Implementation is the process of putting the Corridor Plan into action. Implementation is not the culmination of the planning process, rather it is part of the continual planning cycle of input, analysis, evaluation, plan development, and action. Although actions of implementation produce results, those results become yet another input into the planning process. The Corridor Plan is a long-range plan, therefore implementation is incremental and cumulative – occasionally involving a large-scale project. More frequently, however, it involves small projects and the day to day decisions of stakeholders.

Putting the plan into action occurs through private development applications, county and municipal investments and improvements, private partnerships that serve as community catalysts to organize citizens and private funds, and local businesses starting, growing, and changing. The decisions that put the plan into action come from a variety of sources – both public and private – and from a variety of perspectives – regulatory, fiscal, and strategic.

The many partners, tools, and strategies involved in all aspects of plan implementation are outlined in this Section. The implementation matrix matches the strategy with a primary implementation partner(s) and implementation tools.

Implementation Partners:

The Counties and Municipalities - The counties’ and municipalities’ primary role in implementation of the Plan will be through regulation of private development and programming of capital improvement programs.

Community cooperation in planning and implementation of this plan should occur through formalized partnerships and cooperative agreements. This will include routine meetings between area jurisdiction officials to coordinate specific plans and projects.

Implementation steps will include revisions of development regulations to be more consistent with the Plan, using discretion in any planned zoning districts and site plan review to bring about conformance with the Plan, and programming all publicly funded projects to achieve not only physical results, but strategic results that are consistent with the Plan. Beyond these regulatory and fiscal strategies, the counties and municipalities will play a role in building public-private partnerships in furtherance of the Plan’s vision. The presence of two counties and four municipalities adds additional challenges in defining the regulatory standards that will be developed for the corridor.

The Development Industry - The development industry is the primary agent for implementing the Plan. Development interests must understand that not only must their individual projects be structured consistently with the goals and vision of the Plan, but that each element of any individual project adds to the collective vision for the corridor. It is not enough to internalize the goals of the Plan within an individual project, but projects must relate to the common public realm throughout the K-96 Corridor. By achieving this relationship between the public realm and the private realm, and among the State, the Counties, and the Municipalities, the vision of the corridor will begin to emerge.

Citizens and Community Organizations - Citizens and the community are the “keepers of the vision”. A plan is something that is implemented over time, and stakeholders in the corridor must be vigilant in tracking the individual success and shortcomings of projects in meeting the Plan’s goals. It also means evaluating the Plan itself, and continuously testing the validity of the Plan in achieving the public interest as development occurs. In this role, citizens and community organizations should partner with development interests and the counties and municipalities to promote and conduct outreach to attract development that can successfully implement the vision.

K-96 Corridor Coalition

A recommendation of this plan is the creation of the K-96 Corridor Coalition. The coalition would be the primary organization responsible for the implementation of the plan. The board would also act as a united corridor representative in the review of development proposals within the corridor -- with advisory status to the municipalities and counties. The collation would be an organization with representation from each of the jurisdictions within the corridor. The general responsibilities of the Coalition shall include:

a) Providing the organizational structure for implementation of the K-96 Corridor Economic Development Plan. This new organization should have an executive director with funding for a staff position and implementation of the plan.

b) Act as an the K-96 Advisory Board to communities and entities involved in development activities along the corridor.

c) Establish and manage the marketing program for the corridor. This may be done through the K-96 Corridor Coalition or another entity known as the K-96 Corridor Association. Such a new organization would involve membership of the Coalition as primary members with private memberships available to organizations, businesses, individuals, and others. Funds to support the marketing component could be included in the new K-96 Coalition organization or placed within the mew marketing organization if this concept is adopted by the Coalition.

To ensure the success of the plan and its elements a staff position should be created under the authority of the K-96 Corridor Coalition. The staff position will be responsible for the implementation of the K-96 Corridor Plan and its ability to guide and enhance future development of the corridor. Additionally, the staff position will be responsible for marketing the corridor to development and businesses. Funding for such a staff position should be the responsibility of those entities that are members of the K-96 Corridor Coalition. Each member should be responsible for a pro rata share of the required position funding.

The process of formalizing the K-96 Corridor Coalition and staff position can be founds in the Implementation Matrix.

Institutions - Institutions provide stability and landmarks within the corridor. These institutions should not only be physical focal points in the community, but social magnets that foster a complete, full-service corridor. In this role, existing and future institutions should not only embody the physical development patterns that are in the Plan, but engage in the active community partnerships that created this planning vision.

