§ 5.20. Agricultural, Natural and Cultural Resources Policies and Recommendations

Policies and recommendations build on goals and objectives by providing more focused responses to the issues that the city is concerned about. Policies and recommendations become the tools that the city can use to aid in making land use decisions.

Policies identify the way in which activities are conducted in order to fulfill the goals and objectives. Policies that direct action using the words "will" or "shall" are advised to be mandatory and regulatory aspects of the implementation of the comprehensive plan. In contrast, those policies that direct action using the word "should" are advisory and intended to serve as a guide.

Policies

1. Proposed developments shall incorporate environmental features and resources into the development rather than harm or destroy them.

2. Encourage the protection of critical areas during the planning, engineering, and construction of transportation projects.

3. Increase knowledge of the area's cultural, archeological, and historical resources through comprehensive studies and surveys which take into consideration the physical, architectural, archeological, social, economic, and cultural significance.

4. Provide incentives for the area's residents and businesses to participate in the preservation of cultural and historical resources.

5. Increase public awareness of the area's cultural and historic resources, their significance, and programs for their preservation and management.

6. All new development proposals should be evaluated based on potential impacts to environmental features and ecological health including:

• Wetlands

• Woodlands and wildlife

• Contiguous natural corridors

• Threatened or endangered species and habitats

• Groundwater

• Surface water

• Floodplains

• Air quality

Recommendations

Recommendations are specific actions or projects that the city should be prepared to complete. The completion of these actions and projects is consistent with the city's policies, and therefore will help the city fulfill the comprehensive plan goals and objectives.

1. Develop wellhead protection plans for new municipal wells.

2. Study the feasibility of establishing a Main Street Program through the State Department of Commerce.

6. Economic Development.

The nature of economics is cyclical, based on a combination of factors including product life cycles, applications of technology, government interventions, and a host of other indicators. Because of this, development will happen in a community whether or not it is planned; the community will experience economic changes whether or not they are desired changes. The advantage of comprehensive planning is that a community can anticipate these changes and guide development to the best of its abilities and capacities. Consequently, each plan is unique and tailored to each community's needs and desires.

Economic development planning is the process by which a community organizes, analyzes, plans, and then applies its energies to the tasks of improving the economic well-being and quality of life for those in the community. This can be done by addressing issues ranging from enhancing a community's competitiveness, establishing industrial policy, encouraging sustainable development, creating jobs, increasing wages and enhancing worker training, and improving overall quality of life. All of these issues affect residents within a community and are addressed directly or indirectly in this comprehensive plan. In the world of private business, "planning" is an essential part of a company's ability to sustain profitability, stability, and growth. The City of Greenwood also uses planning to achieve a balance of stability and growth.

The reason to plan for economic development is straight forward: economic development helps pay the bills. It requires working together to maintain a strong economy by creating and retaining desirable jobs which provide a good standard of living for individuals. Increased personal income and wealth increases the tax base, so a community, county, or state can provide the level of services residents expect. A balanced, healthy economy is essential for community well-being. Economic development expenditures are a community investment. They leverage new growth and redevelopment to improve the area. Influencing and investing in the process of economic development allows community members to determine future direction and guide appropriate types of development according to their values.

There are a variety of community economic development plans, but successful communities tend to have one thing in common — an articulated, shared vision of where they want to go and of what things residents and businesses value in their community. Successful plans for economic development acknowledge the following:

1. Knowing your region's economic function in the global economy.

2. Creating a skilled and educated workforce.

3. Investing in an infrastructure for innovation.

4. Creating a great quality of life.

5. Fostering an innovative business climate.

6. Increasing the use of technology to improve government efficiency.

7. Taking regional governance and collaboration seriously

For these reasons, it is important to the planning process to identify the community's economic characteristics or resources. These characteristics include: the labor force, employment by industry, unemployment characteristics, and income characteristics. Assessment of these characteristics and resources provides insight into the historical and current economic situation in the community, thereby providing direction for planning the future of the economic base.

This section provides an economic profile of Greenwood and also an assessment of local economic strengths and weaknesses, employment forecasts, local economic base, and applicable economic development programs.

The following sections describe in more detail the economic conditions of the City of Greenwood.