This policy is intended to provide choice of housing locations; it does not mean that houses of greatly differing price will be mixed in the same neighborhood.

POLICY A-1-2: Promote property maintenance which contributes to a safe, sustainable, environmentally sound community.

Good maintenance is contagious, and it improves neighborhoods. Conversely, one poorly maintained property detracts from the quality of a neighborhood and encourages more deterioration.

POLICY A-1-3: Discourage strip commercial development; instead encourage development of planned commercial areas within a comprehensive plan for access.

Strip development means a row of businesses, each on an individual lot and each having one or more driveways. This type of development leads to traffic congestion and confusion, and is less convenient and attractive than planned commercial centers with shared driveways and parking.

>GOAL A-2: Preserve & enhance the character of the community.

Blighted areas are unattractive, unhealthy, and unsafe. They detract from the quality of the community, and they should be eliminated and prevented.

POLICY A-2-2: Require proper construction methods and materials.

Proper construction methods and materials create buildings of lasting quality. This policy also promotes health and safety.

POLICYA-2-3: Ensure that development takes place in a manner which allows for preservation of farmland, open space, and significant natural features whenever possible and desirable.

This policy is intended to encourage creative subdivision design which protects natural features, proper buffering, and orderly development. It is not an anti-growth policy, nor does it mean that all farmland will be retained.

POLICY A-2-4: Discourage subdivision development from interfering with the ongoing agricultural operations in the community.

When land is subdivided, the desires of new home owners should be subordinate to the needs of farmers already operating in the area. See Policy A-2-7.

POLICY A-2-5: Ensure that the city considers the impacts on agriculture when new development is proposed or infrastructure extended.

New roads and utilities can disrupt farming activities and increase development pressures in rural areas. Factories can cause air pollution and noise that adversely affect plants and livestock. Agricultural land should be viewed as land in active economic use, not as inexpensive vacant land.

POLICYA-2-6: The City Council should consider annexation proposals on a case-by-case basis within the laws of the State of Indiana and the city's adopted annexation policies.

Annexation increases taxes and increases the pressure for development. Because of requirements of Indiana law, it is sometimes necessary for the city to annex farmland in order to provide for orderly growth, but the city's annexation policies should discourage annexation of farmland except when necessary.

POLICY A-2-7: Require appropriate buffer areas to be maintained between farm and nonfarm uses.

Subdivisions and farms may not be good neighbors: homeowners complain about dust, odors, noise, herbicides and pesticides, while farmers complain of crop destruction caused by children, pets, and off-road vehicles. Providing temporary buffers between farms and subdivisions can reduce conflicts.

POLICY A-2-8: Protect the skyline that characterizes the downtown. The spires and towers should be the dominant feature of the area.

POLICY A-2-9:Preserve and enhance the character of neighborhoods.

Older neighborhoods have distinctive characteristics which should be retained. These vary from one neighborhood to another, but they include such things as smaller lots, lesser setbacks, service alleys, and a distinctive architectural style.

POLICY A-2-10: Keep residential neighborhoods at a "human" scale, preventing high-rise or massive buildings.

The character of a neighborhood can be destroyed by introducing a building that doesn't fit, such as a five-story apartment building in a neighborhood of one-story, single-family houses.

POLICY A-2-11: Encourage all new development to be in scale (height, area, mass, setback, etc.) with its surroundings, determined on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

New development should be designed in a manner that is sensitive to the surroundings.

POLICY A-2-12: Encourage maintenance of buildings and grounds.

Proper maintenance improves and stabilizes property values, while deteriorating buildings, peeling paint, sagging porches, accumulation of trash, and unkempt yards do the opposite.

POLICY A-2-13: Encourage growth to take place at a rate that enables the city to maintain the high quality of public services.

Growth that is too rapid would outpace the city's ability to provide services such as police, fire, and trash pickup, and it would strain facilities such as schools and parks.

POLICY A-2-14: Encourage street design which complements neighborhoods, (i.e., narrower pavement in residential areas, traffic calming measures, alleys).

Streets should move traffic safely and efficiently, but at the same time, they should be designed to further neighborhood goals. Traffic should move slowly through residential areas, and street widths and configuration should be in character with the neighborhoods in which they are located.

POLICY A-2-15: Encourage sidewalks in all areas of the community, requiring them or a pedestrian system in new developments. Sidewalks should be designed with a landscape strip between the sidewalk and the street or curb. Landscape strips are preferred, and all sidewalks should meet accessibility standards.

Use of sidewalks and trails has increased dramatically in recent years. These sidewalks and paths should be installed as land is subdivided and developed, eventually leading to a continuous pedestrian system throughout the city. Sidewalks separated from the curb by a landscape strip not only are more attractive, they are safer, because pedestrians are separated from vehicular traffic.

POLICY A-2-16: Promote simple, objective design standards (not an architectural review committee) for commercial, industrial, and institutional development.

Because the appearance of the community is important, the city needs to promote design standards that will lead to attractive development. These standards might include such things as variations in roof lines or building facades, requirements for windows, or standards for the placement of buildings on their lots.

POLICY A-2-17: Encourage all utilities to be placed underground, rather than overhead. Overhead utility lines detract from the appearance of the community and limit the types of trees that can be planted in some locations. They also are dangerous when they sag or break during storms. Underground lines also have a lower frequency of repair, although they do have a shorter life span than overhead lines.

POLICY A-2-18: Maintain and enhance neighborhood-scale business areas, with special attention to the unique character of each area.

Neighborhoods can be enhanced by convenient shopping areas, provided that these are of a type, size and design consistent with their surroundings.

POLICY A-2-19: Allow neighborhood business areas to use on-street parking in areas where such parking is in character with the neighborhood and where street widths and traffic patterns are conducive to on-street parking.

Adequate parking is important, but a "one-size-fits-all" approach to parking requirements fails to recognize the differences between neighborhoods and the impact of parking lots. In some neighborhoods, on-street parking may be preferable to a parking lot, particularly if yard or landscaped areas must be removed to accommodate parking. In some neighborhoods, a significant portion of the customers may walk, rather than drive. The city's regulations should be sufficiently flexible to allow for differing neighborhood characteristics.

GOAL A-3: Provide individual accessibility to all community services & facilities, including the following:

• educational facilities
  
• health care facilities and services
  
• recreational facilities
  
• cultural events and facilities
• civic activities
• transportation facilities.

POLICY A-3-1: Establish accessibility standards for all new development.

New development should be designed so that buildings, parking areas, and other facilities are accessible to all to the maximum extent practical and in compliance with state and federal accessibility laws.

POLICY A-3-2: Ensure that all public rights-of-way are designed with proper access for persons with physical challenges.

Public streets and sidewalks should be designed so that persons using wheelchairs or walkers, persons who are hearing or vision impaired, or those with other physical challenges have full access.

GOAL A-4: Promote wise and efficient use of limited resources and nonrenewable resources, including but not limited to capital and land.

POLICY A-4-1: Preserve & revitalize older neighborhoods, including buildings, grounds, and infrastructure. The city should hold property owners accountable for the maintenance and upkeep of their properties in accordance with law.

POLICY A-4-2: Encourage infill development, and/or use of vacant parcels for projects such as parks or other amenities which complement the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Vacant parcels represent lost opportunities, and they can become neighborhood nuisances.These parcels should be used, either for development, or for other neighborhood assets such as parks or community gardens. It is less expensive to develop these parcels than to create new subdivisions.

POLICY A-4-3: Prevent urban sprawl.

Sprawling development patterns waste land and cost tax dollars. Development should be compact and orderly.

POLICY A-4-4: Encourage residential clustering and other development types that conserve open space and natural resources and reduce infrastructure costs.

Regulations should encourage development which saves trees, wetlands, flood plains, natural topography, and other natural features and development which includes open space. The city's ordinances need to provide flexibility and incentives for developers to use creative subdivision layouts.

POLICY A-4-5: Prevent development in areas where such development would jeopardize health or safety. Land subject to flooding, with inadequate sewage disposal or water supply, with inadequate access, or land with known environmental problems should not be developed.

POLICY A-4-6: Encourage wise use of infrastructure dollars.

There are limited public resources for construction or improvement of streets, sewer systems, water systems, drainage systems, and other similar facilities. These expenditures are affected by the pattern of development, and costs should be considered in conjunction with development proposals.

POLICYA-4-7: Require new development to take place in an orderly fashion to facilitate efficient provision of services at reasonable cost.

Public services, such as police and fire protection, school busing, trash pick-up, road maintenance, and snow removal all cost more when development is scattered rather than compact.

POLICYA-4-8: Encourage planting of trees throughout the community; require trees in new developments, and require street trees in new residential subdivisions.

Trees are valuable to the community, as aesthetic resources and as environmental enhancements. They also protect and improve property values. There should be flexibility regarding the placement of street trees to ensure that the trees do not interfere with utilities or sidewalks and have maximum chance of survival.

