1.5.1 Division Summary

Growth Element

The Growth Element provides an analysis of the city’s pattern of growth. This element identifies those target areas suitable for enhanced land use density/intensity, planned multi-modal transportation and infrastructure expansion, and improvements designed to support a planned concentration of a variety of uses, such as residential, office, commercial, and employment uses. The Growth Element includes policies and implementation strategies that are designed to:

• Make automobile, transit, and other multimodal circulation more efficient, make infrastructure expansion more economical and provide for a rational pattern of land development.
• Promote the public and private construction of timely and financially sound infrastructure expansion through the use of infrastructure funding and financing planning that is coordinated with development activity.
• The Element also identifies the development patterns within the growth areas. The element describes the City Center, City North, villages, and transitional areas. The village model is introduced through this element. 

Land Use Element 

The Land Use Element designates the proposed general distribution, location, and amount of land for housing, business, industry, recreation, public facilities, and open space. Each land use category is described; density or intensity requirements are identified, and clear definitions are provided to help facilitate the plan on a day-to-day basis. The element includes statements that:

• Identify specific programs and policies that the city may use to promote infill or compact form development activity and locations where those development patterns should be encouraged. 
• Consider air quality and access to incident solar energy for all general categories of land use.

Conservation, Rehabilitation, and Redevelopment Element

The Conservation, Rehabilitation, and Redevelopment Element analyzes conditions and issues of maturing neighborhoods and areas. The element identifies specific policies to enhance the city’s character and ensure long-term vitality. Community redevelopment, including housing sites, business and industrial sites and public building sites are considered within this element. Neighborhood preservation and revitalization also play an important part in this element.

Housing Element

The Housing Element consists of policies to ensure the provision of adequate sites for all types of housing at various densities. The element includes standards and programs for the elimination of substandard dwelling conditions, for the improvement of housing quality, variety and affordability, and for provision of adequate sites for housing. The element also contains an identification and analysis of existing and forecasted housing needs. The element is designed to make equal provision for the housing needs of all segments of the community regardless of race, color, creed, or economic level.

Economic Development Element

The Economic Development Element provides a framework for determining future business and industrial land use. The element includes policies and strategies designed to address issue areas through opportunity analysis.

Community Design Element

The Community Design Element defines the overall character of the planning area by evaluating the form characteristics of the Growth and Land Use Element. This element addresses community design elements and strategies that further Surprise’s vision, goals, and objectives for a more visually attractive and environmentally responsive city.

Circulation Systems Element

The Circulation Element identifies the general location and extent of existing and proposed parkways, arterials, collector streets, street classifications, grade separations, and standards from both a regional and local perspective. Non-vehicular circulation facilities, such as bicycle and pedestrian modes of travel, are discussed in this element. The Circulation Element also covers the requirements for the Bicycle Element as per Arizona Revised Statutes. This includes locations of proposed bicycle facilities such as bicycle routes, bicycle parking areas, and designated bicycle street crossing areas.

This element is designed to work in coordination with the Development Chapter of the Surprise General Plan 2030. It also includes recommendations concerning parking facilities and building setback requirements from roadways, a system of street naming and house and building numbering, and other matters related to the improvement of traffic circulation.

Transit Element

The Public Transit Element describes regional and local transit options. Passenger Rail, Express and Fixed Routes, and Paratransit opportunities are detailed in this element.

Alternatives Modes Element

The Alternative Mode Element describes bicycle, pedestrian, and neighborhood vehicle movement. 

Cost of Development Element

The Cost of Development Element identifies policies and strategies the city uses to require development to pay its fair share toward the cost of additional public service needs generated by new development, with appropriate exceptions when in the public interest. The element includes:
 

• A component that identifies various mechanisms that are allowed by law and that can be used to fund and finance additional public services necessary to serve the development, including bonding, special taxing districts, and development fees, in lieu fees, facility construction, dedications, and service privatization.
   
• A component that identifies policies to ensure that any mechanisms adopted by the city result in a beneficial use to the development, and bear a reasonable relationship to the burden imposed on the city to provide additional necessary public services to the development. 
   

Public Buildings Element

The Public Buildings Element shows the existing locations of civic and community centers, public schools, libraries, police and fire stations, and other public buildings.

Utilities Element

The Utilities Element is concerned with the infrastructure facilities such as Water Service, Wastewater, Stormwater, Solid Waste, Power, and Telecommunications.

Health and Safety Element

The Health and Safety Element provides a framework to address natural and human induced hazards through prevention and emergency response as well as community wellness through accessibility and community health planning. The element is an organizing structure for the city’s creation and implementation of plans and programs for protecting and serving the community. 

Education Element

The Education Element shows the locations of education facilities and provides policies that support cooperative efforts between the city, development community, and school districts and universities. The element also provides a framework for lifelong learning within the city.

Recreation and Open Space Element

The Recreation and Open Space Element incorporates, as appropriate, information and standards related to open space and recreation. The element presents an analysis of forecasted needs as well as policies for managing and protecting open space areas and resources.

Cultural Heritage and Arts Element

The Cultural Heritage and Arts Element presents policies and programs that make best use of the role the city can play in encouraging and supporting the cultural development of the community. The policy goals of this document provide the direction required to assist our citizens in improving the quality of life.

Environmental Planning Element

As Surprise grows and develops, continued protection of the environment is necessary to maintain the quality of life and the natural functionality of the environment. The Environmental Planning Element ensures the continued protection of the environment. The element examines the factors that relate to the quality of life in the city. These include air quality, noise quality, and solid waste generation issues and establishes the policies governing the achievement and maintenance of acceptable standards.

Conservation Element

The Conservation Element is based upon the premise that the existing natural environment possesses its own inherent values and qualities that should be preserved. The element identifies areas within the Surprise Planning Area that are targeted for conservation. The element describes resource locations and examines methods to conserve important physical features. The element covers flood control issues, prevention and control of the pollution of streams and other waters, regulation of the use of land in stream channels and other areas required for the accomplishment of the conservation plan, prevention, control, and correction of the erosion of soils and protection of watersheds. Sustainability is addressed in terms of conservation of the planning area’s natural resources, water resources, water resources, land utilization, wildlife protection, desert conservation, and vegetation protection.

Water Resources Element

The Water Resources Element provides guidance for the city of Surprise to aid in the consideration of water demand in conjunction with land use, anticipated growth areas and infrastructure. Issues related to ensuring physical and legal availability, a continuous and reliable water supply are addressed. In addition, conservation measures are outlined in this element including effluent, recharge, and reuse policies. The element also evaluates water quality issues and discusses programs to protect groundwater quality or managing areas to prevent further spread of contaminants and implementing measures to reduce pollution from current activities to the maximum extent practicable.

Energy Element 

The Energy Element identifies policies that encourage and provide incentives for efficient use of energy, and an assessment that identifies policies and practices that provide for greater uses of renewable energy sources. 

Note:
It is important to recognize that the plan elements do not stand alone. They are closely interrelated to provide a comprehensive picture of the community’s resources, its needs and desires, and strategies to address future development. As defined by the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), the plan is general in nature and is intended to provide general development guidance and function as a statement of policy. Therefore, it serves as the guide to local decision-making about the community’s future development.