Comprehensive Plan Maps establish “plan designations” for the use of lands in a city or county. When it comes to land use requirements, most people are more familiar with the concept of “zoning.” Zoning and plan designations are closely related, but they are separate tools. Plan designations on a Comprehensive Plan Map are used as a policy and planning tool and tend to be more high-level. They reflect the community’s vision and generally identify the type, location, and intensity of future development. 

Zoning, in contrast, is used as an “implementation” tool for realizing the overall vision in the Comprehensive Plan Map. Zoning is typically more detailed. For example, it identifies allowable uses within a specific zone and can specify standards for design and development of properties and buildings. It is subservient to, and should be consistent with, the Comprehensive Plan Map which takes legal precedence for land use decisions and is the visual component of the guiding land use document for each local jurisdiction.

This project will clarify the boundaries of plan designations depicted on the original Metro Plan Diagram, which was adopted in 2004 as an 11” x 17” paper map. The Diagram is a high-level map that conceptually shows general land uses in an area at a metropolitan scale but is generally not property specific. For example, the scale of the adopted Metro Plan Diagram translates to a line that’s approximately 150 feet wide. The City will need to research which designation, or map color, should show up on the map for the properties that fall within this distance. Research tools will include the City’s permit database, previous land use decisions, and more.

Increasing the understanding of what the Springfield community wants more of and where, such as housing, industry, and open-space, and making a plan for how land use can help accomplish those goals is an important part of our work, but it is outside the scope of this project.

This project will clarify the location of plan designations for properties within Springfield city limits. It will also clarify or verify plan designations between city limits and Springfield’s urban growth boundary (UGB), which designates where Springfield expects to grow over the next 20 years. In some areas, the UGB has recently been expanded (see Ordinance 6361); the properties in this area already have property-specific plan designations, and staff will review the map to make sure they are accurately shown.

The property-specific Comprehensive Plan Map will allow for timely, accurate answers. It will provide the public property research tools that are convenient, quick to access, and easy to use—ultimately providing confidence in decisions about property. In addition to a PDF map, the property-specific map will become part of Springfield’s existing property research tool, MapSpring, which is a web-based interactive map that is free to access from anywhere through the internet. Any future shifts from MapSpring to a similar tool will look similar and will also be free to access. Users will be able to identify a plan designation for specific properties throughout Springfield with this tool without immediate reliance on staff for basic answers.

This project will not change already-adopted plan designations. It is about interpreting the generalized locations of currently adopted plan designations on the Metro Plan Diagram to provide specificity by showing how those designations apply to each property in Springfield. 

Before finalizing the Comprehensive Plan Map, every member of the public will be able to identify the plan designation for individual properties on the draft map. With a “no surprises” approach to creating the Comprehensive Plan Map through fact finding, the project team will seek the knowledge of property owners in the research and interpretation process.

This project will enhance the user experience for people seeking information about specific properties in Springfield. New and improved property research tools will be convenient, quick to access, and easy to use, and you will be able to look up basic plan designation information about a property without relying on city staff.

Research during this project will reveal conflicts between a property’s zoning and its Comprehensive Plan designation. Typically, zoning should be consistent with Plan designations. In some cases, differences do not necessarily mean there is a Plan-Zone conflict. For example, a slight difference in wording such as a “Mixed Use Area 2” Plan designation and a “Mixed Use Residential” zone does not mean there is a Plan-Zone conflict. An example of a true conflict would be a property with a residential designation that has industrial zoning. One outcome of this project will be a list of properties with true Plan-Zone conflicts. However, resolving all of these differences is outside the scope of the project—this will be a next step that could become another planning project.

The City of Springfield applied for, and was awarded, a grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to support this work. DLCD is the state agency charged to assist local governments in addressing the land use needs of the public, communities, regions, and the state. This includes managing urban growth; protecting farm, forest, and natural resources lands; and providing for safe, livable communities in concert with the vision of local communities like Springfield. DLCD is very supportive of efforts that provide clarity and better community planning for the future. The City of Springfield is providing an in-kind match in the form of dedicating staff time for the project. The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) is part of the Project Core Team performing this work as made possible by the grant from DLCD. Staff from both the City and LCOG staff the Project Core Team.

The goal is to engage the community throughout the project. A concerted outreach effort will seek input from: (1) property owners about whether the plan designation for their properties appears correct; and (2) property owners and the broader community about some policy questions and associated options for displaying information on the Comprehensive Plan Map. 