POLICYA-4-9: Ensure that trees are appropriate to their locations so that they do not cause such problems as interfering with utility lines or drainage, damaging sidewalks and pavement, or creating traffic hazards. Street trees must be selected carefully, in relation to their location. Street trees should not interfere with underground or overhead utilities, impede sight distance for drivers, or damage pavement. There are varieties of trees that meet all these criteria.

B. Environment

GOAL B-1: Maintain excellent water, air & land quality and protect the natural environment.

POLICY B-1-1: Protect floodway areas from development to prevent runoff which could pollute streams and rivers. (See Goal B-4)

Soil disturbing activity in floodway areas destroys the natural vegetation and causes siltation of our waterways. In addition, stormwater runoff from parking areas, streets, and lawns contains pollutants which will decrease the water quality.

POLICY B-1-2: Protect wellhead and other water supply areas from development which could contaminate ground or surface water supplies.

The city's water supply comes from well fields which need to be protected from contamination. Development in these areas should be restricted to activities which will not harm the water supply.

POLICY B-1-3:Discourage new development utilizing private wells and septic systems or other privately owned and operated sewage treatment systems.

Septic system failures are common throughout the community. In general the useful life of a septic system is 15 years, much shorter than the life of a building. Failing systems pollute ground and surface waters and present health hazards.

POLICY B-1-4: Prevent soil erosion, both from urban development and from agriculture. Topsoil is a valuable nonrenewable resource which should be preserved. In addition, improper or unwise development and farming practices result in the siltation of our waterways.

POLICY B-1-5:Protect and enhance water quality in all aspects of growth and development. High-quality water is valued for a variety of reasons, including aesthetic, health, and economic ones.

POLICY B-1-6:Meet or exceed state and federal air quality standards.

Air quality is important for health and economic reasons. Air pollution has many documented health impacts, and it can damage property. The federal air quality standards are minimum; the community may want to require a higher standard to protect the quality of life.

POLICY B-1-7:Meet or exceed state and federal water quality standards.

Water quality is important for health and aesthetic reasons. Poor water quality is dangerous to health, and it limits recreational opportunities such as swimming and fishing. Federal water quality standards are minimum; the community may want to require a higher standard to protect the quality of life.

POLICY B-1-8:Develop a curbside recycling program to reduce waste and prolong the life of the landfill. The community needs to dispose of waste in an environmentally safe manner. Availability of approved waste disposal facilities is critical to the community's economic health. Because of the difficulty and expense involved in siting waste disposal facilities, the community should develop a curbside recycling program to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill.

POLICY B-1-9:Encourage new development to be designed in a manner which preserves natural topography and other natural features, including but not limited to trees, woodlands, wetlands, streams, ponds, drainage ways.

Natural features and topography are a community resource which should not be destroyed due to inflexible subdivision regulation. New development should take place in a manner which preserves these features to the maximum extent possible.

GOAL B-2: Enhance open space to create sustainable recreational environment and wildlife environments and wildlife habitats.

POLICY B-2-1: Develop a wildlife habitat protection plan. This plan would include specific goals for wildlife protection, identification of important species, priorities for species protection, identification of the ecological elements necessary to sustain habitats for desirable wildlife, and a plan for creating learning areas in natural habitats.

Wildlife can enrich community life and improve our environment; it also can be a nuisance. The city needs to decide what level of wildlife protection is desired, which species should be protected, and what needs to be done to provide habitats for desirable wildlife. Natural habitats offer learning opportunities, especially for children. The city should encourage the educational function of these areas.

POLICY B-2-2: Protect & enhance the growth of the city and private park system.

Parklands are an important element of a quality community. The park system should continue to grow as the population increases. Parks should be properly maintained, and the city should provide a variety of recreational opportunities for all age groups.

GOAL B-3: Develop a comprehensive network of natural areas to enhance and protect our fragile environment.

POLICY B-3-1: Protect river and stream banks in the parks department stewardship from soil erosion and stabilize the banks through protective plantings.

The city should set an example of environmental stewardship by preventing soil erosion along the river and stream banks under parks department control Clean, free-flowing rivers and streams are a community asset. Measures should be in place to prevent erosion in these areas and to provide a suitable habitat for wildlife.

POLICY B-3-2: Encourage private owners to protect the banks in their ownership from erosion and to stabilize them through plantings.

The city should provide information and technical advice to private property owners who control stream and river banks, and encourage them to take action to prevent soil erosion.

POLICY B-3-3: Planting plans should be sensitive to surrounding land owners.

In selecting plants to stabilize stream banks, the city and private property owners should consider the effect of those landscape materials on neighboring property. The plants should not encourage the proliferation of pests, such as mosquitoes.

POLICY B-3-4: Encourage green space preservation, particularly trees, in all new development.

People value open space, and it offers many benefits, including environmental, economic, aesthetic, and psychological Trees are particularly valuable in that they provide shade, reduce air pollution, and increase the value of property. As the city develops, open space areas should be preserved.

GOAL B-4: Promote health, safety, and protect property through wise development practices, and avoid litigation resulting from unwise development.

POLICY B-4-1: Encourage creative subdivision design which avoids placement of houses in the floodway fringe.

While federal and state rules for flood plain management allow construction of houses in the floodway fringe, this type of development is not ideal These houses must be elevated to two feet above the 100-year flood level, and there can be no basements. Owners of houses located in flood hazard areas must purchase federal flood insurance, which can be expensive. The city should encourage subdivision layouts which do not have house locations in the floodway fringe.

POLICY B-4-2:Where appropriate, require an analysis of general soil conditions for new development, and when the analysis indicates possible problems, require a detailed analysis to ensure that soil conditions are suitable for planned construction and that foundations, basements, and streets are properly engineered. Soil conditions have significant effects on buildings. When designers and builders fail to account for soil properties, buildings can sag, foundations can crack, and basements can flood, among other problems. A geotechnical investigation of a potential development site will identify potential problems and enable developers to engineer their buildings to avoid problems.

POLICY B-4-3: Where appropriate, require that developers obtain an environmental assessment before development plans are submitted for approval to help determine the suitability of the parcel for the proposed development.

An environmental assessment includes a records search and a field visit to the site. The records search would show previous owners and would indicate uses which might have involved hazards such as underground tanks or buried trash. The site visit would reveal any surface evidence of such hazards.

GOAL C-1: Maintain and enhance the park system to benefit the community, provide a sense of neighborhood, and promote public health.

POLICY C-1-1:Preserve existing city parks, including Donner, Greenbelt, Clifty, Mill Race, and others that provide recreational opportunities beyond those offered by neighborhood parks.

These parks provide recreational activities used by the entire community, such as swimming, entertainment, golf, and tennis. These parks should be protected and maintained so that they will continue to serve future generations.

POLICY C-1 -2: Encourage development of neighborhood parks.

In addition to large parks to serve the general population, the city needs smaller, neighborhood parks convenient to residential areas. These parks should be developed as the city grows.

POLICY C-1-3: Require adequate green space in new developments. When reservation of green space is impractical because of the size of the development or other factors related to the land, provide other methods for the developer to meet this goal. These mechanisms could include payments in lieu of park land dedication or enhancement of and/or connection to existing parks.

Each new subdivision, no matter how small, contributes to the need for more park and open space land. Open space areas should be reserved as the city grows, with each new development making a proportionate contribution to the park and open space program.

POLICY C-1-4:Prepare an overall plan for future park needs, providing for appropriate park space in all geographic areas of the city.

In past years the larger parks such as Greenbelt, Donner, and Mill Race have served the community well. As the population grows, it will be necessary to provide additional park space. The city should have a plan for overall park and recreation needs.

POLICY C-1-5: Set aside city resources for new parks which will be needed to accommodate population growth.

While developers may be asked to provide the resources for new neighborhood parks, city resources may be needed to provide additional larger parks conveniently located for a growing population.

POLICY C-1-6: Where appropriate, upgrade neighborhood parks to fulfill the need for expanded recreational opportunities for a growing population.

As an alternative to acquiring and developing new large parks, there may be opportunities to expand and upgrade neighborhood parks to fulfill this need.

POLICYC-1-7:Ensure that parks are located in areas which can be conveniently accessed by those for whom they are intended.

Parks need to be convenient and accessible to their users. Neighborhood parks should be within reasonable walking or bicycling distance. Most of our existing larger parks are in the downtown area. As the city grows, additional large parks may need to be acquired and developed in other geographic areas.

POLICY C-1-8: Continue to link green spaces and parks with People Trails.

The People Trail system has been popular with local residents, particularly as a link among various park and open space areas. This trail system should be continued and expanded as the city grows.

POLICY C-1-9: Designate parks areas as passive, active, or restricted. Passive and active uses would include human use of the areas. Restricted use would protect wildlife corridors, natural habitats, wetlands, and unique vegetation. The parks system should include both passive and active recreation at convenient locations throughout the community.

Community residents have a variety of recreational and open space needs. All of these should be accommodated through the park system. Some park areas should be designated for tennis, softball, and playgrounds. Others should be set aside for more passive uses, such as picnicking or walking, and some should have restricted access to protect valuable natural resources. There should be a variety of park and open space lands in all geographic areas of the city.

