2019-181 Update to the Comprehensive PlanDate: October 18, 2019 Report No. 2019-181
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Update to the Comprehensive Plan
BACKGROUND:
This is a follow up report to a summary included in the September 20, 2019 Friday Report
regarding the Comprehensive Plan update. City Council approved a supplemental in the Fiscal
Year 2019-20 budget to update the comprehensive plan. Staff has prepared a Request for
Qualifications (RFQ) Scope of Work for a consultant to assist staff in the update. Rather than hold
a work session to discuss the Scope of Work, staff has prepared this informal staff report to
provided City Council an opportunity to review and provide any feedback to staff. The proposed
Scope of Work is attached for your review and feedback.
DISCUSSION:
The comprehensive plan sets goals, policies, and actions to manage growth, promote reinvestment,
and improve the quality of life for Denton residents. The current comprehensive plan, Denton Plan
2030, was adopted in January 2015. Best practice is to update a comprehensive plan (which
includes the Future Land Use Map) at least every 5 to 7 years to avoid becoming outdated and to
accommodate changes in development or unforeseen circumstances.
The update to our comprehensive plan will reflect current development conditions, ensure
consistency with the Mobility Plan update, and incorporate unforeseen developments and
circumstances that were not contemplated in the current comprehensive plan. The ongoing
Mobility Plan update, as well as the Parks and Trails Master Plan update, will be used to inform
the comprehensive plan update. Additionally, the update will incorporate significant changes such
as the new Denton High School near Bonnie Brae and Loop 288, the widening of Mayhill Road
and Bonnie Brae Street, and other physical, economic, and social changes.
The comprehensive plan update will also provide an opportunity to update existing data and
prepare an assessment of the implementation strategies, documenting the city’s progress toward
implementation. The assessment will have a summary of key accomplishments, impediments
encountered, and recommendations to further implement the comprehensive plan in terms of
priorities, timing, and assigned responsibilities.
The key components of the Scope of Work include:
Completing updates to prior assumptions regarding population growth, land area, recent
development, public infrastructure, and mobility.
Evaluate major local issues and the long-term strategies to address these issues.
Review prior policies and actions in the Denton Plan 2030 to evaluate the status and
provide recommendations for their efficacy.
Date: October 18, 2019 Report No. 2019-181
Incorporate necessary changes as a result of recent efforts including the Downtown
Implementation Plan, Downtown Master Plan, Historic Preservation Plan, Mobility Plan
update, and the Parks and Trails Master Plan update.
CONCLUSION:
Staff is requesting that City Council review the proposed Scope of Work and provide any questions
or suggested changes. Working with the Purchasing Department, staff is scheduled to publish the
RFQ next week Thursday, October 24. The objective is to identify a consultant and bring forward
a contract for Council consideration in the December/January timeframe with an estimated
completion date of October 2020.
STAFF CONTACT:
Ron Menguita, AICP
Principal Planner
ron.menguita@cityofdenton.com
(940) 349-8328
REQUESTOR:
Staff Initiated
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS:
Development Services and Purchasing Department
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT:
16 hours
ATTACHMENT(S):
Proposed Scope of Work
UPDATE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
SCOPE OF WORK
BACKGROUND:
The City of Denton is seeking proposals from qualified Planning Consultants to conduct necessary
research for the development of appropriate documentation for a COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
EVALUATION REPORT AND UPDATE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN to be accepted and adopted
by the City.
The purpose of Comprehensive Planning is to monitor and evaluate community characteristics
related to development, provisions of services, environmental protection, and other
governmental activities. The Comprehensive Plan sets goals, policies, and actions to manage
growth, promote reinvestment, and improve the quality of life for Denton residents.
Planning is a continuous and ongoing process. The City of Denton periodically reviews their
Comprehensive Plan to ensure that it appropriately reflects current and anticipated conditions,
embodies a community vision, targets major issues that the City must address in both the short‐
and long‐term, complies with state statutes and rules, and is consistent with state and regional
policy plans.
