About the Comprehensive Planning Process

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan is an official, long-range planning document that guides a municipality's growth, development, and investments over the next twenty years. Newcastle 2040 will be a policy document that establishes general guidelines for the physical, economic, and social development of the City. Its purpose is to establish a shared vision for the community that will be used to guide future actions and decisions.

The plan reflects the community's vision and values; therefore, community engagement is critical to the success of a comprehensive planning process.

The plan will engage with six (6) core topics, or Key Focus Areas: Land Use, Infrastructure, and Utilities; Housing, Neighborhoods, and Community Character; Transportation and Mobility; Economic Development; Parks, Recreation, and Open Space; and Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life.

The impact of the plan will affect city policy, future investments, regulatory changes, and ongoing community discussions.

Why do we plan?

Newcastle is the third fastest growing city in the State of Oklahoma and by 2040, Newcastle's population is projected to increase by 60%. Because the City is growing and quickly evolving, we need to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan to prepare the community for this anticipated growth, and to help us understand what that growth will look like and how it will affect our daily lives.

Additionally, the State of Oklahoma has established laws that allow municipalities to have the power to regulate land use; however, that power exists only if such regulations are based on an adopted comprehensive plan (Oklahoma Revised State Statutes Section 11-43-103). This means that in order to enforce zoning, a municipality must have and maintain a Comprehensive Plan and ensure all zoning and land use decisions conform to the adopted Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, it is important to have a plan in place that reflects the community's desired vision for growth and development.

Comprehensive Plans and Community Engagement

A Comprehensive Plan expresses a community’s values and preferences. A good comprehensive planning process has a robust engagement process that involves the general public, stakeholders, and community officials. Engaging these groups in the process on the front end builds consensus and buy-in to support the implementation of the goals and strategies that come out of this planning process.

Project Timeline

Phase 1

Project Ignition

September 2021 to November 2021

Phase 2

Vision & Goals

December 2021 to March 2022

Goals: To provide a report and analysis of the existing conditions of the community, and to provide an overview of recently adopted plans
and outline how these plans will be used in the development of the Comprehensive Plan update.
This document will later become a part of the final plan document.

Land Use/Framework

April 2022 to July 2022

Phase 3

Structure

August 2022 to November 2022

Phase 4

Phase 5

Action

December 2022 to February 2023

Plan Framework

The Comprehensive Plan's framework is made up of the following key components, which build upon each other.

Community Vision

A fundamental component of the comprehensive planning process involves creating a vision for the community. A community vision is the roadmap that guides decisions within the community and serves as the basis for the Future Land Use Map and other Comprehensive Plan elements. The community vision is uniquely tailored to the City of Newcastle and its resident' goals for the year 2040 and was formulated using input and feedback gathered during the public engagement and outreach efforts in Phase 2.

The Community Vision Statement is:

We are Newcastle 2040- a welcoming and family-oriented community with a small town feel that is full of character. Our citizens benefit from our unique position in the metro and our commitment to providing a quality of life that facilitates continued growth, wellness, and prosperity.

Newcastle is an inclusive community with diverse and affordable neighborhoods; a range of employment opportunities; accessible multi-modal transportation systems; high quality and sustainable parks, open space, and recreation facilities; great schools and educational opportunities; and a range of services and amenities that fulfills the needs of all residents, regardless of age and income.

Newcastle is dedicated to providing community and economic development that is supported by safe, attractive, and quality infrastructure, while preserving the community’s rich history and providing for a bright future. We are Newcastle 2040, and we are Growing Together.

Key Focus Areas

With the help of City Staff, the following six (6) Key Focus Areas were identified. Key Focus Areas are topics of special interest and make up its own chapter within the Comprehensive Plan. Each Key Focus Area will contain goals and recommendations on how to address current challenges, as well as emerging trends and opportunities aimed at making Newcastle an attractive and livable community.