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Implementation

Getting From Here to There

A comprehensive plan is only as good as a City’s ability to put it into action. While many policies are “reactive,” meaning they will mostly be used to evaluate a proposed project or development, many are “active.” Active policies require the City to add something to a department’s work plan and make the decision to move a project, program, or policy forward.

Implementation occurs in four main ways:

1. Capital Expenditures

Capital projects require a minimum of $100,000, and last at least one year. These are typically construction projects (buildings, roads, etc.), land purchases, large equipment, and major studies, such as those completed by the Planning Department. Projects implemented through the Capital Improvement Plan require advance planning and programming into the budget and approval by City Council.

2. Operating Expenditures

These are everyday budget expenses, the most noteworthy of which is for staff. Operating expenses also include office supplies, training, and other day-to-day needs. Many of the “active” policies here are related to operating expenditures, because while they do not require a lot of funding, they may require significant staff time. For example, amending the Zoning Ordinance will primarily require staff time; this means a department must, with Council’s direction, change their work plan to accommodate that effort.

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3. Development Proposals

Development proposals are presented to the City, either for administrative review or for a land use application that requires a public hearing and City Council approval (read more about the public hearing process on the next page). These are typically from private developers who seek approval to build within the City of Chesapeake. Staff reacts to these proposals and works with developers to make sure they are meeting relevant policies contained within Chesapeake 2045.

4. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Partnerships

These partnerships may require a mix of capital expenditures, operating expenditures, and development proposals, depending on the project. In these instances, the financial or resource burden is shared between the City and another organization. While this may save the City time and/or money, it also adds another layer of complexity to a project.

WHAT IS THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS?

These are the steps a land use application goes through to get approved:

• Planning Department staff accepts applications and reviews them for completeness. Staff advises applicant of changes they could make to their application to make it more consistent with Chesapeake 2045.
• Staff recommends whether the application be approved or denied in a written report.
• Planning Commission considers the application, staff’s recommendation, and public comments and then provides its own recommendation for approval or denial based on its consistency with the comprehensive plan.
• City Council considers the application, staff’s recommendation, Planning Commission’s recommendation and public comments. Using Chesapeake 2045 as one piece of guidance, City Council either approves or denies the proposed land use application.

A Framework for Decision-Making

Chesapeake 2045 does not lay out a work plan for the implementation of comprehensive plan policies. Budgets change, priorities change, grant funding becomes available (or is reduced), and staffing levels go up and down. These factors make it difficult, and simply not very useful, to try and dictate when certain projects, programs, or plans will be completed. Instead, Chesapeake 2045 offers a framework that City staff and decision makers can use to help guide their work plans and budgets.

Use cross-departmental coordination to identify priorities

• Putting many of these policies into action will require multiple departments working together to provide expertise, administration, and funding. One department cannot set the work plan for everyone, and departments must coordinate to identify priorities and resources.
• Several existing “teams” in the City already convene departments around different topics such as Safety and Security. These can act as the foundation for the coordination required to successfully implement Chesapeake 2045.

Be transparent in decision-making

• Many residents feel that decisions are made and work is done “behind the scenes.” In order to be as transparent as possible, Chesapeake 2045 should have a publicly accessible dashboard that

tracks the implementation of policies and their outcomes. As policies are picked up into the work plan, more specific goals and metrics will be added to help define success. For example, this plan recommends implementing a "percent for art program"; once that is put into the work plan, goals will be added, such as number of new public artworks. Those policies that haven't been included in the current work plan should still be visible to the public so it is clear what has and has not been acted upon.

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Tie this work into the City's budget

• The budget is a direct reflection of City Council's priorities. Projects within the budget should be meeting the goals of the City including the City's strategic plan and this comprehensive plan. Requiring departments to clearly identify how a project supports the policies in Chesapeake 2045 adds a layer of review that ensures the City is funding what it purports to support.
• The City would benefit from introducing a participatory component into the budget process. Many localities offer opportunities as simple as selecting priorities from a list or as complex as creating a game where residents "allocate" a City's budget across all departments to help understand their desires. Chesapeake can determine what method best suits our residents.

