Overview
Making sure that your local hazard mitigation plan aligns with other existing plans is vital. Such alignment can help you make sure policies and programs do not conflict. It can also help you make sure policies and programs complement and support each other. This can serve to create a more hazard-resistant and resilient community.
Step 1: Identify Relevant Plans and Potential Partner Agencies
First, find out what local plans already exist and who is responsible for those plans. You can do so by searching online or visiting your local government’s or local planning commission’s website. You could also consult colleagues from other local agencies. As you do this, it is a good idea to log each plan in a matrix, as shown below.
Example matrix of local plans and partners.
| Example Plan | Example Agency Responsible |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Plan | City Planning Commission |
| Sustainability Action Plan | Office of Sustainability |
| Transportation Plan | Transportation Planning Authority |
| Stormwater Master Plan | Water Department |
| Emergency Response and Recovery Plan | Office of Emergency Management |
| Subdivision Regulations | Zoning Board, City Planning Commission |
| Zoning Ordinances | Zoning Board, City Planning Commission |
Step 2: Identify Gaps and Overlaps
The next step is to look at each plan and check if the proposed policies or actions align or conflict with those in the local hazard mitigation plan. To do this, you can expand upon the matrix you have already developed. Add columns that identify:
- Specific questions about actions or policies that relate to those in the local hazard mitigation plan.
- Whether those actions or policies conflict with or complement those in the local hazard mitigation plan. These represent either gaps in, or overlaps with, the local hazard mitigation plan.
See the table below for an example of this expanded matrix.
| Example Plan | Example Agency/Agencies Responsible | Question | Y/N | Gap or Overlap? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Plan | City Planning Commission | Does the future land-use map clearly identify natural hazard areas? | ||
| Do the land use policies discourage development or redevelopment within natural hazard areas? | ||||
| Does the plan leave enough space for expected future growth in areas outside natural hazard areas? | ||||
| Transportation Plan | Transportation Planning Authority | Does the transportation plan limit access to hazard areas? | ||
| Is transportation policy used to guide growth to safe locations? | ||||
| Are movement systems designed to function under disaster conditions (e.g., evacuation)? | ||||
| Does the transportation plan promote compact, mixed-use development near transit hubs and away from high hazard areas? | ||||
| Zoning Ordinances | Zoning Board, City Planning Commission | Does the zoning ordinance conform to the comprehensive plan in terms of discouraging development or redevelopment within natural hazard areas? | ||
| Does the ordinance contain natural hazard overlay zones that set conditions for land use within such zones? | ||||
| Does the ordinance prohibit development within, or filling of, wetlands, floodways, and floodplains? | ||||
| Is a zoning code in place to encourage resilient development through density bonuses for projects outside of natural hazard areas? | ||||
| Do rezoning procedures recognize natural hazard areas as limits on zoning changes that allow greater intensity or density of use? | ||||
| If applicable, is there a wildland-urban interface development code in place to prohibit or limit development in high wildfire risk areas? | ||||
| Overlay Districts | Zoning Board, City Planning Commission | Is a Conservation Overlay Zoning District in place to help protect environmentally sensitive areas? | ||
| Is a Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay District in place to encourage development away from coastlines and floodplains? | ||||
| Are there Climate Hazard Overlay Zones in place to identify natural hazard risk areas and assign appropriate zoning ordinances to mitigate or adapt to those hazards? | ||||
| Subdivision Regulations | Zoning Board, City Planning Commission | Do the subdivision regulations restrict the subdivision of land within or next to natural hazard areas? | ||
| Do the regulations provide for conservation subdivisions or cluster subdivisions to conserve environmental resources? | ||||
| Do the regulations allow density transfers where hazard areas exist? | ||||
| Stormwater Master Plan | Water Department | Does the stormwater master plan promote the use of porous building materials through incentive programs? | ||
| Does the stormwater master plan include green stormwater infrastructure in impaired watersheds? | ||||
| Does the stormwater master plan include stormwater management best practices in areas that flooding affects the most? | ||||
| Does the placement of stormwater management projects prioritize socially vulnerable communities? | ||||
| Resilience Plan | Office of Resilience and Adaptation | Does the plan identify sea level rise inundation zones, high wildfire risk areas, storm surge inundation zones, or other areas at high risk of natural disaster impacts? | ||
| Does the plan develop actions to recover from natural hazard events? Do those actions align with those the local hazard mitigation plan identifies? | ||||
