2.1.4  Consider Whether You Need an Altogether New Plan

Plans can become out-of-date. When citizens and local officials discover that their plan has inadequacies and shortcomings, they often assume that they need to start all over and develop a new one.

One problem with preparing a new plan is that it can distract a community from addressing pressing problems and issues, and provide an excuse for not implementing policies and programs recommended in previously prepared plans. Elected officials might want to avoid making difficult and controversial decisions, and may find it appealing to call for a lengthy planning process, or a study, as a substitute for action. Politically, calling for the preparation of a new plan may be easier, and less controversial, than revising and implementing a current one.

Some parts of the community’s current or old plan may be as valid today as when it was first prepared. All that may be needed may be to update certain portions of the old plan. Perhaps, instead of spending money to prepare a new plan, a better use of limited resources might be to hire a planner who could then be made responsible for administering and gradually updating the plan.

Preparing an inventory of previous plans prepared for the community and examining what those plans say is an important early step in the process. People who have invested time and effort in preparing a plan are unlikely to be willing to work on developing another one if the old plan was not used by local decision-makers. Building on past plans is essential to maintaining support for future efforts.