Growth management is a conscious attempt by local government to influence the character of future development within its jurisdiction. As a comprehensive land use planning system, growth management addresses the rate, amount, type, location, and quality of growth and development. The goals, objectives, and implementation strategies that comprise the City's policies toward growth and development state local government's intentions in managing growth.

The rate of growth is monitored to prevent demands for public facilities and services from outstripping the City's ability to construct those facilities and to provide adequate levels of service. The coordination of the construction of public facilities and the provision of public services is achieved through a capital improvements program based on facilities and service plans. The City's budgeting for facilities and services is based on the per capita needs projected in this Comprehensive Plan. The rate of growth can be accelerated by the participation of private developers in the financing of growth-related facilities and services needs through the development process.

Regulating the type, location, and quality of development is also within the police power of local governments to protect the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of its citizens. The amount of growth is determined by the natural carrying capacity of the land, public policy, and the market for development. The first two factors set the parameters for the third. For example, certain environmental constraints to development, such as floodplains and soil suitability for septic tanks, reduce the ability of a given area to accommodate growth above certain densities. Public policy setting minimum lot sizes, densities, and intensities of development further limit the total amount of growth that is physically possible for a given area.

In sum, growth management is neither anti-growth nor pro-growth; rather, it is responsible growth. A successful growth management program in Fredericksburg will require the cooperation and participation of both the public and the private sectors in building a total community consistent with the adopted policies of this Comprehensive Plan and the desires of the people of Fredericksburg.

The policy statements in this element of the Comprehensive Plan imply active municipal participation in the delineation of urban form through community development projects and land use controls. This role is traditional for city government. The City's ability to use zoning and subdivision controls affect the transportation system, the utility system, and existing residents, as well as new development. Thus, Fredericksburg’s quality of life reflects the cumulative effect of public policy and programs, public and private investment in local infrastructure, and private development decisions, as well as each individual’s decisions toward community involvement.

Trying to guide a city's growth is a complex task with results that are difficult to predict. Policies and ordinances to direct growth should be developed carefully and should be based on general concepts of growth and land use. As citizens and public officials gain more expertise in the application of selected planning principles, the City can adopt more specific policies and ordinances to meet its needs.

There is a tendency for intensive development, such as commercial, industrial, and high-density residential development, to locate along major traffic corridors for visibility and accessibility. At the beginning of this process, development is spotty and does not necessarily create traffic problems or visual blights. But as strip development begins to fill in, traffic can become a problem due to the volume generated and the movement conflicts created by uncontrolled access to major streets. Also, competition for the visibility that originally attracted commercial development to the strip intensifies to the point of visual confusion.

The proposed urban form model is a neotraditional town planning model which specifies that the most intensive types of land uses occur in clusters at the intersection of streets other than local streets and along thoroughfares. The concept is neotraditional in that it takes the grid street pattern already present in Fredericksburg and relates it to a functional hierarchy of collector and arterial streets.

The primary function of the concept is to keep non-residential uses from intruding into the residential fabric of the city. By locating retail development in centers and high density residential, office, and industrial development on thoroughfares, these high traffic generators are similarly accessible.

As implied above, the proposed planning model is based on a concept of a neighborhood meeting certain livability standards. Although it is recognized that the differences between neighborhoods are what make them interesting, the neighborhood concept begins with the premise of equal facilities, equal levels of service, and equal protection. This basic ideal becomes a point of departure, therefore, for adding variety to individual neighborhoods, relating one neighborhood to another, and relating the neighborhood mosaic to the physical character of the region and its historical development pattern.

Part of maintaining the sense of place created by the planning model and the neighborhood concept is the creation of a "point of arrival" or "gateway" into the historic core of the city. The point of arrival in a city tends to become less distinct as development occurs along the highway leading into the community. The character of highway development can be controlled a great deal through sign and landscape ordinances; but this type of linear development tends to expand continuously without lasting, identifiable edges. Portals to the community can be created by reinforcing the images created by existing landmarks, either public or private, with signage and landscaping in the public right-of-way at those landmarks that mark an historical edge of the city. Such accents let people know that they have arrived into town and are entering a predictable pattern of development consistent with the neotraditional model.