POLICY C-1-10:Consider developing a bikeway system on existing streets and in new subdivisions. Bicycling is popular both as recreation and as transportation. The city should develop a system of bikeways to serve the community.

GOAL C-2: Provide for the community's park and recreation needs in a cost-effective manner.

POLICY C-2-1: In order to ensure maximum benefit from recreational resources, require the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department to take the lead in collaborating with other agencies and organizations such as the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, the Foundation for Youth, Senior Center Services, the County Parks Department, and the Wellness Program.

There are several recreational providers in our community. The residents will be best served if these providers cooperate and collaborate on programming and facilities. A cooperative approach will avoid duplication of facilities and provide a greater variety of recreational opportunities. The parks department should be a leader in establishing this cooperation.

POLICY C-2-2: Encourage existing and new public recreational facilities to function as multigenerational community centers, and provide programming to meet the needs of special populations.

The community should offer recreational opportunities for all age groups and abilities. In addition, there should be opportunities for intergenerational activities which bring older people and children together for the benefit of both groups. Recreational programs also should be available for special populations, such as the physically or mentally challenged.

POLICY C-2-3: Provide sufficient resources to properly maintain new parks and new park facilities. After park and recreation areas are acquired and developed, they must be properly maintained for maximum benefit from these important resources.

GOAL D-1: Develop new housing where adequate public services can be provided economically.

POLICY D-1-1: Promote orderly housing expansion in locations where the city's infrastructure and services have the capacity to accommodate the growth.

New neighborhoods should have adequate infrastructure and services.Road networks should be safe, there should be adequate sewage disposal and a safe drinking water supply, there should be adequate police and fire protection and trash pick-up. The city should guide new development to areas where these services will be available at reasonable cost.

POLICY D-1-2:Use road and utility expansion to control direction growth.

Development tends to follow infrastructure such as streets and utilities. The city should use its investments in this infrastructure to direct growth in accordance with an overall plan.

POLICY D-1-3: Encourage development adjacent to already developed areas.

Compact development contiguous to already developed areas is the most economical and convenient urban form, and the city should encourage that type of development.

POLICY D-1-4:Encourage city/county cooperation in development issues.

The city and county do not exist in isolation; what one does affects the other. The citizens of the community will be best served if the city and county can cooperate and develop complementary development policies.

GOAL D-2: Encourage development of a sufficient supply of diverse housing types, sizes, and price ranges in the community.

POLICY D-2-1: Encourage housing which is affordable to those whose incomes are below the median, particularly those significantly below the median.

A thriving community needs socioeconomic diversity which in turn requires a range of housing prices. The city should encourage the development of housing in a variety of price ranges so that all citizens will have decent, safe, and sanitary housing at prices they can afford.

POLICY D-2-2:Allow for various housing types.

A diverse population needs diverse housing. The city should encourage a variety of housing types, including single-family detached houses, townhouses, and apartments.

POLICY D-2-3: Explore options for providing incentives for housing rehabilitation.

Existing housing is a resource which should be preserved. When older houses begin to deteriorate, they detract from their neighborhoods. The city should develop incentives to encourage rehabilitation of deteriorating housing. Keeping these houses in good condition also reduces the need for new development meet housing needs.

POLICY D-2-4: Explore options for providing incentives for development of affordable housing which is consistent with these policies and conforms to an overall plan for community growth.

The private market produces a housing supply sufficient for those in middle- and upper-income categories, but land and development costs make it difficult for private entrepreneurs to produce houses that can be purchased by those in the lower income brackets.These incentives might include tax abatements and low- interest loans.The incentives would not include lower standards for houses or neighborhoods.

POLICY D-2-5:Encourage neighborhoods which contain a diverse socioeconomic mix.

Socioeconomic diversity is beneficial to the community. The city should encourage developments which contain a variety of housing types and prices. The diversity of neighborhoods affects the diversity in public schools, particularly elementary schools. Traditional development, such as in the downtown area, contains a socioeconomic mix. Among newer developments, Tipton Lakes is consistent with this policy in that it contains a mix of housing types (apartments, single-family houses, duplexes, townhouses) in different price ranges.

POLICY D-2-6: Encourage development of a sufficient supply of housing in all price ranges so that all citizens of the community can enjoy decent, safe, and sanitary housing in desirable neighborhood settings.

A diversity of housing prices and types accommodates a diverse population and differing preferences.

GOAL D-3: Provide high-quality residential neighborhood environments.

POLICY D-3-1: Encourage projects which improve and revitalize neighborhoods. Strong neighborhoods are the building blocks of strong communities. Projects which enhance neighborhood cohesiveness strengthen the community. Examples include neighborhood watch programs, neighborhood associations, clean-up projects, block parties, and recreation programs.

POLICY D-3-2: Encourage renovation or removal of deteriorated housing.

Housing which has deteriorated detracts from neighborhood quality, discourages investment, and is a nuisance, attracting vermin and vandalism. Such housing should be rehabilitated or removed.

POLICY D-3-3: Require proper construction standards for new and rehabilitated housing. Houses which are properly constructed will need less maintenance and will retain their value better than those which do not comply with accepted construction practices. The city should ensure that standards are adopted and enforced.

E. Commercial Development

GOAL E-1: Maintain and enhance the attractiveness and vitality of the city's neighborhood business areas. Downtown Columbus: (Washington & Franklin Streets, between 2nd and 8th Streets) This area is characterized by tree-lined streets, cleanliness, attractive buildings, well-maintained sidewalks, buildings of a consistent scale, low-key signs, pedestrian orientation, attractive window displays, buildings close to the street, parking in community lots or behind buildings.

POLICY E-1 -1: Maintain the downtown as the heart of the city, retaining its function as the government, institutional, and financial center of the community.

The downtown is important to the community, healthy communities have strong downtowns. Traditional downtown functions include government, institutional uses (such as churches and schools) and finance, and those should be retained in downtown Columbus.

POLICY E-1-2:Encourage retail, entertainment, restaurant, and similar uses which add to the vitality of the downtown, with emphasis on after-hours and weekend activities.

There is no greater asset to a downtown than people. Successful downtowns are "destination" places: places people seek out for activities and shopping, rather than places people pass by or visit en route to some other destination. The city should encourage a land use mix which will attract people to the downtown.

POLICY E-1-3:Encourage development of additional parking that is consistent with the character of downtown.

People will not go downtown if there is no place to park, and the city needs to encourage sufficient downtown parking. This parking, however, should complement the character of downtown. For example, removing buildings and replacing them with surface parking lots damages the fabric of downtown and creates blank spaces which do not attract pedestrian activity.

POLICY E-1-4: Encourage signs and landscaping which enhance the attractiveness of downtown and which contribute to the economic vitality of downtown businesses.

Appropriate signs and landscaping contribute to the attractiveness and character of downtown. For example, trees add to the beauty of downtown, but they should not hide buildings or create hazards for pedestrians. Similarly, signs which complement the downtown architecture should be encouraged, along with signs which are pedestrian-oriented.

POLICY E-1-5: Ensure that the public signs (i.e., traffic control signs, "no parking" signs, etc.) are designed to minimize clutter and maximize readability.

Visitors to downtown should have clear and concise information about traffic and parking regulations, and the city should strive to make public informational and regulatory signs as readable and understandable as possible.

POLICY E-1-6: Encourage residential uses on the upper floors of downtown buildings.

Many successful downtowns have encouraged mixed land uses. Downtown residents patronize the businesses provide 24-hour occupancy in the area.

POLICY E-1-7: Prepare a plan for downtown and the surrounding area which addresses land use, traffic circulation, parking, and design.

The city should develop a coherent plan for downtown. This plan should promote the vitality and economic health of the downtown area to serve local residents and visitors to the community.

Neighborhood Commercial Areas, (such as the area along 1611 Street, from California St. to Home Ave., and Home Ave. between 16th and 17th Streets): These are areas characterized by small shops with unique or specialized merchandise. The commercial development is in scale with the surrounding neighborhood and does not generate excessive traffic.

POLICY E-1-8: Allow rezoning of residential lots and structures to business use only when these changes are consistent with an overall plan for the neighborhood; prevent the conversion of individual residential structures to incompatible business use.

These business areas can enhance the vitality and convenience of their neighborhoods, but the residential character can be damaged by encroachment of incompatible businesses into the residential portions of neighborhoods. The city should prepare neighborhood plans which will encourage appropriate neighborhood business areas.

POLICY E-1-9: Encourage businesses that are consistent in scale and character with the residential neighborhood and which do not detract from the enjoyment of residential properties. Appropriate neighborhood businesses are an asset, but care must be taken to ensure that these activities add to rather than detract from the area. Small-scale restaurants or retail stores can add to the attractiveness and convenience of a neighborhood, while a fast-food restaurant with a drive-through or a "big-box' retail operation would adversely affect the residential quality.

