Comprehensive Plan Summary
June 14, 2004

Oakwood City Council adopted the City’s first Comprehensive Plan in 1989. In May 2003, Oakwood City Council began a project to write a new Plan. That new Plan was adopted by Council on June 14, 2004 and replaces the 1989 Plan. The Plan is available for review in several locations, including the City Building and Wright Memorial Library.

This Comprehensive Plan Summary was prepared to highlight the main portions of the Plan.

PURPOSE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The Comprehensive Plan is Oakwood’s official policy guide for physical improvement and development. It considers not only the immediate needs and concerns of the community, but also projects improvement and development 10 to 15 years in the future. The Plan establishes a vision for the future of the Oakwood community, and establishes goals, objectives, and recommendations to achieve that vision.

The Plan is “comprehensive” in both scope and coverage. It encompasses the use of land, the movement of vehicles and pedestrians, the protection of Oakwood’s community character, and the provision of parks, schools, and other public facilities. It addresses residential neighborhoods, commercial areas, public and institutional lands, and the public rights-of-way.

The Comprehensive Plan establishes the ground rules for private improvement and development. It provides guidelines by which the Planning Commission, City Council and City Staff can review and evaluate private development proposals. The Plan also provides a guide for public improvements, and can help ensure that local tax dollars are spent wisely and in a cost effective manner.

The Comprehensive Plan can also serve as a marketing tool to promote Oakwood’s unique assets and advantages, and it can be used to help attract new families, new businesses, and desirable new investment to the community.

PREPARING THE NEW PLAN

The first step in preparing the new plan was to establish a 25-member citizen Comprehensive Planning Committee. That committee worked with the Consultant, City Council and City Staff throughout the planning process. Each of the 25 members of the Comprehensive Planning Committee was asked to develop a network of 10 Oakwood citizens to review and discuss the planning process at key junctures. It should be emphasized that even though the Comprehensive Planning Committee worked with the Consultant throughout the planning process, and even though general consensus was reached on the Draft Comprehensive Plan, all members of the Committee did not necessarily agree with all recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan.

Several community outreach activities were conducted to promote community involvement and encourage citizen participation. These included:

a)A community workshop to provide residents and business persons the opportunity to express their ideas and concerns about Oakwood (approximately 90 citizens attended this workshop).