What is a comprehensive plan?

A comprehensive plan provides a long-range guide for a community to effectively address future development and natural resources protection. It sets forth the community’s planning goals and objectives. The plan is used in the course of deliberations on local planning issues, particularly with regard to local zoning, subdivision, and official mapping ordinances. 

A comprehensive plan is intended to increase intergovernmental cooperation and general awareness and understanding of planning goals and objectives by residents, landowners, developers, the business community, and other private interests, and among the many units, levels, and agencies of government with land use related responsibilities within the community. 

Comprehensive plans contain the following nine elements as required by Section 66.1001(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes: 

  • Issues and opportunities element
  • Land use element
  • Housing element
  • Transportation element
  • Utilities and community facilities element
  • Agricultural, natural, and cultural resources element
  • Economic development element
  • Intergovernmental cooperation element
  • Implementation element

Show All Answers

1. What is a comprehensive plan?
2. What is land use plan?
3. What is a neighborhood plan?
4. Can I split (subdivide) my land?
5. Do I need an appointment if I am going to subdivide my property?
6. Do I need an appointment if I am going to open a new business in an existing building that had a business?
7. What is a Certified Survey Map?
8. What is a Plat?
9. What is a Preliminary Plat?
10. What is a Final Plat?
11. I am looking to file for a certified survey map, conditional use permit, subdivision plat or rezoning approval. How will the filing and meeting attendance process work?
12. When will my new tax key parcel numbers be assigned as a result of my recorded land division or parcel combination document?
13. How do I get a permit to create a new driveway access or modify an existing driveway access?