Land Use Code

Article 5. ADMINISTRATION

DIVISION 2. SPECIAL PLANNING DOCUMENTS

5.2.1 PURPOSE
5.2.2 GENERAL PLAN
5.2.3 SPECIFIC PLANS AND REGULATIONS

5.2.1 PURPOSE. This Division describes the plans and regulations that are required or authorized by state law for implementation by municipalities.

5.2.2 GENERAL PLAN. The General Plan is a comprehensive declaration of purposes, policies, and programs for the growth and development of the city and its environs. The General Plan includes diagrams, maps, and text setting forth objectives, principles, standards, and a program for long-term budgeting and financing.

5.2.2.1 Plan Content. The General Plan includes the following elements.

A. A land use element which designates the proposed general distribution, location, and extent of the uses of the land, such as housing, business, industry, agriculture, recreation, education, public buildings and grounds, open space, and such other categories of public and private uses of land as may be appropriate to the municipality. The land use element shall include a statement of the standards of population density and building intensity recommended for the various land use categories covered by the General Plan; identify specific programs and policies to promote infill or compact form development activity and locations where those development patterns should be encouraged; include consideration of air quality and access to incident solar energy for all general categories of land use; and include policies that address maintaining a broad variety of land uses, including the range of uses existing in the city of Tucson when the General Plan is readopted or amended.

B. A circulation (transportation, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle) element consisting of the general location and characteristics of existing and proposed freeways, arterial and collector streets, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, terminals, proposed systems of rail or other transportation routes, transit lines, or such other modes of transit as may be established in the city and their relation to the land use element. The circulation element shall also include recommendations concerning parking facilities, building setback requirements and the delineation of such circulation systems on the land, a system of street naming, house and building numbering, and such other matters as may be related to the improvement of the circulation of traffic.

C. A conservation and environmental planning element for the conservation, development, utilization, and protection of natural resources, including forests, soils, rivers and other drainage areas, protected wildlife and protected desert vegetation, and minerals; the reclamation of land; flood control; the prevention and control of pollution of streams and other water; the regulation of the use of land in stream channels and other areas; the prevention, control, and correction of erosion of soils; and the protection of watersheds. This element will also contain analysis, policies, and strategies to address anticipated community-wide effects, if any, of General Plan elements on air quality, water quality, and natural resources associated with proposed development under the General Plan.

D. A parks, recreation, open space, and trails (PROST) element showing a comprehensive system of areas and public sites for recreation, including the following: natural reservations, parks, parkways and scenic drives, playgrounds and playfields, open space, trails, and other recreation areas.

E. A public buildings, services, and facilities element showing general plans for sewage, refuse disposal, drainage, local utilities, rights-of-way, easements, and facilities for them and locations of civic and community centers, public schools, libraries, police and fire stations, and other public buildings. In the case of solid waste disposal sites, the General Plan shall include recommendations for the reuse of the site.

F. A cultural heritage element consisting of plans and policies to protect and enhance Tucson's cultural heritage, to preserve the unique identity of the community, and to expand the scope of urban experience for residents and visitors to enjoy.

G. A housing element consisting of standards and programs for the elimination and prevention of substandard dwelling conditions; for the improvement of housing quality, variety, and affordability; and for the provision of adequate sites for housing. The housing element shall be designed to make equal provision for the housing needs of all segments of the city regardless of race, color, creed, or economic level.

H. A conservation, rehabilitation, and redevelopment element consisting of plans and programs for the elimination of slums and blighted areas; for city redevelopment, including housing, business and industrial sites, and public building sites; for neighborhood preservation and revitalization; and for other purposes authorized.

I. A safety element for the protection of the city from natural and manmade hazards, including recommendations for such protection as evacuation routes, peak load water supply requirements, minimum road widths according to function, clearance around structures, and geologic hazard mapping.

J. A human resources element setting forth policies and guidelines for public actions in the areas of health, education, justice, family services, aging, youth, drug abuse, leisure time, and other areas related to human needs.