There will be multiple opportunities for property owners, the Project Advisory Committee, and Springfield community members to review draft materials, receive other project information, ask questions, and provide input on the project. In addition to hearing from members of the Project Advisory Committee, efforts to have meaningful input from the community will include:

• Project webpage (https://springfield-or.gov/compmap/) that provides project information in one location;
• E-updates, social media posts, and news releases that share periodic updates, build overall awareness of project activities and findings, and announce timely information.
• Factsheet that shares key messages and project information.
• Direct outreach (e.g., mailings) to specific property owners and community-based organizations to provide information, invite participation, and gather feedback; 
• One-on-one communications to provide information, gather clarifying information from property owners, answer questions, and invite feedback from community members;
• Community open houses and/or drop-in sessions designed to provide project information, gather feedback, and answer questions from community members (including property-specific inquiries); and
• Public hearings will be informed by input from the public, other stakeholders, and advisory groups, and represent another opportunity for the community to weigh in.

The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) provides staff with advice and feedback necessary to create a well-informed, property-specific Comprehensive Plan Map for Springfield by: 

• Providing active and respectful representation of unique perspectives. 
• Providing input on the project’s assumptions and key decisions about information display on the map, including policy-based questions that emerge, such as whether to:
  • Show plan designations for public rights-of-way (e.g., streets)
  • Add information about adopted neighborhood refinement plans
  • Provide information that is in addition to basic plan designations (e.g. “overlay” areas)
• Reviewing and providing feedback on draft work products for consideration by staff. However, the PAC is not a decision-making body, and no formal vote or unanimous Committee recommendation will be requested.

The PAC provides technical suggestions at key points throughout the project. The PAC is expected to meet 2-5 times (for 1.5 to 2 hours) over the estimated 1.5-year duration of the project. PAC meetings are open to the public for observation.

The PAC represents various topic interests, backgrounds, and perspectives. PAC members are individuals who seek the best solutions for the entire Springfield community regardless of their backgrounds and are encouraged to offer insight based on their diverse experience.

The Technical Resource Group, comprising partner agency staff (e.g., Lane Council of Governments, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development, City of Eugene, Lane County, etc.), will provide the Project Core Team with opportunities for interagency collaboration and technical support necessary to navigate methodology-related details to help the team reach the primary milestone of the project work — creating the property-specific Comprehensive Plan Map. Support will include advising on the mapping approach, framing of possible issues, providing data and information, and identifying the necessary text and map amendments to the Metro Plan and the Springfield Comprehensive Plan.

Staff will bring a proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and any related text changes to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan General Plan and Springfield Comprehensive Plan to the appointed and elected officials of the City of Springfield and Lane County as noted below.

Planning Commissions: The Springfield Planning Commission and the Lane County Planning Commissions will review draft materials and provide recommendations on project materials to the City Council and Lane County’s Board of Commissioners, respectively. The Project Core Team will provide one or more briefings throughout the process and will solicit feedback and guidance at one or more work sessions before the public hearing. 

City Council and County Board of Commissioners: The Springfield City Council and Lane County’s Board of Commissioners have the ultimate decision-making responsibility for the project. The Board of County Commissioners must co-adopt the map for it to become effective in areas outside the city limits that are within the Springfield urban growth boundary. The project team will provide one or more briefings to the City Council and will solicit feedback and guidance at one or more work sessions prior to the public hearing.

The project became officially active in November 2021 when the City and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) finalized a Grant Agreement for the project. Adoption of the property-specific Comprehensive Plan Map is anticipated to occur in 2023. Project phases include:

TASK 1: Project Kickoff – Define the project scope and identify key resources.

TASK 2: Establish Basis for Community Engagement – Create and implement a Community Engagement Plan, develop informational materials, recruit and appoint members to serve on Project Advisory Committee. 

TASK 3: Map Analysis and Draft Materials – Convene Project Advisory Committee and Technical Resource Group to discuss technical aspects of the project, share progress, seek input on policy questions, and ultimately review the first version of the daft map. Conduct direct outreach as needed to property owners who have a property that require map interpretation to share project information, seek owners’ knowledge of their properties’ current plan designations, and confirm plan designations.

TASK 4: Iterate and Prepare to Adopt – Continue conducting direct outreach as needed to specific property owners. Present a public review draft of the Comprehensive Plan Map, engage the broader public through an open house and/or drop-in sessions, and refine the draft map. Coordinate with agency staff to identify any needed text amendments to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan and Springfield Comprehensive Plan to inform a staff report. 

TASK 5: Adoption Process – Hold joint work sessions/public hearings with Springfield and Lane County Planning Commissions, hold joint work sessions/public hearings with Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners, adopt ordinance amending the Metro Plan and Springfield Comprehensive Plan.