Land Use Plan Update Citizen Participation Plan-1991

--Citizen'. Participation; Plan
- December, i991
-. -
New Hanover, County Plannng'Department 1=
-
Dexter Hayes, Director -
-
. Patrick Lowe, Assistant Director
-Staff Planners
Walter.'Pete" Avery
-
Wanda Costoil
=Sam Burgess
_ Chris,O'Keefe
AMA.Intern
JoAnne Shad
_-_ AdministrativeSecretary
.-Phoebe Saavedra
Graphics Planning;Technician
Lisa Elaine Home
New -'Hanover CountyBoard,of Commissioners
E. L "Matt" Mathews; Chairman
-Robert G. Greer; Vice Oiairm' an -
_ Jonathan Barfield
_Fred Retchin -
WilliamrH. Sutton -
Planning Board Members`
' EarnestPuskas; Chatrmart _ ;
Kenneth<<A.'Shanklui, Vice Chairman
°Robert McDonald _
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''Wesley O - Nixon
William Grathwol
-
_ C Richard Boisky -
Charles R Howell
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-
gr-t Ptwided by the Nath`Ca�dun Caa�tl M4m9ameat P-grim; l _UA Fwda Provided
by the Costal Zane Managemmt Act of IM as 6w"M, which is administered by the Office,
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Citizen Participation Plan
December 1991
Wilmington -New Hanover County
Land Use Plan Update

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Preface
The Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), enacted in 1974 by the North Carolina
General Assembly, requires that the 20 coastal counties of the state prepare land use plans.
These plans provide a framework used to guide local leaders as they make decisions for the
protection, preservation, orderly development and management of the North Carolina
coastal area. The original CAMA Land Use Plan for New Hanover County was adopted in
1976. Updates to the plan are required by CAMA on five year intervals This report is part
of the third plan update (1981, 1986 and 1991) performed in conjunction with the
Wilmington -New Hanover Comprehensive Planning Program, initiated in 1974.
InaccordancewithCAMArequirements, thelanduseplanconsists ofthefollowingelements:
1.) Summary of data collection and analysis;
2.) Existing land use map;
3.) Policy discussion;
4.) Land classification map.
This information plays an important role in the formulation of local development
regulations, such as zoning ordinances, and it provides input for growth policy decisions.
These reports also provide useful data to the public and private sector in considering
development proposals.

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Citizen Participation Plan
The following plan has been prepared in accordance with the administrative guidelines
established for the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and in hopes of strength-
ening the citizen's role in the process of planning for our community's future. The plan was
adopted by the Wilmington City Council on December 18, 1990 and by the New Hanover
Board of County Commissioners on February 4, 1991.
Public participation constitutes a key element in the local planning process. By using
public participation to define and focus planning issues, local officials can build the
consensus of community support necessary to implement the actions of the Land -Use Plan.
The City and County, therefore, are committed to using all available local media and
educational resources that will be effective in promoting public participation and ensuring
that all economic, social, ethnic and cultural viewpoints are represented. The City and
County Planning Departments will be responsible for the administration of the planning
process and will serve as the primary contact agencies.
I. FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A. Public participation aids in providing valuable information in identify-
ing and defining the issues.
B. The public may establish an order of priority for those issues that it
believes are the most critical and the most deserving of public funds.
C. Citizens determine the type of community they wish to attain and set the
. direction of policies and projects to be implemented.
D. The process of public participation helps to create a sense of community
which, in turn, helps to ensure that the chosen policies are effectively
implemented.