POLICY E-1-10: Encourage businesses which can utilize on-street parking or parking behind buildings. Ln neighborhood settings, asphalt parking lots in front yards are inconsistent and unattractive. Neighborhood business areas should be designed with parking behind the buildings wherever possible, or they should be of sufficiently small scale to allow on-street parking.

POLICY E-1-11:Encourage use of buffers to separate residential uses from business uses.

Appropriate buffering can reduce the adverse impacts of businesses located adjacent to residences. This buffering can consist of physical separation, landscaping, fencing, or a combination of these.

East Columbus (excluding the S.R. 7 corridor): East Columbus is a traditional, mixed-use neighborhood with several businesses catering to neighborhood trade.

POLICY E-1-12: Encourage businesses that are consistent in scale and character with the residential neighborhood and which do not detract from the enjoyment of residential properties.

See Policy E- 1 -9.

POLICY E-1-13:Encourage businesses which can utilize on-street parking or parking behind buildings. See Policy E- 1 - 1 0.

West Hill/Tipton Lakes/Westwood: West Hill Shopping Center, Woodcrest (athletic club, office buildings, funeral home, Marriot)

POLICY E-1-14: Encourage new businesses in this area to be of a similar character to those already developed, utilizing planned commercial centers.

All the commercial lots in this area originally were proposed for development under the planned unit development concept. As a result, these business areas have been planned as commercial centers with controlled access and consistent architectural style. Additional commercial development in this area should continue this trend.

GOAL E-2: Promote the use of designated highway corridors as areas for commercial development.

POLICY E-2-1: Encourage development of these corridors in a manner that is visually appealing. Highway corridors greatly impact the appearance of a community. Because community appearance is important to local residents, the city should encourage these corridors to be developed in a manner that enhances community appearance. Elements to be considered include landscaping, screening of outdoor storage and display, appearance of buildings, design of parking areas, and others.

POLICY E-2-2: Encourage smooth, efficient traffic flow, and as properties are redeveloped, reduce the number of driveways onto these highways.

The primary function of these highways is to move traffic, not to provide access to property. The traffic flow is disrupted by numerous driveways, which create points of traffic conflict. The city should plan for safe access which minimizes driveways and intersections.

POLICY E-2-3: Establish objective design standards(not an architectural review committee), to encourage

Development with appropriate landscaping, parking, setbacks, visually appealing buildings, and attractive and effective signage.

Design standards could include such things as requirements for variations in building facades, roof lines, materials, colors, and limitations on outside storage.

POLICY E-2-4: Encourage landscape materials which do not obscure views of the businesses from the highway.

Many businesses need highway visibility in order to succeed, and landscape materials, especially trees, should be chosen to preserve the views of the buildings. These views also can reduce vandalism and improve safety.

POLICY E-2-5: Establish accessibility standards for all new development and redevelopment.

Buildings and parking areas should be designed to provide accessibility for all, including the physically challenged.

POLICY E-2-6: Protect the floodway areas from development, but allow existing buildings to be enlarged if the expansion can be done in a manner which does not increase flood heights nor endanger life or property. Development in floodway areas increases flood heights and therefore increases property damage from flooding. Downstream areas also can be damaged from chemicals and debris carried in the floodwaters. While individual construction projects may not significantly increase flood heights, there is a cumulative effect from such projects; therefore, the best practice is to prevent new construction in the floodway. There are many existing buildings in located in the floodway in Columbus. In some cases, these can be expanded without causing any increase in flood height, because the existing building creates an obstruction which will not be made larger by a downstream addition. In these cases, expansion should be allowed.

POLICY E-2-7: Require signs to be designed in accordance with street types and traffic patterns so that signs are appropriate to the conditions in which they are seen and in a manner which effectively informs drivers about available business activities along the corridors.

Signs along highway corridors should contain messages short enough to be read from a moving car, traveling at normal speed for that highway. Letters should be large enough to be readable, and signs -should be at a height which is in the line of vision of drivers on that road. This height will vary with road design; signs easily visible from a 2-lane road may not be visible from the inside lanes on a 4-lane road. The topography also affects sign visibility. Traffic safety is improved by signs which are visible and readable from the highway.

POLICY E-2-8: Prohibit billboards on all highway corridors.

Billboards are distracting to drivers, and they create unattractive sign clutter which obstructs views of buildings and natural landscapes.

POLICY E-2-9: Encourage the installation of sidewalks as part of the road widening projects and as properties are redeveloped.

See Policy A-2-15.

POLICY E-2-10: Encourage businesses along these corridors to add landscaping.

Landscaping adds greatly to the appearance of the community, and it offers environmental, economic, and psychological benefits. Highway corridors are the most visible areas to visitors and local residents alike; therefore, landscaping is particularly important in these areas.

POLICY E-2-11: Establish and maintain a coherent system of public signs which help local residents and visitors to find locations in the community, but which avoid visual clutter.

Signs placed by the units of government should set an example for readability and usefulness. The signs should be clear and simple and not create visual clutter.

POLICY E-2-12: Encourage parking lot and circulation designs which are safe and efficient, both for motor vehicles and for pedestrians.

Parking lot design can define and channel traffic flow and reduce the likelihood of accidents. In addition, pedestrian circulation in parking areas can be designed to improve pedestrian safety and access. For example landscaped traffic islands with sidewalks can be used to channel traffic and provide pedestrian access to buildings.

POLICY E-2-13: Discourage encroachment of business into residential areas on a lot-by-lot basis along the highway, but logical expansions of existing businesses and redevelopment of multiple residential lots for commercial purposes should be considered.

The enjoyment of residential property can be diminished by inappropriate encroachment of businesses into neighborhoods. Allowing residences to be converted to businesses on a lot-by-lot basis creates strip commercial developments and detracts from the residential quality of neighborhoods. At the same time, neighborhoods which border highway commercial corridors already are located in mixed-use areas and in the path of possible business growth. Expansions of existing businesses into these residential areas is sometimes desirable and justified, as are redevelopment projects in which groups of residential lots are converted into a planned business project.

POLICY E-2-14: Encourage development of commercial and office centers, rather than strip development.

See Policy A- 1-3.

POLICY E-2-15:Encourage maintenance of views to the landscape beyond the road frontage.

Columbus is characterized by open spaces and river corridors which are visible from highway corridors. These views add to the attractiveness of the community and contribute to a "sense of place." These views should be preserved as the city grows.

National Road and 25th Street: This area is characterized by retail, fast-food, and service businesses catering to the community as a whole. There are several strip shopping centers, "big box " businesses and a mall located along this corridor.

POLICY E-2-16:Support the widening of National Road to promote safety and smooth traffic flow.

The commercial development on National Road has led to traffic congestion. This widening project will help relieve that congestion and improve traffic safety and convenience.

U.S. 31 (south of National Road corridor, north of Lowell Road): These areas are largely undeveloped, but future commercial growth may take place in these areas as the city grows. The proximity to a primary arterial highway makes this area attractive for additional commercial growth.

POLICY E-2-17: Require development of frontage roads as this area develops.

The primary purpose of a highway is to move traffic, not to provide access to property. As commercial growth takes place, frontage roads should be developed to prevent traffic congestion.

S.R. 1 1 (Garden City): This area contains several large businesses of a specialized nature and businesses requiring large tracts of land. Mixed with these are commercial establishments which primarily serve the Garden City area.

POLICY E-2-18: Support the widening of S.R. 1 1 to promote traffic safety and smooth traffic flow.

Commercial and residential development south of Columbus has added to the traffic on this highway, and this growth is expected to continue. S. R. I 1 should be widened to promote traffic safety and convenience.

POLICY E-2-19: Uses of a similar nature to those already established in this area should be encouraged to seek locations along this corridor.

Columbus needs to ensure that there are appropriate locations for a full range of businesses and services. The Garden City area can continue to accommodate growth of businesses similar in character to those existing in this area.

S.R. 11 (north of 8^th Street): This area has developed with a variety of businesses, primarily those oriented toward a broad market.

POLICY E-2-20:To promote traffic safety and enhance views, encourage sufficient building setbacks for new buildings.

Along this corridor drivers have views of farm fields, river corridors, flood plains. It also is a heavily traveled, high-speed highway. Businesses located on this highway should be sufficiently set back from the street to preserve the views and to offer good visibility for drivers.

S.R. 7: This highway corridor contains a mix of uses, several of which are large-scale commercial or industrial operations. Most buildings are located close to the street; there are few parking lots in front of buildings.

POLICY E-2-21: Maintain the relationship of buildings to the street as properties are developed or redeveloped.

In order to preserve the character of this neighborhood, new buildings should be located close to the street, with any needed off-street parking provided behind the buildings.

S.R. 46 W: From the Tipton Bridge to Carr Hill Road, this corridor is largely open space and agricultural land. Much of the land is in flood plain. West of C.R. 350 W, the corridor is a mix of residential, agriculture, and open space. The area between Carr Hill Road and C.R. 350 W contains a mix of strip commercial and planned commercial development.

POLICY E-2-22: Limit commercial development to the area between C.R. 350 W and Carr Hill Road.

