Official web site for City of Corpus Christi, Texas
The Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan mandated by the City Charter, consists of a series of plans that provide the public and private sectors with a guideline for future development. The geographic scope of the Comprehensive Plan includes the City Limits and land five miles outward, known as the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). The plan elements are graphically illustrated below. A key principle of the planning process is the inclusion of public input and periodic review and updating of plan elements. Illustrated below are the comprehensive plan elements and their relationship to public participation and various implementing tools.
Plan Elements
POLICY STATEMENTS. The Corpus Christi Policy Statements provide an overall guiding philosophy or concept for the rest of the Comprehensive Plan. The policies are not static or unchangeable and from time to time the findings contained in the other elements of the Comprehensive Plan will suggest additions or changes to the policies.
MASTER PLANS. Master Plans typically address citywide planning issues and / or highly technical services planning. Master Plans follow the overall policies expressed in the Corpus Christi Policy Statements but contain greater specificity than the Policy Statements.
AREA DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND SPECIFIC AREA PLANS. Area Development Plans and Specific Area Plans also contain more focused and direct recommendations for areas within the community. These plans are very effective vehicles for obtaining neighborhood input and identifying specific policy changes to future land use and transportation plans. The future land use and transportation plans contained in the Area Development Plans have been incorporated / superseded by the Master Plan for Future Land Use and the Master Plan for the Urban Transportation Plan. However, the policy statements in the Area Plans are still valid.
The Plan Approval Process
The Comprehensive Planning process is a means through which citizens and community leaders guide community development. The Plan is prepared by city staff and reviewed by the Planning Commission at as many public hearings as is necessary for approval. The proposed plan is then forwarded to City Council for additional public hearings and final approval. The Comprehensive Plan must be approved and adopted as an ordinance by the City Council. After adoption, future city improvements, ordinances and regulations must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
