Comprehensive Plans and Key Public Investments: Promoting Land Uses that Generate Positive Fiscal Impacts

Comprehensive planning is about making a community a better place to live, work, and play. Comprehensive plans usually include public investment strategies for future economic growth and vitality; however, many lack an acknowledgement of the current and future fiscal implications of dispersed versus more compact development patterns. Some public investment strategies are more effective than others at growing the tax base and promoting fiscally sustainable land uses. These strategies, which take into account the fiscal implications of development, are especially critical and relevant given the lingering effects of the Great Recession and dramatically reduced public resources. In Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, a process is underway to update the county’s comprehensive plan The City-County Planning staff is critically evaluating various demographic and development trends and making recommendations to maximize the investment benefits of valuable public resources. In other words, public investments that generate net income greater than the costs of service delivery should have priority consideration by governing bodies. Particularly during the current economic climate, the ability to identify and target scarce discretionary funds to stimulate sustainable economic growth and promote quality of life is a most important strategy