| Does the plan identify areas in which socially vulnerable populations and underserved communities have a high risk of exposure to natural hazards? If so, do the actions identified to address that risk align with those in the local hazard mitigation plan? | ||||
| Local Environmental Plan | Environmental Planning Authority | Does the plan identify and map environmental systems that protect development from hazards? | ||
| Do environmental policies maintain and restore protective ecosystems? | ||||
| Do environmental policies encourage development outside of protective ecosystems? | ||||
| Public Health and Safety Plan | Office of Public Health and Safety | Do the goals and policies of the comprehensive plan relate to those of the local hazard mitigation plan? | ||
| Do the plan’s growth and development policies clearly address safety? | ||||
| Does the monitoring and implementation section of the plan cover safe growth objectives? | ||||
| Parks and Recreation Plan | Office of Parks and Recreation | Does the plan prioritize open green spaces? Are such spaces planned in areas with high impervious surface coverage? | ||
| Does the plan keep in mind the need for tree cover to mitigate the urban heat island effect? Are tree cover expansion projects planned in high-heat areas? | ||||
| Capital Improvements Plan | Office of Capital Programs | Does the capital improvement program limit spending on projects that would encourage development in areas vulnerable to natural hazards? | ||
| Do infrastructure policies limit extension of existing facilities and services that would encourage development in areas vulnerable to natural hazards? | ||||
| Does the capital improvement program provide funding for hazard mitigation projects identified in the FEMA Mitigation Plan? | ||||
| Climate Action Plan | Office of Resilience and Adaptation, Office of Sustainability | Does the plan have specific and measurable targets for carbon emissions reduction? | ||
| Does the plan include realistic and actionable strategies for reducing carbon emissions? | ||||
| Building Codes | Division of Zoning and Planning | Does the building code have provisions to strengthen or elevate construction to withstand hazard forces? | ||
| Are there building codes in place that meet or exceed those outlined in the National Flood Insurance Program’s guidelines for safe building practices? | ||||
| Do existing building codes include development standards for withstanding storm surge, wind damage, earthquakes, or other relevant natural hazards? | ||||
| Economic Development Plan | Economic Development Authority | Do economic development or redevelopment strategies include provisions for mitigating natural hazards? | ||
| Emergency Action Plan | Office of Emergency Management | Is there an adopted evacuation and shelter plan to deal with emergencies from natural hazards? | ||
| Are evacuation routes located outside of floodplains, sea level rise inundation zones, or liquefaction zones? | ||||
| Are there emergency communication systems in place? Are those systems deployed in areas with the highest potential hazard exposure? | ||||
| Integrated Watershed Management Plan | Local Watershed Authority or Water Department | Does the plan include policies that restrict development that would increase downstream flooding? | ||
| Does the plan include policies that restrict development that would increase sedimentation or erosion? |
Step 3: Identify Actions to Address Gaps and Leverage Overlaps
You have identified other local plans, the agencies responsible for those plans, and specific elements of those plans that conflict with or complement those developed in the local hazard mitigation plan. Now, you are ready to develop actions to address gaps or leverage points of commonality. To do this, work with agencies responsible for other relevant plans throughout the planning cycle. This helps to make sure that the local hazard mitigation plan and other local plans align appropriately. Methods for aligning plans could include:
- Hold regular meetings with other local agencies to talk about potential areas for alignment or improvement.
- Invite other local agencies to be part of your hazard mitigation planning team. This will let them stay up to date with actions and strategies that you develop. It can also help them develop actions that align with those of the local hazard mitigation plan.
- Send regular email updates to other local agencies to keep them up to date with your planning process and proposed actions, strategies, and projects.
- Send a copy of the first draft of the local hazard mitigation plan to other planning agencies to review early and often in the planning process.
Additional Resources
There are many resources for learning about local plan integration and alignment. The following list can help you to form a local hazard mitigation plan that supports other local plans and planning mechanisms, and vice versa.
- Building Resilience Through Plan Integration
- Capability and Capacity Building Actions – Local Planning and Regulations
- Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and Hazard Mitigation Plan Alignment Guide
- IMD Planning Tool Overview
- Integrating Hazard Mitigation Into Local Planning - Case Studies and Tools for Community Officials
- Plan Integration – Linking Local Planning Efforts
- Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard Guidebook
- Safe Growth Audits
- Survey of State Land Use Laws and Natural Hazards Laws