K. A government element consisting of plans and programs for improving public confidence in local government, cooperation among governing bodies, regional planning, citizen participation in public affairs, and the responsiveness of local governments to public needs.

L. An economic development element containing a local economic base study and analyses of various subelements of the Tucson economy, including employment, income levels, past economic development efforts, future growth potential, energy, and public expenditures. Programs and policies may be included to lower unemployment and underemployment; coordinate land use and economic planning; increase public participation in, and awareness of, economic planning; and achieve other objectives in the public interest.

M. A community character and design element consisting of plans and policies to preserve and enhance Tucson's natural setting, urban form, and unique community image, as well as promoting design quality.

N. A growth area and population element, specifically identifying those areas, if any, that are particularly suitable for planned multimodal transportation and infrastructure expansion and improvements designed to support a planned concentration of a variety of uses, such as residential, office, commercial, tourism, and industrial. This element shall include policies and implementation strategies that are designed to: make automobile, transit, and other multimodal circulation more efficient; make infrastructure expansion more economical; provide for a rational pattern of land development; conserve significant natural resources and open space areas in the growth area and coordinate their location to similar areas outside the growth area's boundaries; and promote the public and private construction of timely and financially sound infrastructure expansion through the use of infrastructure funding and financial planning that is coordinated with development activity. This element shall also include: specific demographic information and reasons for migration patterns; policies relating to monitoring of population growth and updating and coordinating projections; and may include a target population for a particular planning period and the establishment and monitoring of environmental baselines relating to population size.

O. A cost of development element that identifies policies and strategies that the municipality will use to require development to pay its fair share toward the cost of additional public service needs generated by new development, with appropriate exceptions when in the public interest. This element shall include: a component that identifies various mechanisms that are allowed by law and that can be used to fund and finance additional public services necessary to serve the development and a component that identifies policies to ensure that any mechanisms that are adopted by the municipality under this element result in a beneficial use to the development, bear a reasonable relationship to the burden imposed on the municipality to provide additional necessary pubic services to the development, and otherwise are imposed according to the law.

P. A water resources element that addresses the currently available surface water, groundwater, and effluent supplies and an analysis of how the future growth projected in the General Plan will be adequately served by a legally and physically available water supply or a plan to obtain additional necessary water supplies.

5.2.2.2 Adoption of the General Plan. Review and adoption of the General Plan and any amendments to the Plan are in accordance with the Planning Commission Legislative Procedure, Sec. 5.4.1 and 5.4.2. (Ord. No. 9517, §4, 2/12/01; Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

5.2.2.3 Administration of the General Plan. The Department of Urban Planning and Design shall undertake the following actions to encourage implementation of the General Plan. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

A. Investigate and make recommendations to the Mayor and Council concerning reasonable and practical means for putting the General Plan, or parts thereof, into effect in order that it will serve as a pattern and guide for the orderly growth and development of the city and as a basis for the efficient expenditure of its funds relating to the subjects of the General Plan. The measures recommended may include plans, regulations, financial reports, and capital budgets.

B. Submit an annual report to the Mayor and Council on the status of the plan and the progress of its application.

C. Endeavor to promote public interest in, and understanding of, the General Plan and regulations relating to it.

D. Consult with and advise public officials and agencies; public utility companies; civic, educational, professional, and other organizations; and citizens, generally, with relation to carrying out the General Plan.

5.2.2.4 Coordination of Capital Programs. Capital improvement plans shall conform to the plans and policies of the General Plan as provided below.

