Earlier this year, the Planning Division worked to develop a mission and vision statement intended to guide staff in their performance and direction. Over the course of two workshops, staff also identified a list of seven priorities that will be applied in their work with the community. Language was chosen with intention, but it’s through action that staff hope to build a more progressive and equitable future for City of Dayton residents.

 VISION

Dayton’s Planning Division will be a progressive planning team that collaborates intentionally with our community while advancing strategies to build upon Dayton’s unique character, striving to be a leader among peer cities.

 MISSION

Our work will be people-driven and data-informed. We will model best practices in city planning as we care for Dayton’s distinctive places and foster our community’s resilient personality and progressive energy.

 PRIORITIES

1. We will be stewards of Dayton’s long-term vision, collaborating with our neighborhoods and partner organizations to shape the city's plans, priorities, and projects. We will be responsive to the need for neighborhood planning while maintaining up-to-date city-wide strategic plans that seek to implement best practices in the planning field.
2. We will improve outcomes for Dayton’s neighborhoods by following best practices in our analysis and recommendations for land use cases. We will do this by guiding land use applications towards the best possible outcome by the time we make final recommendations to the Plan Board, Board of Zoning Appeals and Landmark Commission. The target ratio of substantially improved plans between application and board decision is 60 percent.
3. We will prioritize our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to address disparities in our neighborhoods including areas of Dayton that have been impacted by past discriminatory land use policies and decisions. In addition, we will work to improve our planning profession’s accessibility to underrepresented groups. To measure and report on our efforts, we will maintain and regularly publish a map of equity and opportunity.
4. We will continue to advance the implementation of Dayton’s Neighborhood Vision Plans. We will report annually on implementation progress of these neighborhood and area plans, as well as other previously adopted plans.
5. We will deliberately inform the community and our partners about our work through clear and accessible communications. Targets for this effort include: 24 blog posts per year; development of a process that regularly communicates our upcoming land use cases; monthly reviews of our website to ensure accuracy, transparency, and relevance; and regular updates to residents on previous and current planning efforts.
6. We will deliver high quality customer service with a particular focus on providing relevant, easy-to-understand information early in the land use application process including offering individualized counsel and support. We will determine a method to effectively measure delivery of customer service and establish a benchmark for ongoing measurement and development.
7. We will seek out and take advantage of training opportunities to increase our skills and proficiencies with new tools and technologies and to be current on best practices in our field. In this way we will increase our capacity to serve the Dayton community and ensure we offer personalized, efficient, and solution-oriented service.

Pleased with the outcome, the Planning Division staff poses with the newly minted vision