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3. The Importance of a Comprehensive Plan <br />Most every kind of business undertaking, however trivial, is thoroughly planned out before ever <br />being undertaken. Who would build a structure of any consequence without first having secured <br />the best of plans? Of how much more far-reaching consequence is the planning and building of a <br />city? A fundamental purpose and of fundamental importance, therefore, of a comprehensive plan <br />for Paris is to project a desirable direction for future growth and development of the city: its vision, <br />if you will. A comprehensive plan is a valuable growth -management and development tool for <br />communities regardless of their size—whether a four -hundred population village or an eight million <br />population metropolis. <br />4. The Purposes and Use of a Comprehensive Plan <br />(A) Purpose of the Plan. The comprehensive plan should be used as a guide for public decisions, <br />which affect the physical development and maintenance of the municipality. For example, the <br />plan may be used as a basis for: <br />1. Development of detailed physical plans for sub -areas of the municipality; <br />2. Analysis of the most critical plan implementation tools, which are the subdivision <br />regulations, zoning standards and maps, as well as other implementation tools; <br />3. The location and design of thoroughfares and implementation of other major transportation <br />facilities and programs; <br />4. Identification of areas to be served with utility development or extensions; <br />5. The acquisition and development of sites for community facilities; <br />6. The acquisition and protection of major parks, recreation, and open space areas; <br />7. Provision of a framework by which short-range plans (zoning requests, subdivision review, <br />site plan analysis) and day-to-day decisions can be evaluated with regard to their long-range <br />implications and/or benefit to the community; and, <br />8. Preparation of zoning regulations so that they can be adopted in accordance with a <br />comprehensive plan. <br />(B) Use of the Plan. The maps and figures that describe the recommended locations of various land <br />uses and facilities are not the entirety of the plan. They are one component of the <br />comprehensive plan, although many consider the future land use plan map the most important <br />single element in a comprehensive plan. Their primary role is to show how policies and <br />standards are to be applied to the actual physical form of the community. It must be <br />recognized, however, that commitment of citizens and public officials to city planning is <br />fundamental to the implementation of the recommendations made by maps and other <br />components in the plan. A user of the comprehensive plan is encouraged to consider the <br />following procedural steps (users are typically defined as developers, public officials, citizens, <br />and businesses interested in land use development): <br />L <br />