Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) It is important that the implementation of the Wake Forest Community Plan is coordinated with the Town’s financial resources and capital planning. This will help ensure future capital investments successfully address both short- and long-term objectives of the Plan and are strategically budgeted and prioritized. CIP projects include improvements for the maintenance of Town assets such as roadways, sidewalks, multi-use paths, stormwater maintenance, public art, as well as other improvements requiring capital expenditures relating to public infrastructure.
The Town should review and integrate the Wake Forest Community Plan into the capital improvement process, including the Town’s annual budgeting process and during updates to the CIP. This will help assess funding needs and plan for potential sources, ensuring completion of desired improvements in a prioritized manner over the life of the Plan.
Local & Regional Cooperation
To ensure the success of the Community Plan’s implementation, there must be strong leadership from the Town and coordination with other public agencies, neighboring communities, community groups and organizations, the local business community, the private sector, and other key stakeholders. As many of the recommendations included within the Plan pertain to issues extending past Town and ETJ limits, such as water quality or roadway connectivity, regional cooperation will be key in addressing them.
Regular Updates
The Wake Forest Community Plan is not a static document, and it is intended to evolve with shifts in trends, issues, and opportunities. If community attitudes change or new challenges arise which are beyond the scope of the current Plan, the Plan should be revised and updated accordingly. Although a proposal to amend the Plan can be brought forth by petition at any time, the Town should systematically review the Plan annually and evaluate updating every five to seven years.
PARTNERS
Wake Forest’s regional position makes it essential that the Town develops and maintains partnerships with a wide variety of groups and organizations. Facilitating regular communication and cooperation with partners will support implementation of the Land Use Plan and identify opportunities to work collaboratively toward mutual interests. Further, it will facilitate a greater regional perspective in how issues are addressed in the area. Wake Forest already has a wide variety of partnerships, which should be maintained in the future. Possibilities for new partnerships with organizations and agencies should be identified by the Town to aid implementation. This could include neighboring municipalities, regional and state agencies, neighborhood groups, the local business community, and other groups with a vested interest in Wake Forest.
Ideally, the review and preparation of the Plan’s annual action agenda should coincide with the preparation of the Town’s budget and CIP. In this manner, recommendations or changes relating to capital improvements or other programs can be considered as part of the commitments for the upcoming fiscal year. Routine examination of the Plan will help ensure that the planning program remains relevant to community needs and goals.
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REVISED DRAFT 3/2/2022
COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE | TOWN OF WAKE FOREST
