FAQs

ARC’s Community Development Assistance Program, or CDAP for short, matches planning assistance with community projects that need it. How it works: ARC assigns staff members to work with your community on your project to reach an agreed-upon result, such as a plan, report, community engagement process, or study — bringing your project closer to reality.

Projects are chosen using a scorecard that weights them according to how they address regional priorities, as well as geographic diversity, equity, and resilience. Some priority is given to communities with fewer demonstrated resources to direct to community development.

Created as a way to reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality, the ARC's Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is a grant program that incentivizes local jurisdictions to re-envision their communities as vibrant, walkable places that offer increased mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles and provide improved access to jobs and services.

• Encourage a diversity of housing, employment, commercial, shopping and recreation land uses at the transit station, local and regional center level accessible by people of all ages, abilities, and income levels,
• Provide access to a range of travel modes including transit, roadways, walking and biking and increase roadway connectivity to provide optimal access to all uses within the study area,
• Foster public-private partnerships and sustained community support through an outreach process that promotes the involvement of all stakeholders, including those historically underserved or underrepresented,
• Encourage mixed-income residential neighborhoods, employment, shopping, and recreation options.

One of the primary tools to guide development within Activity Centers is through the use of Small Area Plans (SAPs). These plans allow policy makers and the community to guide development, policies, and investments at a much finer level of detail than can be provided in the overall comprehensive plan.

These plans support the general vision, policies, and goals of the community, while allowing for a greater degree of detail in guiding development. SAPs may include additional policies, tailored to the area to shape development. They can include elements such as design guidelines, standards for transitions in development intensities and uses, additional standards for mixed use, investments in infrastructure and connectivity as well as greater opportunities for input from local residents and businesses. 

SAPs can take a variety of forms, such as LCI, Master Active Living Plans (MALPs), Corridor Plans, or TOD plans. 

SAP’s address specific land use issues where needed and support general development policies with detailed design guidelines. They can also control the transitions of land uses between an Activity Center and surrounding land uses, protecting surrounding uses, such as single family development, from negative impacts created by land uses within the area

The goal of the program is to reduce obesity through the promotion of physical activity and good nutrition throughout the county with Policy, Systems, and Environmental changes. This policy revision is in an effort to promote healthier lifestyles and increase physical activity within the affected/target area of the county. Click on the icons below to view the study documents.