Master Plan

Definition of "Master plan"

Written by

Wyndie Butler

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Pensacola

Through the master plan definition, we can understand it’s a plan describing both through narrative and maps the overall land use of a designated urban area. It includes both present property usage as well as future land development plans. Private developers can develop a master plan to guide their overall development plans. Governments create master plans to help guide the development of property zoning use designations.

However, it’s important to note that master plans are used not only by private developers for residential neighborhoods but also by city planners. We can see this in cities like the US capital, Washington D.C. or Savannah, GA, and master-planned communities like The Villages, Florida.

How does a Master Plan Work?

To design a master plan as a conceptual layout that also considers future growth and development of a new city, community, or neighborhood, those that make it need to acknowledge the needs of the area. They cannot do it independently, whether they are made for a private developer or a city plan. A master plan connects the buildings that may already exist to the social setting and their surrounding environment. 

There is a whole lot of analysis that goes into a master plan. Many inputs come from the public, surveys are spread, and the master plan is open for debate from its inception to even after it was finalized. A master plan is meant to evolve and grow with the city. For this, planners need to look into the site’s population, economy, existing infrastructure for transportation, existing housing and buildings, the facilities that already exist, and general land use regulations. The process is not an easy one and may take months if not years to fully create a master plan, and some of the roles it can assume are: Identify the priorities;

• Develop phasing and implementation schedules; 
• Act as a guideline for regeneration while attracting investments from the private sector;
• Shape and conceptualize three-dimensional urban environments;
• Define spaces (public, semi private, and private) and public amenities;
• Determine how uses are mixed and how they work physically together;
• Engages the community that will be impacted by the master plan and builds consensus.

Master Plan in Real Estate

As master plans have a critical role in establishing the shape of the environment, many residential developers apply master plans for master-planned communities. They need to determine from the beginning what type of a community it will be, how much green space there will be, how amenities are organized and how they work together for the future residents concerning where houses and units are located. They determine building density in the community or neighborhood by implementing a guideline that accounts for the needs of the inhabitants. These guidelines can dictate the style of housing, the height of housing, etc.