cooperation is a basic ingredient of effective regional land use planning.
and the use of annexation agreements by Bloomington and Normal.
CHARACTERISTICS AND TRENDS Land use trends and characteristics have important implications for planning future land use. The distribution and intensity of existing land use are major considerations in the allocation of future land uses. Similarly, the implications of current trends in land use development must be considered in context with plan objectives to identify possible needs for changes of direction. Following is an overview of the region's existing land use characteristics and development trends. Development Patterns Over 88 percent of McLean County is currently unincorporated, agricultural land, and nearly 6 percent is urban development (see Chart 7.1). Bloomington and Normal by far account for the greatest portion of the urban land with the remainder accounted for by the county's nineteen other municipalities (see Map 7.1). An undetermined number of rural, non-farm dwellings also exist, with greater numbers to be found within an easy commute of the metro area. At 4 percent, floodplains and related flood hazard areas account for the next greatest proportion of the county's land area, followed by public and semi-public open space at 1.6 percent. Public and semi-public areas include major conservation and recreation areas such as Moraine View State Park, Funk's Grove and major municipal parks and golf courses. Map 7.2 illustrates how the BloomingtonNormal urban area has expanded since 1970. Chart 7.2 illustrates how the urban area is likely to continue to expand during the planning period if current trends continue. The likelihood of continued expansion of the urban area is supported by trends toward smaller households and low-density development, both of which contribute to greater per capita consumption of land for urban development. Development outside planned urban growth areas is expected to be limited due to county zoning requirements
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McLean County Regional Comprehensive Plan
Resources Land use resources include both the land itself as well as the planning resources designed to make the most effective use of the land. Each of these resources is described in the following paragraphs.
Land, Wind and Water Land resources include the region's farmland. One of the region's greatest resources is its vast amounts of farmland, much of which is prime farmland and among the most fertile in the entire world. The region's farmland that lies in the paths of urban growth is also often prime land for urban development, due to the nearly level to gently sloping terrain and the general lack of major physical constraints. The flood plains, streams and lakes of the region are important resources that provide significant environmental benefits, but account for less than one percent of the total land area. Tree cover is an extremely important resource, due in part to the environmental and aesthetic benefits provided, and in part to the scarcity of major stands of trees in McLean County. As noted in Chapter 2, wind resources have emerged as a critical aspect of environmental management of particular concern in connection to land use planning.
Planning Planning resources include the plans, planning processes, and ordinances available to local governments for use in guiding growth and development. McLean County and a number of communities in the western one-third of the county have adopted comprehensive plans to assist in these efforts. Communities with adopted comprehensive plans are listed in Table 7.1. A number of jurisdictions also have zoning ordinances to regulate land use and subdivision ordinances to assure minimum standards for development (see Table 7.1). Bloomington, Normal, and McLean County have revised their