Businesses - Businesses will provide for the long-term sustainability of this Plan. Through entrepreneurial activity, creativity and developing niches, and a community ethic, businesses can harness the market demand for the shift in development patterns that this Plan represents. In this role, businesses should be assured that investment in the types of business and development patterns will be an investment that is supported by the community over the long-term perspective embodied in the Plan.

Implementation Tools:

Implementation tools available to the community include:

• · Ongoing or Future Planning Efforts;
• · Land Development Regulations (land development regulations including zoning and subdivision regulations, and site design standards or design guidelines);
• · Capital Improvement Programming;
• · Public/Private Partnerships;
• · Development Incentives;
• · Other non-local government programs;
• · Private Investment;
• · Citizen and Community Organization Initiatives.

Each of these implementation tools serves a different purpose and is initiated by various entities, yet each must maintain a strong connection to the vision and goals of this plan in order to maintain an integrated implementation program.

Ongoing or Future Planning: As indicated in the Introduction, this Plan is a “living document”. It should periodically be reviewed and evaluated making sure it reflects the community’s vision. It must also be based on accurate conditions from which that vision must emerge. This continual planning is part of the implementation process.

Ongoing or future planning, however, may also involve more area-specific and detailed public planning processes. For example, potential public projects or large-scale private development that encompass larger areas may benefit from specific area plans that build upon the vision and recommendations of this Plan. These plans can then be adopted as amendments to this plan, as well as County and Municipal Comprehensive Plans. Area plans should include a target industry study that will allow the corridor’s communities to focus on industries and companies most suited for the area and be used as the foundation for an extended corridor marketing campaign.

A third level of ongoing or future planning are private sector planning efforts - “private” in the sense that they are initiated by the private developer, however as planning efforts they should be broad and inclusive in terms of the input. Development activity that impacts surrounding properties also benefits from inclusive planning process. These types of “private” planning efforts should be encouraged, with the results presented to the corridor constituents for evaluation.

Land Development Regulation: Under the Kansas statutes, cities and counties are authorized to develop regulations over private land activities to further common goals and implement a comprehensive plan. This regulation primarily involves the subdivision of property, the zoning of property, and site design standards or design guidelines. Regulations are administered by the Counties and Municipalities through a legally required public and administrative process.

Subdivision Regulation – Regulation of the subdivision of land deals primarily with promoting and establishing land development patterns that can be most efficiently served by public facilities, establish efficient transportation networks, and meet environmental standards. In contrast to zoning, subdivision regulations establish long-standing patterns within the counties and municipalities, which are not easily changed or altered. Therefore, subdivision regulations have an inherent and immediate link to the long-term corridor plan. Ultimately, subdivision regulations will determine how smoothly the corridor transitions from urban to non-urban areas – both over locations and over time.

Zoning – Zoning arranges the development within the framework of subdivision regulations. It is the act of establishing districts and regulations governing the use, placement, spacing, and size of lots and buildings. Application of zoning district standards is more flexible than subdivision standards, in that they may evolve and change more easily with market conditions, demographic trends, political priorities, or investment decisions of individual landowners. Zoning decisions, however, impact surrounding areas and collectively shape the corridor character. Therefore, these decisions should also be made with long-term focus.

Site Design Standards and Design Guidelines - Site design standards and design guidelines are the most specific form of land use regulation. They guide how individual sites are developed within established zoning districts. These standards and guidelines are sometimes incorporated into a zoning ordinance when applicable. However, they can be independent from the zoning districts and either incorporated as a “zoning overlay ordinance” or through independently adopted design guidelines associated with a specific area or special planning effort. Additionally, these standards may be either mandatory or recommended. Typically, these types of standards and guidelines are more results-oriented and describe a certain performance or outcome rather than limit specific activities. Whether incorporated into a zoning ordinance or established independently, site design standards and design guidelines will determine how individual sites function and relate within the overall context established by the subdivision regulations and zoning districts.

Capital Improvement Programming (and related City policies on extension of infrastructures): A long-range capital improvements program (“CIP”) is generally a rolling five to ten year plan that prioritizes and directs resource allocation for capital projects which can include streets, sewers, water, storm water, or parks facilities. The long-range CIP should reflect the size, approximate location and estimated costs of improvements needed to serve anticipated growth for the next fifteen to twenty years. This plan is not a detailed engineering document, but it should provide enough specificity to determine which costs are required to remedy existing deficiencies, as well as which costs provide new capacity that will be necessary to serve the demand created by new development. The CIP includes a financing plan for multi-year projects and a schedule for high priority projects. A key component of the CIP is a one-year adopted capital improvements budget.

A CIP is an important implementation tool, not only because it assists in planning the most cost-effective facilities, but it also prioritizes a county’s or municipality’s limited resources to create the greatest impact or catalyst for private development.

