What is the Comprehensive Plan?

The Comprehensive Plan is a legal document, adopted by local governments to guide and coordinate the long range growth and development.   Comprehensive Plans for unincorporated Hillsborough County , and the cities of Tampa , Temple Terrace and Plant City were developed by the Planning Commission (the Local Planning Agency) with the input of the citizens. 

The Comprehensive Plan is a twenty-year (20) blueprint for future growth of the local jurisdictions. It examines relevant information such as population projections, the pattern of existing development, the suitability of land for development, the capacity of public facilities to serve future development, and the financial capacity of the County to make improvements to those facilities. It establishes official policies toward land use and growth. It includes a Future Land Use Map that regulates the general type of land use that is allowed (commercial, industrial, residential etc.) and the maximum density (living units per acre) or intensity (square feet of building area) of those uses. The State of Florida requires all counties and municipalities to adopt comprehensive plans. All land use decisions made by the local jurisdictions must be in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. 

The Comprehensive Plans for Hillsborough County , Tampa , Temple Terrace , and Plant City were adopted in 1989.  Evaluation and Appraisal Reports were prepared in 1994 and 1996 with subsequent plan updates completed in 1998 and 1999.