The primary tools for implementing the land use and transportation portions of a comprehensive plan are the zoning and subdivision ordinances and the capital improvements program (CIP). Zoning and subdivision ordinances guide private development and coordinate private investment with public infrastructure. The CIP guides public investment in those roadways, storm drainage, water, wastewater, and other public facilities both in response to the private development market and in anticipation of growth in certain areas. As stated previously, the intent of the Comprehensive Plan is to guide both public and private investment decisions in locating and supporting new development.

The zoning ordinance gives more detail to the general land use designations on the future land use map and the plan policies. The site development requirements assure the quality of land use through compatibility with adjacent land uses.

The subdivision ordinance implements the Comprehensive Plan by requiring the inclusion of major facilities, such as roadways and parks, in subdivisions, as appropriate, in accordance with the Future Land Use Map and the plan policies.

The capital improvements program (CIP) coordinates the city's capital projects from all departments into one multi-year program. Most CIPs run five years with the first year becoming part of the annual budget. The CIP should base its utility and other capital facilities extension plans on the data and adopted policies of the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Department is the ideal entity in city government to provide the coordination and information necessary to make the CIP an effective plan implementation tool.

A city with effective and ongoing comprehensive planning and capital improvements programming processes is better positioned to capture state and federal grants to build new infrastructure and to support public/private partnerships.

While this Comprehensive Plan is general in approach, it is not intended "to sit on the shelf." The policy section that follows includes an all-encompassing vision statement, broad goals, and general objectives. Some of the goals and objectives from the 1985 plan have been brought forward to provide continuity with past planning and are so marked. One of the components of this Comprehensive Plan ’96 that make this plan different from past plans, however, is the inclusion of "implementation strategies" that are (1) recommend specific actions and (2) identify the entity responsible for their implementation. With few exceptions, all of the implementation strategies in this plan, including those designed to achieve the goals and objectives carried forward from the 1985 plan are new with the Comprehensive Plan ’96. This plan also includes implementation strategies for maintaining the plan with annual reviews and regular updates.

As a way to make the transition from policy to action, the implementation strategies have been assembled into an action program under separate cover to focus on who is to take action, what specific tasks does each strategy call for, and what is each strategy’s priority and estimated start and completion dates. Still a guide and not mandatory until the City Council or other entities take action on each particular item, the action program will keep the implementation of this Comprehensive Plan "on the table" as the citizens of Fredericksburg work together to manage growth.

The City should establish a working relationship with the medical community to coordinate the planning for facility and service expansion.

Implementation Strategy 1.1-2

The City should support the hospital, nursing care facilities, and other medical institutions in meeting their service objectives.

Implementation Strategy 1.1-3

The City should support the physicians, hospital and other members of the medical community in transitioning to new forms of financing patient care. These include various forms of managed care, such as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO); Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) and new programs for Medicaid and Medicare patients.

Implementation Strategy 1.1-4

The City should support the community action plans to make Fredericksburg a healthy community presented by the Community Partnership for Health upon surveying over one thousand local residents in the spring of 1995.

The City should establish working relationships with the school district board, Austin Community College board, private schools, trade schools, and other education providers and agencies to promote excellence in education and to meet the employment and other goals for Fredericksburg.

The City should support the school district board, Austin Community College board, private schools, trade schools, and other education providers in meeting their educational goals.

Implementation Strategy 1.3-2

Identify landmarks at the historic edges of the community at which to create "points of arrival." Appropriate points to be studied are West Main Street (US 87 North & US 290 West), North Milam Street (RM 965), North Llano Street (SH 16 North), South Adams Street (SH 16 South), and South Washington Street (US 87 South).

The City should utilize grant funds to beautify and accent the highway rights-of-way at the identified landmarks with entry signs and landscaping.

Implementation Strategy 1.4-3

The City should continue the successful implementation of its landscape and sign ordinances to ameliorate the visual impact of strip development and to create a distinct awareness of being within the city limits upon crossing the city limit line.

The City should continue to fund City services at current levels or higher.

Implementation Strategy 1.5-2

The City should identify and coordinate with community services provided by churches and other organizations.

The City should continue to monitor services that are franchised by the City to insure that citizens receive quality service at affordable rates. If franchised services are not being provided at acceptable levels of service and/or cost, the City should encourage alternate providers to enter the Fredericksburg market and/or investigate the possibility of the City providing that service in a competitive situation.