The 1-65 interchange and residential development along this corridor has prompted commercial growth. In order to promote traffic safety, planned commercial areas, residential growth, and maintenance of views, the commercial development should be confined.

GOAL E-3: Encourage a business-friendly climate which will foster growth in the commercial sector, while protecting the character of neighborhoods.

POLICY E-3-1: Allow the free market and private investment decisions to govern the quantity of each type of business and the variety of goods and services available, within the framework of an overall land use plan. The city should not make decisions about the number of certain businesses that are needed. The market, not the government, should decide whether another restaurant, another filling station, or another clothing store is needed. These businesses, however, must be located in areas where the plan indicates that they are appropriate and compatible with surrounding land uses.

GOAL E-4: Promote a safe environment for businesses.

POLICY E-4-1: Encourage lighting of streets, parking areas, and other spaces which will promote safety and security without adversely affecting neighboring properties.

Businesses will thrive where people feel safe. Streets and parking areas should be well-lighted to reduce vandalism and promote safety. Such lighting should be designed so that it does not disrupt the enjoyment of neighboring properties.

POLICY E-4-2: Encourage landscaping to be designed in a manner which promotes safety.

Landscaping greatly enhances the appearance of commercial areas, and it has economic, environmental, and psychological benefits. At the same time, landscaping should be designed with safety in mind. Vegetation should not interfere with sight distance for drivers, nor should it encourage illegal activity by providing screening of public areas.

F. Transportation, Streets

GOAL F-1: Provide a safe and efficient network of arterial and collector streets and a network of local and neighborhood streets which offer suitable access to property and safety for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

POLICY F-1 -1: Reduce points of traffic conflict on public streets through driveway and intersection separation requirements.

Traffic flows more smoothly and safely when there are fewer points of conf7ict and fewer places where turning movements take place. Proper spacing of driveways and intersections reduces these conflict points and improves traffic safety.

POLICY F-1-2:Improve traffic flow on arterial and collector streets by proper location and spacing of traffic signals and through proper geometric design of streets and intersections.

Streets should be well-engineered for safety. Signals and other traffic control devices should be installed where needed, and streets and intersections should be properly designed for sight distance.

POLICY F-1-3: Encourage heavy trucks and through traffic to use arterial streets which are designed for such traffic, avoiding local streets where this traffic is more likely to cause safety problems. Major streets are designed to accommodate through traffic and trucks; neighborhood streets are designed for access to property and not for this type of traffic.

POLICY F-1-4: Encourage orderly growth by planning and providing an arterial street network paid for from public and private sources in a fair and equitable manner.

The city should plan its major traffic arteries to encourage growth to take place in areas where the land use plan calls for this growth. Excellent streets attract development, and the city should use its investments in streets to promote orderly growth. Requirements for private contributions toward these street improvements should be predictable, fair, and consistent. It is less expensive to build streets in advance of development than ft is to widen streets after traffic congestion problems arise.

POLICY F-1-5:Encourage proper lighting of all streets to provide for traffic safety.

Street lighting is important to traffic safety, and the city should work to ensure that all streets are properly lighted.

POLICY F-1-6: Develop and adopt a new thoroughfare plan for the City of Columbus. This plan should include minimum street standards and a plan for the opening and extension of streets. The city's thoroughfare plan needs to be updated to reflect these goals and policies as well as the land use plan. This thoroughfare plan should offer clear direction for developers and decision-makers regarding the location and design of new streets and of improvements to existing streets.

POLICY F-1-7: Develop a critical access corridor plan which addresses the coordination of the closing of any entrance to the city.

Good access into and out of the city is important to safety, especially in the event of a natural disaster, such as a major flood. The city should have an emergency preparedness plan which addresses such issues as temporary or permanent street or bridge closings.

GOAL F-2: Ensure safe, convenient, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood environments, which are accessible to all citizens. These pedestrian facilities should be provided in a cost-effective manner.

POLICY F-2-1: Develop a traffic calming plan for new and existing neighborhoods. This plan would include such measures as minimizing pavement widths, installing medians and/or traffic circles, shortening street lengths, and discouraging long, straight pavement stretches.

Traffic in residential neighborhoods should move at relatively slow speeds to protect pedestrians and bicyclists and to improve convenience for local traffic. The city needs to develop a plan to maintain these slow speeds in neighborhoods.

POLICY F-2-2: Consider pedestrian facilities and People Trails to be a component of all street construction or reconstruction projects.

The most cost-effective time to install pedestrian facilities is when streets are being built, rebuilt, or widened. These facilities should be provided in conjunction with street projects.

POLICY F-2-3: Avoid, whenever possible, disruptive street widening projects in residential neighborhoods. Street widening projects cause inconvenience to neighborhoods. They create access problems, require rights-of-way which reduce yard space, and create noise, dust, and mud.

POLICY F-2-4: Ensure that pedestrian facilities are accessible to persons with physical challenges.

POLICY F-2-5:Ensure that pedestrian facilities are safe, attractive, and properly lighted.

Sidewalks should be properly maintained and designed for safety and attractiveness.

POLICY F-2-6: Encourage service areas to be so located that they will not interfere with pedestrian activity. Loading docks, refuse disposal areas, and air conditioning units should be located so that they do not interfere with pedestrian flow in parking lots and on sidewalks.

POLICY F-2-7: Because signs are distracting, and an excess of signage is ineffective, encourage streets to be designed to minimize the need for signs.

A well-designed street needs fewer signs, because the traffic pattern is clear without such signs are essential, but the city should use available opportunities to reduce the number of signs needed.

POLICY F-2-8: Encourage creativity in design of subdivision streets to promote safety.

See Policy F-2-1.

POLICY F-2-9: Reduce neighborhood disruptions from street improvement projects.
See Policy F-2-3.

GOAL F-3: Develop a transportation system which integrates alternative modes of transportation and serves persons with physical challenges.

POLICY F-3-1: Encourage the use of public transit and encourage such a system to be self-supporting while affordable. Consider incentives to promote public transit.

Use of public transit reduces dependence on automobiles and reduces air pollution.

POLICY F-3-2: Develop a safe network of pedestrian and bicycle paths throughout the community. Pedestrian and bicycle systems can be a part of the transportation network. People can walk or cycle to work, stores, libraries, parks, and other destinations.

POLICY F-3-3: Encourage the use of the Columbus Municipal Airport as a community asset.

Columbus is fortunate to have a municipal airport. Several local corporations and individuals own airplanes housed at the airport, and charter service is available. The airport has potential for wider transportation use.

POLICY F-3-4: Ensure that all transportation facilities are accessible to persons with physical challenges. See Policy A-3-2.

GOAL F-4: Develop a transportation system which is commensurate with and supportive of the efficient and economical use of public funds.

POLICY F-4-1:Minimize maintenance and replacement costs for public streets.

Streets which are well-designed and properly constructed will have a longer life and require less maintenance.

POLICY F-4-2: Costs for street improvements necessitated by new development should be borne in a fair and equitable manner by the developer, not by the community as a whole. New development should not substantially diminish the level of service currently enjoyed by local residents.

While developers traditionally have been required to install all new streets to serve their developments and to improve existing streets along the frontage of their property, they have not been asked to make off-site improvements. New developments can have dramatic impacts on existing streets, necessitating public improvements such as widening, and eliminating sharp curves and hills. Developers should pay a fair share of the cost of improvements necessitated by their development projects.

GOAL F-5: Provide adequate, attractive, and safe parking facilities.

POLICY F-5-1: Require new developments to construct sufficient but not excessive parking for their demand.

When businesses, apartments, and other uses do not have sufficient parking, the customer and tenant base is affected. In addition, the surrounding neighborhoods may be disrupted by on-street parking by customers of businesses with inadequate parking. At the same time, parking lots use large amounts of land, the pavement surface causes increased stormwater runoff and "heat islands," and expanses of asphalt are generally unattractive. Sizing parking lots to meet peak demand can waste land. Other approaches, such as using grassed areas for overflow parking, should be considered.

POLICY F-5-2: Encourage flexibility in meeting parking demand (shared parking, grassed overflow areas for peak demand and similar practices).

The city should explore ways to reduce the amount of land consumed by parking lots. These might include smaller parking spaces for compact cars, shared parking between uses with different hours (such as using church parking lots for businesses during the week), and temporary overflow parking areas.

POLICY F-5-3: Develop adequate parking to serve downtown and to encourage growth of downtown businesses.

An adequate supply of convenient parking is essential to the success of downtown business. The city needs to encourage the development of additional parking to serve workers and customers.

POLICY F-5-4: Develop standards for safety, circulation, and accessibility in all parking facilities while maintaining aesthetic standards.

See Policy E-2-12.

POLICY F-5-5: Require internal landscaping in all large parking lots.

Uninterrupted expanses of asphalt are unattractive, and they increase stormwater runoff and create "heat islands.' Landscaping can mitigate all of these effects.

POLICY F-5-6: Ensure that parking lot driveways and circulation lanes are adequate for access by maintenance, construction, and utility vehicles.