Take advantage of alternative funding sources

• Grant funding may be available for some of the implementation items in Chesapeake 2045. This is particularly true for certain topics such as environmental resilience and supporting vulnerable populations through economic development. The City should be nimble in adjusting its work plan to take advantage of funding that becomes available that would support one of Chesapeake 2045's policies.

Think regionally, and partner outside the City

• Much of implementing the comprehensive plan will impact neighboring localities and other organizations and the City would benefit from their partnership and expertise. For example, defining a sports niche for the City will require understanding the sports tourism opportunities and plans of other localities, and working together to make sure efforts don't compete. Organizations that specialize in certain issues, such as wetlands restoration, know a great deal about the mechanics and process for such work. The City can benefit from their knowledge, as the organizations benefit from Chesapeake's understanding of its local context.

GEN 4: Provide public-facing tools for tracking the implementation of comprehensive plan policies.

GEN 5: Introduce a participatory component into the budget process in order to give residents a greater role.

GEN 6: For any policy recommendation that requires funding, seek alternate funding sources to reduce the cost of implementation, when that is the most efficient and reasonable course of action.

GEN 7: Coordinate with neighboring localities, regional entities, and other non-City stakeholders whenever possible to incorporate additional experience, expertise, and perspective, particularly for issues where having regional standards is of benefit.

Residents Drive the Public Process

If residents are passionate about a particular program or policy, they need to consistently let their elected officials know. Public interest can increase the priority level for a project. Residents’ voices do matter, and they do shape our city.

The City best makes it possible for residents to be involved in the public process by utilizing various outreach methods (e.g., social media, mailings, etc.), meeting locations, and levels of technical information. It is up to the City to provide as much information as possible to the public, and engage with residents when opportunities are available. Residents deserve to not only be well-informed and understand the process of government, but have the chance to weigh in and guide outcomes.

Some residents are more difficult to engage than others, either because of their abilities or circumstances. For example, senior residents may be less comfortable using social media to learn about meeting dates or take digital surveys. Low-income residents may juggle work schedules that conflict with town halls or community meetings. Single parents may not have reliable childcare that allows them to go to an event. These populations need more support in accessing engagement opportunities. The City must reconsider its engagement strategy for residents like these.

GEN 8: Promote a collaborative, inclusive approach to government work with ample public notification and sharing of information on issues residents care about or are impacted by.

GEN 9: Establish policies to address challenges of underserved communities including engagement protocols and quality of life indicators that can be measured over time.

⬚ figure There is so much that residents love about Chesapeake.

2232s

The Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2232 governs the legal status of the City’s comprehensive plan and the extent to which an adopted plan controls public facilities including buildings, parks, streets, and utilities. When the City plans to add a new facility, if it is not shown in the comprehensive plan the Commonwealth requires the facility be reviewed by the local Planning Commission for consistency with the comprehensive plan.

⬚ figure Residents share their opinions at a community open house.

The Appendix of this document includes all existing or planned City facilities (meaning a specific use has been designated for a City site) which are considered a part of Chesapeake 2045. Changes that occur on these sites or facilities that are within the scope of the legislation do not require a new 2232 review by Planning Commission.

⬚ figure Stakeholders discuss how policies will affect their planning area.

Working with Chesapeake 2045

As has been described, this plan will be used by many different people, from elected officials to staff to residents to developers. Chesapeake 2045 has been written to help the reader understand the policies that guide Chesapeake today and why they are so important to the City. Some of the policies are complex and sometimes a project may support one policy and not another. City staff helps users understand City priorities and helps developers understand how to best integrate policy recommendations into projects. The development process is complicated and involves many steps. The City is continually working to make the process smooth and easy to navigate.

GEN 10: Continue to adjust the development review process so applicants are aware of the City's expectations at the outset and are able to efficiently submit projects.