Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan is best described as a guide to the City’s future. The Comprehensive Plan will inform current and future decision makers where we are now, where we want to go, how we intend to get there, and who will help us along the way.

More specifically:

• It will define the City’s biggest assets and challenges
• It will make recommendations about the type and character of development appropriate in different parts of the City
• It will recommend and prioritize policies, key projects, and resources and determines implementation partners
• It will provide guidance to the City in developing and directing future capital budgets
• It will serve as the basis for zoning recommendations throughout the City

Why does the City of Cincinnati need a Comprehensive Plan?

The City needs a Comprehensive Plan because Cincinnati is growing and changing. There are currently a number of large projects underway that will impact the City of Cincinnati. A long-range Plan will help us understand how each of these projects is connected.

The City of Cincinnati’s Comprehensive Plan will also incorporate the recommendations and the vast work already completed in other plans and studies such as GO Cincinnati, Agenda 360, and COMPASS, as well as recommendations from other City documents such as the View Corridor Study and Park Board Centennial Master Plan, to develop prioritized recommendations necessary for the preparation of City Council budgets.

Does the City currently have a Comprehensive Plan?

 Our current Plan, The Coordinated City Plan of 1980, is almost 30 years old. Both our City and the world have changed dramatically since 1980.

When did Cincinnati first complete a Comprehensive Plan?

Cincinnati holds a prestigious position in the history of Planning in our nation. In 1925, Cincinnati was the first city in the United States to have a comprehensive plan approved by City Council. Since that time, the Plan has only been updated twice – in 1948 and in 1980.

What are the elements of the Comprehensive Plan?

The City of Cincinnati’s Comprehensive Plan will contain recommendations for each of the following areas:

1. Arts and Culture
2. Economic Development & Business Retention
3. Fiscal
4. Health, Environment and Open Space
5. Historic Conservation
6. Housing and Neighborhood Development
7. Institutions
8. Intergovernmental Cooperation
9. Land Use
10. Transportation and Transit
11. Urban Design
12. Utilities and Infrastructure

What is the process of the Comprehensive Plan?

The Department of City Planning and Buildings envisions a process that engages people from all parts of our Cincinnati community – from residents and property owners to representatives of our largest corporations and institutions.

Typically, a Comprehensive Planning process would follow a standard format:

• Where Are We Now? (researching existing conditions, determining our strengths and weaknesses)
• Where Do We Want To Go? (devising short, medium, and long-range goals for Cincinnati)
• How Do We Get There? (detailed recommendations for reaching each goal)
• Who Are Our Partners? (who is responsible for implementing each recommendation?)
• What Is Our Priority? (what are the City’s highest priorities?)
• How Do We Implement It? (what is our funding strategy?)

How Do We Fund the Comprehensive Plan?

To prepare a Comprehensive Plan that has sufficient public input, departmental participation, assistance from outside experts, and initial implementation funding, a significant investment is required.

• $500,000 in City funds (which has already been allocated in the 2009-2010 budget)
• Other in-kind services from corporations, businesses, foundations and volunteers

How Do I Get Involved?

• Join one of the element Working Groups
• Get on our email or mailing list to receive regular updates, meeting notification
• Visit our website at www.plancincinnati.org
• Email us at plan.cincinnati@cincinnati-oh.gov
• Call the Department of City Planning and Buildings at (513) 352-4845