committee that the original program authorized a neighborhood planner and later funding for plans but did not set specific, durable goals when it started.

Director Williams said the planning process for neighborhood master plans mirrors that of the comprehensive plan on a smaller geographic scale and includes public meetings, population and housing analysis, and draft goals and recommendations. She said some of the original priority areas were identified by county council in 2005 and have not been substantially updated since.

"The program was established back in the 02/2003, 2004 fiscal year," Director Sunithia Williams said, and added that staff has…