20 - Year Growth Plan - City of Kendleton

4.0 Land UseOne of the most important planning tools available to accurately describe the currentmakeup of a community is Land Use Mapping. A land use survey is a map-baseddescription of the actual observed use of properties within the study area at a givenmoment in time. Colors are assigned to each land use and the resulting information canthen be analyzed to create an Existing Land Use Map. The Existing Land Use Map clearlyillustrates predominant uses, proximity of different uses to each other, and distributionof population and businesses. Such insights into the City’s physical character will informdecision making about the future and allow creation of a Future Land Use Plan, whichcan be thought of as a blueprint for the types and locations of land use appropriate for ahealthy community in the future.It is important to distinguish a Land Use Plan from a Zoning Map. Land Use Maps andPlans are observational in nature and do not direct, instruct or require a specific use ofany individual property, and are thus non-binding. A Zoning Map describes userequirements and potential use of an individual property and must be approved by CityCouncil action.4.1 Current Land UsePrior to the EHRA and TEEX team conducting public meetings regarding the 20-YearGrowth Plan, it was necessary to collect a vast amount of current visual information. A“windshield” visual survey of all land within Kendleton’s jurisdictional boundaries wasconducted using property ownership information obtained by the Fort Bend CountyAppraisal District. The observed land uses were added to an aerial map of Kendletonand are compiled in Exhibit I (a sample version appears in Figure 4-1 below).Figure 4-1.Existing LandUses20-Year Growth Plan 21