Land Use

Land use patterns, transportation, and community networks are strongly interconnected, and this relationship is vital to all local, regional and statewide planning decisions. Changing land use patterns also directly impact community services and facilities, such as water and sewer, police, fire and emergency services, recreation, and building inspection. As a result, CNHRPC works directly with our member communities in the development of land use studies, specific area plans, build out analyses, and other local and regional land use planning initiatives. These efforts have included:

• Build-out analysis: A build-out analysis is a way for a community to look at the land they have and explore how, using their current regulatory framework; the town would “build out”. With this information in mind other scenarios can be run in an effort to identify more desirable land use trends. This information is often conducted in concert with writing a master plan as alternative scenarios are a way to “test” zoning solutions before putting them into practice.

• CTAP Initiatives: CTAP, or Community Technical Assistance Program, is being done in cooperation with NHDOT. CTAP, as part of a project that will widen I-93, attempts to assist communities along the corridor in dealing with growth that will result from the project. The main focus of CTAP is the understanding of the link between land use and transportation. Based upon this, CTAP will assist communities with ensuring that their land use practices are desirable in the face of future development.

• Master Planning: A community’s Master Plan is at the heart of its land use regulatory framework. The Plan captures the community’s vision and articulates its overall plan for development in the community. The Plan also is legal necessity for zoning ordinances and Capital Improvements Programs.

• Neighborhood Planning: Neighborhood planning, as part of a larger Master Plan effort, is useful in that a community within a municipality may have needs or a vision that may be distinct from the larger community. A neighborhood plan provides a way to articulate the needs of a distinctive neighborhood within the context and framework of the larger community-wide master plan.

• Open-space Planning: Planning for open space is another vital component of land use. Open space is vital to protecting natural resources, and as such, should be part of any land use planning effort. Open-space planning can provide a framework for zoning for open-space or conservation subdivisions. It can also be used prioritize land for protection.

• Regulatory Audits: Regulatory audits can be conducted in an effort to determine whether or not the regulatory framework accomplishes its objectives. It is beneficial to review the regulatory framework to ensure that it reflects the goals of the master plan and the intentions of the community. Also, over time, these documents can conflict with one another based upon years of separate updates, and a regulatory audit provides an opportunity to ensure that the documents are working with, and not against each other.

• Technical Assistance Crafting Ordinances & Regulations: Whereas the master plan of a community articulates the overall vision and policy goals regarding land use, the zoning ordinance as well as the site plan and subdivision regulations implement these visions. CNHRPC provides assistance to communities for crafting such ordinance and regulatory updates.

• Regional Land-Use Planning: Creating a regional plan is one of CNHRPC’s RSA-designated functions. This effort is vital in that it seeks to craft a region-wide land use strategy based upon the coordination of each community master plan. This effort will ensure that the region as a whole has an articulated vision.