Implementation Strategy 2.1-1

The City should use "CBD" zoning, "points of arrival" landscaping and signage, crosswalk pavers, sidewalk enhancements, parking improvements, and greenbelts along Baron’s Creek and Town Creek to define the downtown area "creek to creek" between Bowie Street and the Baron’s Creek crossing on East Main Street.

Implementation Strategy 2.1-2

The City should expand shoppers’ coverage of the downtown area by

a. working with merchants in the west end of the CBD to create its own identifiable shopping area, and

b. working with the U. S. Postal Service to locate the post office on West Main Street to create an immediate traffic generator in the west end of the CBD.

Implementation Strategy 2.1-3

The City should stripe both sides of Austin and San Antonio Streets for parking.

The City should work with property owners to provide a pedestrian linkage to parking on Austin and San Antonio Streets by improving sidewalks along Main Street, intersecting side streets, and along San Antonio and Austin Streets.

Implementation Strategy 2.2-3

The City should attempt to create an alley system providing access to merchants’ and employees’ parking as well as delivery and service access to commercial uses.

Implementation Strategy 2.2-4

The City should create parking for recreational vehicles (RVs) and other large vehicles and vehicles with trailers at or near the periphery of the CBD.

The Chamber of Commerce or a Downtown Merchants Association, working with the Economic Development Commission, should utilize professional market research and promotion techniques to market the downtown retail area as a shopping mall.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission should support retail and service establishments in other parts of Fredericksburg with market research assistance and general advertising that can piggy-back on and receive spin-off benefits from downtown promotions.

The City should add appropriate historic lighting on San Antonio and Austin Streets in order to improve visibility without excessive light.

To create a U.S. 290 truck route around the urbanized area of Fredericksburg

Implementation Strategy 3.1-1

The City and County should work with the local TXDOT office and through the local state representatives to designate a truck route around Fredericksburg.

The proposed truck route should utilize existing thoroughfares and rights-of-way as much as possible.

The City should continuously update the circulation plan by coordinating traffic movement studies and future traffic volumes, lane widths, and signal controls with the county and TXDOT. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 3.2-3

The City should improve pedestrian access to school and recreation sites. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 3.2-4

The City should work with TXDOT to install mid-block crosswalks, signalized as appropriate, across Main Street in the central business district.

Implementation Strategy 3.2-5

The City should continue to support the upgrading of airport facilities by permitting limited mixed use development of industry and airport related commercial use. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 3.2-6

The City should initiate airport zoning to prevent uses of land in the vicinity of the airport which would conflict with noise and crash hazards generated by aircraft. (elaboration on 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 3.2-7

The City should incorporate plans for a bus, shuttle, taxi, park-and-ride, and possible future rail multi-modal transportation center into the comprehensive circulation plan.

Implementation Strategy 3.3-1

The City and County should expand its cooperative efforts and interlocal agreements for EMS, fire protection, police protection, the library, and the landfill to include the transportation and drainage infrastructure, especially within the City’s ETJ.

The School District should participate with the City and the County to upgrade streets and other infrastructure to connect new and existing residential areas with new and existing schools.

Implementation Strategy 3.3-3

The County should adopt the City’s design standards for arterials for those portions of county roads and bridges within the City’s ETJ.

Implementation Strategy 3.3-4

Implementation Strategy 4.1-1

The Parks and Recreation Department should consult with other cities and should survey the different segments of the community to determine the feasibility of a recreation center.

Implementation Strategy 4.1-2

The City should promote better use of existing public and private facilities, including church facilities.

Implementation Strategy 4.1-3

The City should identify and initiate the construction or acquisition of other types of facilities that are needed to meet the needs of youth not served by a community center or existing facilities.

The City should encourage the expansion or creation of youth programs and associations for sports and recreation, community service opportunities, and other activities.

Implementation Strategy 4.2-2

The City should call upon leaders of different ethnic, socio-economic, and other groups in the community to organize youth activities targeted for their members.

Implementation Strategy 4.2-3

The City should encourage more parental involvement in organizing, leading, and monitoring youth activities.

Implementation Strategy 5.1-1

The City should facilitate the necessary zoning and subdivision approvals for the development of apartments for the elderly and low and moderate income families.

Implementation Strategy 5.1-2

The City should ensure that adequate infrastructure is extended in all parts of the city in order to increase the opportunities to build affordable housing.