Parking lots should be designed so that driveways and circulation lanes can accommodate vehicles used for building maintenance, sign maintenance, remodeling, and maintenance of utilities.

G. Drainage and Stormwater

GOAL G-1: Ensure that all storm runoff is handled in a safe and efficient manner and that streets and neighborhoods are properly drained.

POLICY G-1-1: Control ponding on city streets.

Ponding of stormwater on city streets is a traffic hazard which should be controlled.

POLICY G-1-2: Provide for proper drainage as the city grows and changes, ensure that drainage is considered on a watershed basis, and that new development does not create drainage problems adversely affecting other properties in the watershed.

This community has a network of rivers and streams and many areas of high water table. All these factors contribute to potential flooding and poor drainage. The city needs to plan and provide for proper drainage, and this planning needs to be on a watershed basis to insure its validity.

POLICY G-1-3: Ensure that all storm drainage facilities are maintained in good working condition.

To function properly, storm drainage facilities must be maintained. Clogged or blocked drainage systems will cause water to back up.

POLICY G-1-4: Correct existing drainage problems as resources permit.

Correction of existing drainage problems can be extremely costly, but the city should make these improvements as resources allow.

POLICY G-1-5: Develop and maintain a systematic stormwater management program.

The city should develop a plan for evaluating the stormwater effects of new development, for maintaining drainage systems, and for correcting existing drainage problems.

GOAL G-2: Keep the streets and streams free of mud and sedimentation.<

POLICY G-2-1: Minimize soil erosion and sedimentation caused by construction of new developments and by the operation of storm drainage facilities.

New construction disturbs soil and creates erosion and construction vehicles deposit mud on the streets. Storm drainage facilities, such as open swales, also can cause erosion, and the drainage facilities can carry silt into the waterways. The city should encourage practices which minimize this erosion and sedimentation.

POLICY G-2-2: Encourage retention and protection of existing natural vegetation wherever possible.

Natural vegetation protects against erosion and sedimentation.

H. Utilities

GOAL H-1: Provide safe and abundant water for drinking and for fire protection for the community. POLICY H-1-1: Require that new growth be consistent with a growth management plan and encourage Columbus City Utilities to have an aggressive growth plan.

Growth should not be allowed to outstrip the community's ability to provide abundant water for domestic consumption and for fire protection. Columbus residents have not been required to restrict lawn watering or take water conservation measures. This water supply should be protected as the city grows.

POLICY H-1-2:Achieve the best practical fire protection rating to reduce insurance costs for local residents. An excellent fire protection rating means that losses will be minimized, and insurance premiums will be reduced. The city should strive for short response times and high-quality service.

POLICY H-1-3: Provide the highest practical drinking water quality.

Excellent drinking water is a health benefit and an improvement to the quality of life. The city should provide the best quality practical to local residents.

POLICY H-1-4: Require nonfarm uses within the city limits to connect to city water supplies wherever they are available.

Because safe drinking water is important to public health, homes and businesses should use the city's water supply wherever it is available. Private wells can be contaminated from a number of sources, and without regular testing, property owners may be unaware of problems.

GOAL H-2: Provide efficient and environmentally responsible wastewater collection and treatment.

POLICY H-2-1: Encourage the installation of separate storm and sanitary sewers, to increase the capacity of each and reduce the discharge of waste into the waterways.

Combined storm and sanitary sewers often are filled beyond the treatment capacity during heavy rains, causing runoff of raw sewage into the waterways. Inadequate capacity of combined systems also leads to drainage problems. Installing separate storm sewers increases the capacity of the sanitary system and provides better drainage.

POLICY H-2-2: Require that all liquid wastes (industrial, commercial, and household) be properly treated. Proper treatment protects the waterways from pollution from these sources.

POLICY H-2-3: Minimize the amount of clear water (from down spouts, infiltration, etc.) which enters the sanitary sewer system to increase capacity and reduce treatment costs.

When clear water enters the sanitary sewer system, that water is treated unnecessarily, and the capacity of the treatment plant is reduced.

POLICY H-2-4: Require nonfarm uses within the city limits to connect to the city sanitary sewer system wherever it is available.

A sanitary sewer system is a safer means of waste disposal than is an individual on-site disposal system, such as a septic tank and filter field. Individual systems can contaminate the ground water, and filter fields can clog up and fail. Within the city, uses which have sanitary sewers available should be connected to this system.

GOAL H-3: Provide high-quality utility service at the lowest possible rates.

POLICY H-3-1: Costs for utility improvements necessitated by new development should be borne in a fair and equitable manner by the developer, not by the community as a whole. New development should not diminish the level of service currently enjoyed by local residents.

While developers are required to pay for utility extensions to serve their subdivisions, each new development reduces the available capacity of the system, particularly the treatment plant.

POLICY H-3-2: Use available outside funding sources, such as state and federal grants, to help pay for needed improvements and extensions.

The city should reduce the cost impacts of utility systems on individuals by using available outside funding sources to help pay for utility improvements.

POLICY H-3-3: Maintain the systems in a manner which will minimize costs.

Regular maintenance of the sewer and water systems is less costly than major repairs which may be needed without such maintenance.

GOAL H-4: Ensure that all utilities serving city residents are of the same high standards.

POLICY H-4-1: Manage and/or direct community growth through utility policy.

Excellent public utilities attract growth. The city should use its investments in utilities to direct growth to areas where such growth is desired.

POLICY H-4-2: Provide utility extensions, improvements, and upgrades only in a manner consistent with the city's growth management strategy.

Utility extensions and improvements should not be available except to areas where development is consistent with the city's plans for growth.

POLICY H-4-3: Eliminate conflicts among competing utilities.

Several utility companies other than Columbus City Utilities have authority to provide service in and around Columbus. Confusion and conflicts among these companies increase the uncertainty and cost involved in new development. These competing utilities also create uneven service levels and increased rates for city residents.

POLICY H-4-4:Ensure that all new development is served by city utilities or by utilities with equivalent levels of service. This policy includes availability of a water system which will ensure a fire service rating equivalent to the city's rating.

The rural water systems serving Columbus and its outlying areas are not fire rated and cannot at this time provide the water flows necessary for hydrants adequate for city fire righting equipment. City residents should all be entitled to the same level of service at a reasonable cost. If these rural companies are to continue to serve Columbus, their systems should be upgraded to a level of service at least equivalent to the city's system.

POLICY H-4-5: Ensure public control of utility policy.

Because utility policy is extremely important to growth management, the city should ensure that the utility operates responsibly in relation to the city's growth policy.

I. Public Facilities

GOALI-1: Provide high-quality public facilities in locations which are convenient and accessible to local residents.

POLICY I-1 -1: Ensure that pedestrian connections to public facilities are provided in conjunction with new development and that these pedestrian systems are designed to promote safety and efficiency. Public facilities such as libraries, parks, and schools should be accessible to pedestrians.

POLICY I-1-2: Encourage the ColumBUS system to coordinate its schedules and routes with the school corporation, the Foundation for Youth, and other similar agencies to increase the accessibility of these facilities.

Young people in Columbus should have easy access to public facilities. Many do not have private transportation available to allow them to travel home from after-school activities or to go to public or recreational facilities. ColumBUS should try to fill this need.

POLICY I-1-3: Encourage public facilities, particularly schools, to be so located that they serve a socioeconomically diverse population.

The community, and particularly children, benefit from socioeconomic diversity student populations, and other public facilities, such as recreational facilities should be located to attract diverse populations.

POLICY I-1-4:= Encourage new school locations to be convenient for a sufficient number of pupils to make the school educationally efficient and effective.

Elementary schools, are most successful if they are in a size range of 300 to 700 pupils, and young children should not spend inordinate amounts of time being transported to and from school. Likewise, there are optimum sizes and travel times for secondary schools. When school locations are selected, these locations should be convenient to school populations which are within recommended size ranges.

GOAL I-2: Provide high-quality public facilities as economically as possible, while preserving community standards for design.

POLICY I-2-1: Encourage new public facilities to be constructed in locations where adequate infrastructure and services are in place.

As is true of other types of development, public facilities should have adequate roads, parking, sewer, water, and other services and facilities.

POLICY I-2-2: Encourage the use of school facilities by community groups, including public health clinics, during non-school hours.

Schools represent an enormous investment of public funds, and these facilities should be available for public and community events, provided that this facility use does not interfere with the educational mission of the schools.

POLICY I-2-3: Encourage the use of public facilities, particularly school facilities as emergency shelters. Local emergencies, such as flooding or tornadoes, can force local residents from their homes and businesses. Appropriate public facilities should be made available for emergency shelter.

POLICY I-2-4: Promote design excellence in public buildings.

Columbus has a tradition of excellence in design and architecture. The city should continue this tradition by ensuring that public buildings are of the highest standard.

J . Economic Development

GOAL J-1: Promote economic growth which will enable the community to retain its small-city image.

POLICYJ-1-1: Aim the economic development recruitment efforts at attracting companies in a size range that will enable the city to efficiently and economically provide needed infrastructure, services, and supporting activities (housing, recreation, schools, etc.).