The current comprehensive plan, Denton Plan 2030, was adopted in January 2015. Best practice
is to update a comprehensive plan (which includes the Future Land Use Map) at least every 5 to
7 years to avoid becoming outdated and to accommodate changes or unforeseen circumstances.
SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED:
The successful consultant shall be responsible for creating a complete Comprehensive Plan
Evaluation Report and update to the Comprehensive Plan by conducting, at a minimum, the
following work tasks:
Task 1
The update will reflect current development conditions, ensure consistency with recent and
ongoing updates, and incorporate unforeseen developments and circumstances that were not
contemplated in the current comprehensive plan. Include a citywide assessment that addresses
changes in local conditions, including in the following areas:
Population growth
Changes in land area
Vacant and developable land
Location of development in relation to that anticipated in the Plan
Demands of growth on public infrastructure
Utility Service Areas
Joint Planning Areas Interlocal Agreements
Residential Subdivision Designs and Policies
Updates to the City’s Transportation Mobility Plan
Updates to the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Recent update to the City Development Code
Task 2
Evaluation of major local issues, identified through a public participation process involving
residents, interested parties, adjacent local governments, state and regional agencies, City
Council, City Commissions, Committees, Boards and staff. The update should include a public
outreach plan to give our citizen every opportunity to provide input and feedback during the
update process. Each identified issue should be addressed separately and shall include analysis
and recommendations to address the issue.
Task 3
Assessment of successes and shortcomings of key policies and actions in each of the
Comprehensive Plan Elements and how they relate to the issues identified in Task 2. Each
assessment should include a statement as to whether the objective or policy has been
implemented, its effectiveness, and whether it should be kept unchanged, revised, or should be
removed from the Plan. The assessment should include a summary of key accomplishments,
impediments encountered, and recommendations to further implement the Comprehensive Plan
in terms of priorities, timing, and assigned responsibilities.
Note: This task should not be a comprehensive assessment of all goals, policies and actions in the
Plan, only those having a direct impact on one or more of the identified major local issues.
However, all Elements of the Comprehensive Plan should be assessed.
Task 4
Special Topics: The City of Denton completed a Downtown Implementation Plan (DTIP) in 2010
to help implement the Downtown Master Plan. The Master Plan provides a framework to guide
growth in the Downtown area. Since the DTIP was completed, much progress has been made and
new challenges and opportunities have emerged. As part of the Comprehensive Plan Evaluation
Report, a Downtown Master Plan update should be undertaken to document progress achieved
by the City.
Expectations
To complete the work tasks, at a minimum, the following efforts should be included:
Confirm progress, update context and re‐assess the City’s Community Vision Statement
Engage and conduct stakeholders and community meetings
Provide community outreach to gather data and perspectives
Assess future opportunities and implementation strategies
Recommendations should include, at a minimum:
Changes in timeframes, data and analysis, definitions, format and style to be applied on
a universal basis throughout the Plan
Changes to the goals, policies and actions
Summary of recommended supplemental plans or studies to address the major local
issues and future growth
Other Requirements
The successful consultant will:
Be responsible for the professional quality and technical accuracy of all documents and
data used or produced and correct or revise any errors or deficiencies as appropriate
Coordinate with staff through regular communication for the duration of the project
Revise the draft Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Report and Comprehensive Plan update
with input from staff
Attend applicable Planning and Zoning Commission workshops, present the Evaluation
Report and Comprehensive Plan update to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City
Council, and prepare any revisions to the draft that may result from these meetings
Attend adoption public hearing(s) as may be held by the City
Provide a final deliverable in both reproducible electronic copy and paper copies
BUDGET:
The City Council has identified the update to the Comprehensive Plan as a priority and has
allocated a maximum budget of $95,000.00 for the update.
SCHEDULE:
The update to the Comprehensive Plan should take no longer than nine (9) months.