Implementation Strategy 5.1-3

The City should create small lot zoning districts to allow affordable zero-lot-line homes.

Implementation Strategy 5.1-4

In the older large-lot subdivisions, the City should promote the use of the option to place a rental unit at the back of a lot with an existing single family residence to encourage infill.

Implementation Strategy 5.1-5

The City should work with builders, bankers, and qualifying home buyers in support of the concept of "sweat equity" finish-out as the down payment for affordable single family housing.

Implementation Strategy 5.2-1

The City should investigate the need to create a housing authority.

Implementation Strategy 5.2-2

The Convention and Visitors Bureau should work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission to coordinate regional advertising of Fredericksburg, including local festivals and celebrations, historic Fredericksburg shops, and other local businesses to entice tourists and out-of-town shoppers as well as to encourage local residents to shop at home.

Implementation Strategy 6.1-2

The Chamber of Commerce should continue to build upon Fredericksburg’s existing businesses.

Implementation Strategy 6.1-3

The Convention and Visitors Bureau should continue to share its successes with other cities in the surrounding communities to promote tourism and economic development in the Hill Country.

Implementation Strategy 6.2-1

The Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau should continue to promote the sale and export of local agricultural products though farmers’ markets, advertising, and marketing consultation.

Implementation Strategy 6.2-2

The Convention and Visitors Bureau should continue to promote local and regional festivals that showcase Fredericksburg agricultural products.

Implementation Strategy 6.2-3

The Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau should continue to promote seasonal produce, such as peaches, tomatoes, and grapes, and activities at regional orchards and vineyards as well as specialty products such as wild seeds and herbs.

The City should improve the highway presence of Fort Martin Scott through the use of landscaping and signage.

Merchants who benefit from a high volume of tourist trade should consider devising a plan to offer their local clientele an enhanced level of service.

Implementation Strategy 6.5-2

Implementation Strategy 7.1-1

The City should develop a parks and recreation master plan that identifies specific facilities on specific sites for neighborhood and city parks.

The City should include park acquisition, development, and improvements in its CIP and seek funding through Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife grants.

The City should provide additional park facilities at the community and city park level to improve park accessibility.

Implementation Strategy 7.2-3

The City should continue to ensure the health and safety of park and recreation facility visitors and employees by maintaining safe standards for operation, park facilities, and working conditions, including renovation or improvement of facilities and as they become outmoded or as they deteriorate. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 7.2-4

The City should enter into a working agreement with the school board in site planning, administration and maintenance to insure the availability and joint use of school facilities for community recreation purposes. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 7.2-5

As an alternative to City owned and operated recreation centers, the City and the Chamber of Commerce should work with the private sector and owners of existing facilities and buildings to find suitable recreation uses and to help find suitable buyers or concession operators.

Implementation Strategy 8.1-1

The City should incorporate additional professional planning and engineering review, as needed, into the zoning, subdivision, and site development processes.

Implementation Strategy 8.1-2

The City should hold an annual workshop to update planning issues and to evaluate progress.

Implementation Strategy 8.1-3

The City should prepare, adopt, and maintain a Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to implement policies and projects identified in the Comprehensive Plan.

Implementation Strategy 8.1-4

The CIP should be updated annually based on the previous year's construction, new capital improvements projects, and revised priorities.

The City should continue to provide for adequate storm drainage facilities by establishing drainage easements, building setback and lot coverage requirements in all sectors of the planning area. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-6

Subdivisions will not be approved if proposed demands on utilities exceed the operating capacities. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan, modified)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-7

Water supply distribution and use will be monitored and improved to insure an adequate level of service to all sectors of the City for future growth demands. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-8

Cost effective water conservation devices and actions will be supported. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-9

The sewage treatment plant and collection lines will be monitored and improved to meet future growth demands. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-10

Interaction and administrative cooperation should continue to be maintained with the gas, cable television, and telephone companies serving Fredericksburg, including assisting in acquiring adequate rights-of-way through subdivision and land use controls. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-11

The City should prepare for uninterrupted disposal of solid waste by locating and developing future sites before present sites are full. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-12

The City and County should continue to coordinate services such as library facilities, police and fire protection, emergency medical services, solid waste disposal, and other programs of joint interest and concern. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-13

The City may require developers to provide adequate sites for school, park, and other public facility sites to serve the expanding residential sectors of the planning area. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan, modified)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-14

The City should encourage the establishment of neighborhood day care centers for children and the aged. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-15

The City should continue to provide for the expansion of hospital facilities by encouraging medically related uses to locate near the hospital. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan, modified)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-16

The City should consider the adoption of impact fees to provide adequate funds for future utility requirements. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 8.1-17

The entire Comprehensive Plan should be updated after the data from each decennial census are published.