Maintaining a manageable rate of growth is important to preserving the quality of life in Columbus. A sudden influx of large numbers of workers or residents could outstrip the city's ability to maintain the level of service it now provides. Growth should be encouraged at a manageable rate.

POLICYJ-1-2: Support and enhance the community's educational system.

Excellence in education is critical to the local economy. Businesses need a well-educated work force, and they benefit from the resources available throughout the educational system.

GOAL J-2: Maintain the characteristics of the small city which improve its competitive position in attracting desired economic growth.

POLICY J-2-1: Maintain and enhance the safety and attractiveness of the entrances to the city.

The entrances to the city create the first impression of Columbus for visitors, some of whom are potential investors in the community's economic growth. These entrances should provide safe and easy access into Columbus, and they should be attractive.

POLICY J-2-2: Maintain and enhance the vitality, cleanliness, and appearance of all areas of the city. One of the traditional strengths of Columbus is its attractive appearance. This attractiveness, particularly of the downtown, helps to attract businesses and workers to the community.

POLICY J-2-3: Encourage industrial development to be integrated with its surroundings, providing smooth transitions between differing land uses.

Columbus economic success has been tied to successful local industry. In years past, industries located in the downtown and other neighborhood areas, close to the work force and to public facilities and services. Different types of industries are appropriate in different types of surroundings. The city should take steps to ensure that industries are good neighbors and that appropriate measures are employed to ensure compatibility of adjacent uses.

POLICY J-2-4:Prevent location of new industrial development in dense residential areas.

Dense neighborhoods are incompatible with new industrial growth. Industries generate volumes and types of traffic which are disruptive to neighborhoods.

GOAL J-3: Provide for continued industrial growth while protecting the agricultural sector of the economy by retaining expanses of productive agricultural land.

POLICY J-3-1: Limit the growth of industrial activity to the areas most suited for this use, minimizing the impact of this type of development on agricultural businesses.

The city needs to continue its industrial growth for long-term economic health. Much of this growth will take place on land that now is used for farming. While it is recognized that some farmland will be lost to this growth, the city should minimize the impacts on farm operations.

POLICY J-3-2: Promote infill development in existing industrial areas.

Infill development conserves land and helps ensure compatibility of new development with neighboring uses.

Woodside/WalesboroArea

GOALJ-4: Promote continued economic development in this area to provide jobs which will improve the standard of living and provide upward mobility for local residents.

POLICYJ-4-1: Encourage new industrial development to be similar to that experienced in this area in the past.

This area has been the location of significant industrial growth in recent years. These industrial parks are attractive and accessible. New development of a similar nature will enhance the strength of the existing businesses and continue to provide economic and job growth.

POLICY J-4-2: Encourage the growth in this area to take place in an orderly manner. Where possible, this growth should be contiguous or in close proximity to the existing development in order to facilitate provision of infrastructure and services.

Infrastructure and services can be provided most efficiently to development contiguous to existing development of a similar nature.

POLICY J-4-3: Designate the land bounded by CR 350 S, CR 400 W, CR 700 S, and SR 11 as an economic growth area.

While it will be many years before this entire area is occupied by industrial development, it is important to set aside an area to accommodate the growth and to discourage incompatible land uses which in turn will discourage desired industrial growth.

POLICY J-4-4: Maintain manufacturing, offices, office/warehouse and similar uses as the principal uses in this area.

See Policy J-4- 1.

POLICY J-4-5: Encourage small-to-medium-sized companies to locate in the northern portion of the Walesboro property of the Columbus Board of Aviation Commissioners by reserving the land in this area for such companies. (See Goal J-1 0)

The city needs to set aside appropriate locations for small-to-medium-sized companies, as these are a major source of job growth.These companies can provide a buffer between larger companies and residential areas, and this area offers excellent access to transportation and services.

POLICYJ-4-6:Within the designated economic growth area, prevent residential subdivisions which would consume land needed for future industrial development.

See Policy J-4-3.

POLICYJ-4-7:Within the designated economic growth area, encourage only that commercial development which will support the industrial activity; prevent commercial development of a scale which would consume land needed for future industrial development.

See Policy J-4-3.

Columbus Municipal Airport Area

Goal J-5:Ensure the continued desirability of the airport area as a location for aviation and for small-to medium-sized enterprises, including high-technology companies, educational institutions, health care facilities, offices, and other similar uses.

POLICYJ-5-1:Reserve the land at Columbus Municipal Airport for aviation-related uses, for development of small-to-medium-sized businesses, offices, institutions, health care facilities, light industries, high technology enterprises, and educational and technical centers which have high economic impact and high growth potential.

The aviation function of the airport needs to be retained and enhanced. The airport is an important community asset which should be utilized to best advantage. The educational institutions which are located there can create a positive synergy with new office, institutional, health care, and high-technology uses.

POLICY J-5-2:Maintain and enhance the visual quality of the airport.

If the airport is to attract the types of uses the city desires, it needs to be visually appealing.

POLICY J-5-3: Provide infrastructure and services to the airport which are sufficient to retain its desirability as a business location.

The city and the aviation board should ensure that the airport has adequate infrastructure to attract and support the desired businesses and institutions.

POLICY J-5-4: Continue to maintain and enhance the aviation capabilities of the airport. See Policy J-5-1.

POLICY J-5-5: Maintain and support the existing post-secondary educational facilities at the airport. Educational institutions provide important support for industry, both in terms of educating the work force and in being a source of expertise and resources.

POLICYJ-5-6: Within the airport area, prevent residential development which would consume land suited for aviation, light industrial, institutional, and other appropriate business growth.

There is an abundance of suitable residential land in the community, but land suited to aviation, light industrial, institutional, and business growth is less plentiful The city should reserve land which meets the criteria for these purposes in order to assure the availability of land for future economic growth.

POLICY J-5-7: Within the airport, restrict retail and similar commercial development to that which will support the desired activities.

Retail commercial development, fast-food operations and similar uses can interfere with other economic growth, and land meeting the criteria for this growth should be reserved for that purpose, not converted to other uses. Some commercial development is appropriate in these areas, to the extent that the commercial enterprises support the primary economic activities. Examples of this commercial development include automobile service stations, restaurants, and office supply stores.

POLICY J-5-8: Discourage noise-sensitive uses from locating at the airport.

Some uses are incompatible with noisy environments. Developers of these businesses should be cognizant of current and future noise levels at the airport.

POLICYJ-5-9: Develop a plan for the future use and development of the airport which considers the effect of aviation and other airport activity on the surrounding neighborhoods and the community as a whole.

The city needs to develop a land use plan for the airport and its environs that reflects these goals and policies and makes the best use of this important community asset.

SR 11 - US 31 Corridor(US 31 north of its intersection with Washington Street, SR 11 from 8th Street to US 31)

GOAL J-6: Continue to provide for economic growth along this previously designated economic growth corridor while protecting floodway areas from development.

POLICY J-6-1: Encourage the development of industrial and office parks along this corridor, on the land that is outside of the designated floodway.

The city has designated this corridor as an economic growth area because of its excellent highway and rail access. As this land develops, the city should ensure that floodway areas are protected to reduce the likelihood of increased flooding or property damage due to flooding.

POLICY J-6-2: Encourage the continued agricultural use of the flood plain areas along this corridor.

The flood plain areas along this corridor are suitable for continued agricultural use, although there is a risk of crop loss caused by flood waters.

Other Corridors (SR 7, US 31 south of CR 50 N, SR 11 south of the Tipton Bridge)

At this time, it is not anticipated that these corridors are needed or will be suitable for industrial growth during the time period covered by this plan.

East Columbus Industrial Area (State Street/South Mapleton/South Gladstone/South Marr Road)

GOAL J-7: Provide for continued industrial development to further the economic well-being of the community, while preserving the floodway areas and surrounding farmland from further encroachment by urban development.

POLICY J-7-1: Encourage industrial development consistent in character with the existing industries to locate in this area, particularly within the city limits, where infrastructure and services can be provided.

New development of a similar nature will enhance the strength of the existing businesses and continue to provide economic and job growth.

POLICY J-7-2: Prevent development in the floodway areas and encourage continued agricultural uses in the floodway areas.

See Policy J-6-2.

POLICY J-7-3: Prevent development of residential subdivisions in this area.
See Policy J-5-6.

Downtown/Urban Industrial areas

These areas include the Cummins main engine plant, Reliance, and the industrial area along and near Central Avenue.

GOAL J-8: Retain and enhance the economic vitality of these industries.

POLICY J-8-1: Continue to nurture and support these industries, provided that they do not expand in a manner which will have significant adverse effects on neighboring uses.

Industrial development shaped some of the older urban areas in Columbus, and they continue to be an integral part of their neighborhoods. This traditional land use should be recognized and continued.

POLICY J-8-2: Prevent expansion which will create environmental problems or which will significantly increase traffic, noise, glare, vibration, or other similar impacts which will adversely affect the surrounding area.

These uses should not be changed or expanded in a way which diminishes the use and value of surrounding properties. Effects to be considered include noise, vibrations, air pollutants, and significant changes in traffic patterns.