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II. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS
New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington plan to follow a multi -component
public participation process to aid in the update of the Land Use Plan. A time schedule of
the major components includes the following:
A. Completion of a CAMA Land Use Plan Explanatory Brochure
A "user friendly" brochure is proposed that will explain the purpose of the LAMA
Land Use Plan and the reason for the present update mechanism. The public is generally
familiar with the term "CAMA", but does not really understand the importance or relevance
of the planning process to their daily lives and to the quality of life in the community in which
they live. The brochure can be prepared by either the County or City graphics staff and the
cost of printing the brochure can be divided by the City and the County.
B. City Message and County Planning Quarterly
The City will prepare an article for future issues of the City Message, and the County
will do so for the County Planning Quarterly. The City Message is a publication that is
mailed to all property owners who receive water bills. It is a means of conveying important
issues of citizen concern to abroad base of the population. The County's Planning Quarterly
is mailed to persons interested in County planning issues.
The article will explain the purpose of the CAMA Land Use Plan Update and the
opportunities for public involvement through meetings of the Planning Commission, the
City Council, the County Planning Board, the County Board of Commissioners, orLand Use
Issues Week. Contact names and phone numbers will also be included in the article, as well
as a listing of available meeting dates for hearings on the CAMA process.
C. Graphic Displays
The City and County Planning Departments will prepare portable graphic displays of
materials that can be produced in multiple versions for display at a variety of large public
meeting areas, such as the New Hanover County Libraries, the Senior Citizen's Center, City
and County offices and other suitable meeting areas city and countywide. The displays will
provide relevant information regarding the CAMA Land Use Plan Update and the schedule
forpublic meetings for Land Use Issues Week. The displays will be colorful in order to catch
the eye and be informative.
D. City and County Departments, Boards and Commission Notification
A memorandum will be distributed to all City and County departments regarding the
CAMA Land Use Plan Update generally and Land Use Issues Week specifically. The same
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memorandum will be sent to all County and City board and commission members. Board
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members constitute an existing body of concerned citizens who actively participate in City
and County affairs. Their experience and expertise could prove invaluable in motivating
citizens to voice their concerns and ideas regarding land development in the City and County.
All departments will also be notified in order to assist in disseminating information to the
public regarding the issue.
E. Media Coverage
All radio and television stations will be contacted through news releases regarding
Land Use Issues Week and other forums in which the public can participate. In addition,
personal calls from staff members will be made in order to schedule appearances on morning,
noon, and evening news programs on both television and radio to further publicize the
process and the Land Use Issues Week. An appearance each day of that week may assist in
greater turnout by the public.
E Mailing List of Concerned Citizens
The County and City Planning Departments will keep a mailing list of the names,
addresses and phone numbers of all citizens who inquire about the CAMA process in order
to notify them of public meetings on the issue and to send copies of information that may be
Oof
interest.
G. Initial Hearings on the Planning Process
Hearings or public meetings will be held by the County and City officials on the
following subjects: the existing Land -Use Plan, the significance and importance of the
policy statements in relation to LAMA, and the citizen participation process for the Plan
Update. The City Planning Department will utilize the second Planning Commission
meeting of each month as a means of providing a CAMA Land Use Plan Update to
Commission members on the activities completed by staff for each month of the planning
process.
H. Telephone Survey of Registered Voters
A telephone survey of active registered voters will be conducted in order to identify
priority issues in the unincorporated County and the City. The number of voters chosen from
the City and each township will be based on the proportion of populations in the City and
each township in order to give representative coverage of the County.
QI.
Presentation of Technical Studies
A series of technical studies, e.g. Population and Economic Growth, will be conducted
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O prior to formulation of the draft Plan Policies for Growth and Development and the Land
Classification Map. These technical studies will be presented as they are completed to the
respective City and County Planning Boards and to the City Council and County Commis-
sioners at formally advertised public meetings. They will be made available for public
review and comment.
J.. Land -Use Issues Week
The City and County Planning Departments will conduct a Land -Use Issues Week in
an effort to solicit further public input in identifying issues of concern. This week will likely
consist of five public meetings held throughout the County and City at local schools. The
meetings will be advertised in the Wilmington papers. Press releases and copies of the
telephone survey will be distributed to newspapers, radio and television stations, citizen
groups, and other interested parties.
K. Land -Use Plan Week
The County and City Planning Departments will conduct approximately five evening
public meetings similar to the format followed during Land -Use Issues Week in order to
solicit comments concerning the draft Land -Use Plan.
OL. Public Hearings
Formal public hearings concerning the draft Land -Use Plan will be held before the City
Planning Commission, County Planning Board, City Council, and County Commissioners.
A Presentation to Citizen Groups
The County and City Planning Departments will inform local citizen and civic groups
that staff will be pleased to make presentations concerning the Land -Use Plan at their
meetings. These presentations can be offered to technical associations citywide, as well as
neighborhood groups and homeowners associations.
III. SCHEDULE OF CITIZEN
PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES
The following schedule provides approximate dates of citizen participation activities.
Because this land -use planning process will take place over a period of several years, the
Oactivities and their scheduling arc subject to change. Any significant change in this citizen
participation plan, however, will be brought to the attention of the public and reviewed and
approved by the local governing bodies.
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101
ES,
PROPOSED SCEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY
A. Initial Public Hearings:
DATE
City Planning Commission .................................................. September, 1990
County Planning Board ....................................................... September, 1990
CityCouncil............................................................................October, 1990
County Commissioners...........................................................October, 1990
B. Telephone Survey............................................................... September, 1991
C. Land -Use Issues Week ........................................................ November, 1991
D. Land -Use Plan Week............................................................. February, 1992
E. Public Hearings on Land -Use Plan:
City Planning Commission.................................................... February, 1992
County Planning Board......................................................... February, 1992
CityCouncil................................................................................ April, 1992
County Commissioners............................................................... April, 1992
F. Technical Studies - The public input process will be continuous as studies are
prepared and presented from the end of 1990 to the end of 1991.
This plan was adopted by Wilmington City Council on December 18,1990
and by New Hanover County Commissioners on February 4,1991.
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