Comprehensive Master Plan - City of Alvin

Appendix A, Land Use Supplementfacts, as in most scare tactics, are the opposite. Zoning inspectors cannot goonto private property without permission. Property rights are, thus, protectedand landowners do not need to fear for the family as opponents would haveyou believe.Zoning will create a large bureaucracy to manage it. If a community iscompleting subdivision review adequately, it takes no additional staff toreview plans for zoning conformance, unless most use decisions requirehearings and negotiations. Likewise, building officials can normally handlezoning requests. Currently, Alvin most likely has adequate staff to handleland development regulations although additional qualifications may benecessary.What is Zoning?Zoning is very different from subdivision regulations. It is designed toprotect property values of neighborhoods from the adverse impacts ofdevelopment on adjoining land. Residential uses are traditionally separatedfrom commercial and industrial uses, thus, protected from the nuisance ofeffects of high volumes of traffic, light and glare, noise, dirt, and unsightlyconditions. This is accomplished by creating zoning districts that control thetype and location of uses through multiple districts, each of which permitdifferent mixes of uses. These are shown on a map designating theboundaries of the districts within the community. Height and area standardswithin the districts regulate the intensity or density of use. Over time, zoninghas become the primary tool for implementing comprehensive plans and landuse plans.The theoretical underpinning of zoning is that there is a hierarchy of usesfrom the highest and best use to the lowest and worst use. The highest use isthat which warrants the most protection. The lowest use is that which has thegreatest nuisance potential for degrading the highest use. Thus, low densitysingle family residential use is considered the highest use while heavyindustry, such as a chemical plant, is the lowest or worst use in the hierarchy.The greatest single investment most families make is in their home. They buyland, build a dwelling, and have an expectation that their investment will beprotected and ever increasing in value, which is what zoning was created toaccomplish. The nation’s first zoning regulations in New York City werefocused on halting the spread of an industry into residential and retail areas.Hence, the zoning map is the regulatory version of the future land use map. Ifthe land use plan is to be realized, zoning is a logical way to regulate land useand ensure conformance with the plan.Page A-13