A CIP is often associated with other city policies on the extension of public infrastructure. Each new development has a measurable impact on the level of service provided by existing or proposed infrastructure facilities. As part of the planning process, a county or municipality can incorporate level-of-service standards for specific facilities and services (water, sewer, storm water, and streets) and require that all new development ensure that adequate facilities exist to serve the proposed new development. Level of service standards should be different in rural areas as opposed to urban areas, such that developers, landowners, and residents should expect lower service levels in rural areas (because of the less intense development patterns applied). Additionally, policies regarding developer-funded extension of public facilities will impact plan goals.

Tourism Development: Expanding tourism is recommended as a component of the corridor’s future development strategy. The coalition should convene tourism-related representatives to create partnerships with the agri-business and area businesses to catalogue the corridor’s attractions and needs.

Public/Private Partnerships: Implementation of the Plan is not the sole responsibility of the Counties and Municipalities involved, and many other entities will share roles and responsibilities – both individually and collectively. However, one of the most important functions of a plan is to identify areas where these entities share roles and responsibilities, and to align efforts towards a common vision. Thus, strategic alliances between government and private entities becomes a powerful tool for plan implementation. These alliances typically involve other public entities such as local school districts, water or sewer districts, or state transportation and environmental officials, but may also involve partnerships with developers or landowners where private resources advance plan goals and public resources are lacking.

One specific form of public/private partnership is the use of development or tax incentives. When both public and private resources are not sufficient to implement plan goals, development and tax incentives can be a useful tool to generate plan implementation that would otherwise not occur. When used in a limited and targeted approach, these incentives will give a relative advantage to development that clearly furthers planning goals – thus yielding an equal or greater public benefit than the tax revenue forgone by the taxing jurisdictions.

Other Non-local Government Programs:

Implementation of this Plan may tap into non-local government resources as well. Programs at the State and Federal level often reward communities that demonstrate a strong planning initiative. Grant programs should be investigated for potential funding sources as a result of this plan. Similarly, many State and Federal government activities will impact how successfully the vision and goals of this plan can be implemented. These activities should also be measured and influenced by the local policies contained in this Plan.

Private Investment: Private investment is the backbone of implementation of this plan. While public resources, investment, and regulation can direct growth and development, without private investment the vision will not be achieved. Investments consistent with the vision of this plan should be encouraged. Small investments can sometimes create “quick successes” that build momentum and support for the plan, often leading to larger investments and lasting impacts on the corridor and surrounding community.

Citizen and Community Organization Initiatives:

This Plan is citizen-oriented. Their ownership of the Plan and involvement in its implementation is critical. Initiatives of citizen and community organizations can help foster a cooperative spirit in the corridor, and volunteer or philanthropic efforts can make up for shortfalls in public and private investment that will occur over the life of this Plan. Efforts and contributions to the community by citizens and organizations, no matter how small, impact implementation of the vision and can catalyze further investments in the corridor. Additionally, citizen and community organizations have a role in the development process. These groups should remain involved in other implementation efforts through the required public processes - particularly with regard to ongoing and future planning and development regulation.

Implementation Matrix

The following strategies are intended to guide the implementation of the K-96 Corridor Economic Development Plan. The strategies detailed in this section are the direct result of the goals and objectives identified in this plan. As such, they are organized into the three major categories of the plan: development pattern, one corridor, and planning regulations. Specific strategies are provided for each category within a responsibility and phasing plan. There are three suggested phases: Short Term (0-2 years), Medium Term (2-5 years) and Long Term (5+ years). For those strategies that should become policies or practices of the City and others, an “on-going” category has been established. The primary responsibility for each particular strategy is indicated by the following code:

(M/C) Municipalities or Counties

(KCC) K-96 Corridor Coalition

(E/AO) Elected and appointed officials including the City Councils, County Commissions and Planning & Zoning Commissions.

(C) Citizens and citizen task forces in corridor and region

(D/LO) Developers and land owners

(B/I) Businesses, industries, and business and industry organizations

(OGA) Other government entities and agencies such as, state or federal government, sewer and water districts, fire districts, and school districts.

(O/ZO) Ordinance/Zoning Overlay – this indicates that the strategy should be addressed through an Ordinance or Zoning Overlay to assist in implementation of the plan.

The organization of the strategies into implementation time frames suggests that some strategies are more important than others or should occur in a logical sequence. This is an intended consequence of the matrix in that the K-96 Corridor needs to prioritize future development and improvements. To adequately address those priorities, certain strategies and policies need to be implemented immediately. Those strategies to address issues that have an immediate impact on the growth and development of the corridor are recommended for earlier implementation than those pertaining to the longer-term viability and health of the corridor.