Implementation Strategy 8.2-1

Low and moderate density residential development should be oriented toward the center of the neighborhood and away from major traffic arterials, with higher density housing being at the edges of these residential areas.

Implementation Strategy 8.2-2

High density residential development should have direct access to collector streets or, as appropriate, minor arterials, and should be buffered from low and moderate density, single family residences. Traffic generated by high density residential development should not be routed through low density residential areas.

Implementation Strategy 8.2-3

Different residential densities may abut one another as long as

(a) a proper buffer is provided and

(b) traffic generated by the higher density residential area is not routed through the lower density areas.

Implementation Strategy 8.2-4

Residential areas of all types should be adequately buffered from non-residential uses through the utilization of landscaping, height transitions, berms, fences, walls, or open space to mitigate potential adverse impacts.

Schools and parks should be located centrally to and easily accessible from any section of the community.

Implementation Strategy 8.2-6

Commercial centers should be accessible to residential areas.

Implementation Strategy 8.3-1

The City should determine what kinds of incentives, such as tax abatements and infrastructure extensions, would be good investments for the community in its effort to attract businesses and industries to identified areas.

Implementation Strategy 8.3-2

The City should use zoning to protect not only residential but also commercial and industrial areas from the encroachment of incompatible land uses.

Implementation Strategy 8.3-3

The City should keep a supply of updated comprehensive plans and development ordinances for prospective businesses, industries, developers, and local citizens.

Implementation Strategy 8.6-1

The City, the school district, and the County should work together to develop a master plan for coordinating the location of educational facilities in expanding areas of the community.

Implementation Strategy 8.6-2

The City and the other public entities in the county should share common data bases and mapping.

Implementation Strategy 8.7-1

Existing land use data should be updated as subdivision plats, building permits, and certificates of occupancy are approved or issued.

Implementation Strategy 8.7-2

Existing land use mapping should be kept current.

Implementation Strategy 8.7-3

Estimates of current population should be made annually based on utility connections and other reliable indicators.

Implementation Strategy 8.7-4

Implementation Strategy 9.1-1

The City should support the implementation of a surface water project for flood control, water supply, and recreation use. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 9.1-2

The City should protect riparian habitat for wildlife and for erosion, sedimentation, and run-off control. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 9.1-3

The City should identify and protect drainage ways as open space resources and encourage their use and development accordingly. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 9.1-4

The City should implement recommendations from the Drainage Study.

The City should continue its participation in the FEMA Flood Insurance program and should cooperate with governmental agencies in utilizing standards and procedures for protecting life and property from flood damage. (Ongoing from 1985 Plan)

Implementation Strategy 9.1-6

The City should assure the protection of Cross Mountain by

a. continuing to support the Historical Society’s protection of Cross Mountain as a scenic resource (Ongoing from 1985 Plan), and

b. investigating the possibility of acquiring Cross Mountain and developing it as part of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Implementation Strategy 9.1-7

The City should work with the Hill Country Underground Water Board to protect drinking water quality and supply.

Implementation Strategy 10.1-2

Transfers between funds should be considered on a case-by-case situation; transfers should be made for specific projects or expenditures and should not be used as a means of balancing a fund’s budget.

Implementation Strategy 10.1-3

In-lieu-of-tax transfers from the City utility funds to the General Fund are a common, acceptable method of conducting City government; however, such transfers should not increase above current (1996) percentages.

Implementation Strategy 10.2-2

Whenever possible, capital expenditures should be funded with current revenues; the incurring of additional debt should be approached cautiously.

Implementation Strategy 10.2-3

When establishing budgets, revenues should be generated at affordable rates and expenditures should be adequate to provide quality service.

Implementation Strategy 10.2-4

Major capital expenditures should be funded by the issuance of bonds or other appropriate debt instruments only if deemed necessary to maintain the financial integrity of the City or if mandated in a City election.