A. Each municipal officer, department, board, or commission and each governmental body, commission, or board, whose jurisdiction lies entirely or partially within the city and whose functions include recommending, preparing plans for, or constructing major public works, shall submit to the City Manager a list of the proposed public works located entirely or partially within the city recommended for planning, initiation, or construction during the ensuing fiscal year. The City Manager shall list and classify all such recommendations and shall prepare a coordinated program of proposed public works for the ensuing year. Such coordinated program shall be reviewed by the Department of Urban Planning and Design. The Department of Urban Planning and Design shall report to the City Manager and Mayor and Council as to conformity with the adopted General Plan or parts thereof. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

B. No public property may be acquired by dedication or otherwise for street, square, park, or other public purpose; no public real property may be disposed of; no public street may be vacated or abandoned; and no public building or structure may be constructed or authorized if the General Plan, or parts thereof, applies thereto, until the location, purpose, and extent of such acquisition or disposition, such street vacation or abandonment, or such public building or structure has been submitted to, and reported upon, by the Department of Urban Planning and Design as to conformity with the adopted General Plan or parts thereof. The Department of Urban Planning and Design shall render its report as to conformity to the City Manager and Mayor and Council within forty (40) days after the matter was submitted to it. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to acquisitions or abandonments for street widening or alignment projects of a minor nature if the Mayor and Council so provide by ordinance or resolution. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

5.2.3 SPECIFIC PLANS AND REGULATIONS. The Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Design shall prepare such specific plans and regulations based on the General Plan as deemed necessary for the systematic execution of the General Plan. (Ord. No. 9517, §4, 2/12/01; Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

5.2.3.1 Specific Plans and Regulations. Such specific plans and regulations shall include, but not be limited to:

A. A zoning code and zoning maps.

B. The regulation of signs and other structures.

C. Regulations governing the subdivision of land.

D. Regulations determining the locations of buildings, structures, and other improvements with respect to existing rights-of-way, floodplains, and public facilities and services.

E. Regulations concerning the use of land, buildings, structures, and other improvements and the open space about such buildings, structures, and improvements.

F. Street and highway naming and numbering plans to establish the official names of streets and highways; to remove conflicts, duplication, and uncertainty among such names; and to provide an orderly system for the numbering of buildings and properties.

G. Official maps and other regulations relating to the locations of buildings, structures, and other improvements in areas determined hazardous to the public health, safety, and general welfare, such as congested streets, airport approach zones, floodways, and other natural or manmade hazards.

H. Regulations relating to the locations of buildings, structures, and other improvements in areas of declared natural beauty, adverse topography, scenic roadways, adverse soils, unique vegetation, or other areas or features designated to be protected for declared public purposes.

I. Measures required to facilitate the implementation of the General Plan. (Ord. No. 9517, §4, 2/12/01)

J. Such other plans or regulations or other matters which will accomplish the purposes of this Chapter, including procedures for their administration.

K. Subregional, area, and neighborhood plans to provide greater detail and specificity in the manner in which the General Plan shall be applied to specific geographical areas within the city. (Ord. No. 9374, §1, 4/10/00; Ord. No. 9517, §4, 2/12/01)

5.2.3.2 Adoption of Specific Plans and Regulations. Review and adoption of specific plans and regulations shall be in accordance with the Planning Commission Legislative Procedure, Sec. 5.4.1 and Sec. 5.4.2. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

5.2.3.3 Administration of Specific Plans and Regulations. After adoption of a specific plan or regulation by the Mayor and Council, the legislative body shall determine and establish administrative rules and procedures for the application and enforcement of specific plans and regulations.

A. The Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Design and Zoning Administrator shall undertake such reasonable and necessary actions as are within their powers, as provided in this Chapter, to effectuate the specific plan or regulation. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

B. No street may be improved and no sewers or connections or improvements may be laid or authorized in any street within any territory for which the Mayor and Council has adopted a specific street or highway plan until the matter has been referred to the Department of Urban Planning and Design for a report as to its conformity with the specific street or highway plan and a copy of the report has been filed with the Mayor and Council, unless one (1) of the following conditions applies. (Ord. No. 9967, §5, 7/1/04)

1. The street has been accepted, opened, or has otherwise received the legal status of a public street prior to adoption of the plan.

2. The street corresponds with streets shown on the plan.

3. The street corresponds with streets shown on a subdivision map or record of survey approved by the Mayor and Council.