GOAL J-9: Ensure that new development has appropriate infrastructure and services and that these services are provided in a cost-effective manner.

POLICY J-9-1: Encourage economic growth to take place in areas where appropriate infrastructure and services are available or can be provided at reasonable cost.

Healthy industrial development needs appropriate infrastructure and services. Adequate sewer and water service, police and tire protection, and convenient transportation networks all are important. These facilities and services are costly to provide, and locational decisions should be made in a manner which conserves resources.

POLICY J-9-2:Encourage similar uses to locate in clusters, to facilitate provision of appropriate infrastructure and services.

Infrastructure and services can be provided most efficiently to business areas which have similar needs for highway access, rail service, sewer capacity, water pressure, and other facilities.

GOAL J-10: Diversify the economy by providing small-business opportunities.

POLICY J-10-1: Create a positive business climate characterized by flexibility. The needs of businesses are continuously changing, and the city needs to have sufficient flexibility in its regulatory system to respond to these changes and to encourage and nurture new businesses.

POLICY J-10-2: Provide opportunities for start-up of small-to-medium-sized companies. A high percentage of new jobs are created by small business. The city needs to set aside appropriate locations for start-up companies and to provide business assistance to help these companies succeed.

POLICY J-10-3: Promote the growth of local companies.

Columbus' economic history is tied to the growth of its industrial base. In addition to attracting outside companies to locate in Columbus, the city should nurture the growth of those companies already located in the community.

POLICYJ-10-4:Protect existing small-to-medium-sized companies located in mixed-use urban areas, and allow these companies to expand, provided that there are no significant adverse effects on other properties in the area.

Many start-up companies locate in mixed-use urban areas, where land tends to be less expensive. There should be reasonable opportunities for these companies to expand, provided that this expansion does not significantly diminish the enjoyment of neighboring properties.

Goal J-1 1: Continue providing various incentives to encourage new businesses to locate in Columbus and to encourage existing businesses to expand.

POLICY J-11 -1: Continue the use of economic incentives to attract new and expanding businesses.

A major contributor to the success of the local economic development program has been the ability to offer and receive tax abatement As a result, the tax rate has gone down and revenue to the city has increased. The city should continue the use of tax abatement.

POLICY J-11-2:Evaluate the need to expand the availability of tax abatement within the city.

Many businesses currently quality for incentives on new investments but aren't located in a previously declared economic revitalization area.

POLICY J-11 -3: Strive to maintain or lower the current tax rate.

A low tax environment is conducive to job creation and the commitment to a low tax rate over the long term should provide for the continuation of job retention and creation.

SUPPLEMENTARY GOALS AND POLICIES

LANDSCAPING

FINDINGS

The City of Columbus finds that landscaping is of enormous value to the community and offers the following types of benefits:

• Economic
• Environment
• Safety
• Aesthetic
• Psychological

Economic Values

According to Local Landscape Ordinances, published by the American Society of Landscape Architects, research indicates that property leases more quickly and property prices are higher on parcels which are attractively landscaped. In addition, landscaping is a cost-effective means of improving values; a small investment in planting will bring a return in increased property value. Research also indicates that attractive landscaping attracts more new business investment and increases business. For example, retail is more successful in areas with such landscaping. Landscaping can mitigate adverse effects of otherwise incompatible land uses by reducing noise, vibration, glare, air pollution, flooding, and soil erosion and by screening unattractive views.

While it is recognized that landscaping improves property values, the costs of compliance with landscape regulations should not be so high as to be onerous or to discourage business development. The costs of installation and maintenance of landscape materials should be reasonable in relation to other investments in the property.

Environmental Values

The role of plants in preventing soil loss, reducing siltation, and reducing the effects of flooding is well- documented. Plants hold the soil in place, particularly on steep slopes and stream banks. They also slow the rate of flow of stormwater. Landscape areas can be designed so that they provide absorption areas for stormwater. Retention ponds, berms, and other landforms can channel and store stormwater.

Plants contribute organic matter to the soil, which improves soil condition. Planting areas also help counter the adverse effects of Impervious surfaces, which include increased amount and speed of stormwater runoff, and increased heat levels in the summer.

Plants provide extra oxygen in the atmosphere and reduce carbon dioxide. They also filter particulate pollutants from the air. Trees, masses of plantings, and berms absorb sound and reduce unwanted noise. Because sound attenuates as it travels, the effects of noise on neighboring properties or uses are mitigated by open space.

Trees, other plantings, and landforms serve as wind breaks and offer protection. They also provide shade and reduce ambient air temperature. Deciduous trees can reduce heating and cooling needs by providing summer shade while allowing solar heating in winter months.

Safety

Planting areas channel traffic in parking areas and lessen the likelihood of traffic accidents. Planting areas along streets and within parking lots provide "safety islands" for pedestrians and help separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Planted buffer strips reduce the noise, vibration, heat and glare produced by certain land uses and provide protection for neighboring properties. They also provide physical barriers which discourage intruders.

Landscaping requirements should not interfere with adequate access to structures, (such as free-standing signs, mechanical areas, etc.) for maintenance. They also should allow for mowing, snow plowing and snow storage, and other similar activities to be carried out safely and efficiently.

Landscape materials should be selected and located in such a manner that they do not interfere with overhead or underground wires, pipes, etc. They also should not interfere with natural or man-made drainage courses.

Aesthetics

Planting areas along streets soften the edge and improve the appearance of the community. They vary the look of an area and create visual interest. Trees, shrubs, water features, and other landscape elements interrupt large areas of asphalt and thus improve the appearance of parking areas.

Plantings can enhance the appearance of building and structures and provide visual unity with the ground. They can be used to block views of incompatible land uses (i.e., factories adjacent to houses) and of inherently unattractive uses (outdoor storage, dumpsters, salvage yards, etc.). Landscaping can tie buildings or uses together and create a sense of identity. Shopping areas, industrial parks, and residential neighborhoods are examples of areas which can benefit from unifying landscape elements. Landscape areas provide visual boundaries between uses and along pavement edges.

Psychological

Research indicates that employees and customers experience psychological benefits from landscaping. Trees, flowers, shrubs, water features and the like contribute to a more humane environment. Research indicates that there is less destruction of property and less graffiti in properly landscaped environments. Landscaping improves the overall quality of life in the community.

S-L-1. Economy

GOAL S-L-1: Protect and enhance property values and improve economic vitality.

POLICY S-L-1-1: Require appropriate landscaping for new or expanded businesses, public facilities, subdivisions, apartment complexes, and other similar uses.

POLICY S-L-1-2: Ensure that landscape requirements are fair and equitable and do not discourage desirable business development.

S-L-2. Environment

GOAL S-L-2: Improve air and water quality, reduce noise, and conserve energy.

POLICY S-L-2-1:Require landscaping where appropriate to reduce soil erosion and lessen the adverse effects of flooding and improve drainage.

POLICY S-L-2-2:Encourage effective use of landscaping, such as medians, traffic islands, and parking lot landscaping, to reduce the adverse effects of impervious surfaces.

POLICY S-L-2-3: Encourage use of street trees and landscape buffers to reduce the adverse effects of air pollution.

POLICYS-L-2-4: Encourage use of landscape buffers to reduce the impacts of noise, including traffic noise.

POLICY S-L-2-5: Encourage site design which uses landscaping to control winds and conserve energy.

POLICY S-L-2-6: Encourage agricultural operations to use filter strips to reduce siltation and sedimentation.

S-L-3. Safety

GOAL S-L-3. Improve the safety of traffic flow on streets and in parking areas.

POLICY S-L-3-1: Encourage site design which employs landscaping to improve traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety in parking areas.

POLICY S-L-3-2: Encourage street design which uses landscaped areas as traffic calming measures.

POLICY S-L-3-3: Encourage landscape designs which are easy to maintain and which do not interfere with maintenance of structures, utility installations, and parking areas.

POLICY S-L-3-4: Ensure that landscape elements do not interfere with utilities or with drainage.

POLICY S-L-3-5:Encourage landscape designs which promote personal safety (i.e., designs which allow views into business property, which screen hazardous areas, and which do not interfere with sight distances).

S-L-4. Aesthetics

GOAL S-L-4. Enhance the appearance of the community.

POLICY S-L-4-1: Make extensive use of street trees throughout the community, requiring them in new development.

POLICY S-L-4-2: Encourage use of landscaping to improve the appearance of parking areas, requiring it in new large parking areas.

POLICY S-L-4-3: Encourage landscape designs which enhance the appearance of buildings.

POLICYS-L-4-4: Encourage use of landscaping to screen and buffer incompatible and/or unattractive uses.

POLICY S-L-4-5: Encourage landscape designs which unify elements in an area.

POLICY S-L-4-6: Encourage use of landscaping to define street edges and separation of uses.

S-L-5. Social

GOAL S-L-5. Improve the psychological and social well-being of the community.

POLICY S-L-5-1: Encourage the use of landscaping to reduce vandalism to property.