Implementation
The creation of this Comprehensive Plan has allowed Miami Township to
develop a shared Vision for its future and determine the actions
necessary to achieve this Vision. However, the Miami Township
Comprehensive Plan is just the first step toward achieving the Vision
established throughout this planning process. A strong set of
implementation strategies is necessary to make certain that the
Township has the full set of tools needed to achieve its goals. The
following recommendations will help ensure that the Township’s
Vision will be realized.
• The Trustees should organize an informal committee on an annual
basis consisting of department heads,
Zoning Commission members, Board of Trustees, and citizens to review
the progress of the Plan
implementation and recommend amendments or new initiatives, if needed.
The primary purpose of this annual
review is to evaluate progress toward, or variance from, the Plan’s
Vision and Goals.
• Convene a committee to comprehensively review the Plan every three
to five years to determine if additional
updates are necessary or if further issues need to be addressed.
Regular review and updating of the Plan will
ensure that the Township’s policies match its needs, and will give
the Township an opportunity to address any
issues that cannot be foreseen at this time. The Committee should be
similarly configured to the original
Comprehensive Plan committee in its inclusion of a wide cross-section
of residents, business operators, local
organization representatives and Township and County officials and
staff.
• Use the Vision and Goals developed in this Comprehensive Plan to
help shape Township policies where
appropriate.
• Evaluate the existing Zoning Ordinance and Map systematically to
determine the most effective means of
implementing the Preferred Land Use Plan. Although some of the
Township’s existing zoning categories may
be readily used to reflect the Preferred Land Use Plan, some revisions
and potential new zoning categories or
overlays may be necessary. In particular, the Township could consider
more extensive mixed use development
regulations to address the Preferred Land Use Plan’s recommendations
for the State Route 28 Corridor and
the Miamiville and Branch Hill areas. In preparing the Purpose
Statement for any new or revised zoning
category or overlay district, references to the Vision and Goals and
the Preferred Land Use Plan will be
beneficial.
• Use the Thoroughfare Plan and the Traffic Mitigation Plan
developed by the Trustees to continue to
communicate the Township’s transportation improvement and management
needs to the Clermont County
Engineer and, where appropriate, the Ohio Department of
Transportation. As the Traffic Mitigation plan
identifies, a continuation of the Township’s strong working
relationship with the County, and consistent
communication between the Township and these two entities, will be
necessary to address the Township’s
local transportation needs.
• Update the Pathways Master plan on the basis of the Pathway
Priorities map.
• Use the priorities identified on the Pathway Priorities map to
identify and pursue grants sources, such as the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ NatureWorks grants and the
trails grants associated with the Clean
Ohio Fund and Transportation Enhancement Grants to seed the Township’s
pathway system.
• If grant funding does not permit satisfactory pathway system
development, then evaluate opportunities for
increasing the Township’s available funding for pathways
development. Possible strategies may include Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) or similar districts, voluntary funding
districts, or a small levy. Close coordination
with the County Engineer will be necessary to evaluate construction
feasibility.
• Continue to acquire land as available for parks and recreational
facilities, especially when doing so will
reinforce the development and redevelopment patterns identified in the
Preferred Land Use Plan and the
updated Pathways plan.
• Upgrade the Township’s Gateways by designing a more substantial
gateway marker and installing them at
appropriate locations (see the Preferred Land Use Plan). A hierarchy
of major and minor gateways will be
appropriate. Continue to negotiate the placement of the Township’s
name on other appropriate markers,
including water towers and appropriate commercial signage. The
Township should also consider placement of
appropriately-scaled gateway markers on the Little Miami Scenic Trail
and other regional trails as they may be
developed.
• Evaluate opportunities to strengthen Miami Township’s efforts to
attract new businesses, particularly to the
commercial redevelopment areas identified. For example, it may be
beneficial to team with the Milford-Miami
Township Chamber of Commerce, the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce
and the County Economic
Development Department to develop information sheets regarding
available sites and make those available to
potential commercial redevelopers.
• Examine opportunities for facilitate economic development. For
example, the Township may wish to consider
targeted tax incentives or abatements to meet specific economic
development goals.
• Continue to pursue public relations efforts to establish the
Township’s identity through Township and regional
media.
[7] Pathways - Plan -
Prioritization
| [1] Introduction