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Draft Guiding Principles

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The first step in assembling the plan is creating the draft vision and guiding principles. Together, they set the framework for the plan and foundation for resident working groups to forge goals, policies and implementation actions.

The 13 draft guiding principles aim to capture residents' priorities for a variety of topics, such as safety, water, and more. The guiding principles will remain in draft form until the plan is complete.

They are based on the 8,900+ comments received from residents over the past year. The underlined words were directly derived from resident comments. See the resident responses that created the draft guiding principles HERE.

Uphold community safety as the top priority:

  • Maintain a low crime rate
  • Support and promote school safety
  • Improve traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety, especially at major intersections
  • Maintain a highly visible, community engaged, and fully staffed police force with quick response times
  • Develop and promote crime prevention programs
  • Prepare for natural disasters

Maintain the community’s unique character:

  • Promote a friendly, kind, and neighborly feel
  • Create and attract community gathering opportunities and spaces
  • Support arts and culture
  • Foster a community that welcomes a diverse population
  • Strive to keep a quiet and peaceful atmosphere

Keep OV a friendly community that supports a diverse range of ages, interests and backgrounds:

  • Be more family friendly
  • Attract and retain a young workforce
  • Foster more activities and entertainment options
  • Meet the needs and interests of an aging population
  • Support and promote high-quality schools and educational opportunities

Grow OV’s outdoor and recreational opportunities:

  • Increase opportunities and improve the user experience at park and rec facilities, especially during the hot summer months
  • Provide accessible recreational options for all ages and abilities
  • Support a variety of sports and activities
  • Expand bike, pedestrian, and trail connectivity

Maintain good roads, manage traffic flow, and encourage a variety of transportation options:

  • Proactively keep roads in good condition
  • Increase efficiency of all signalized intersections
  • Reduce vehicle miles traveled between housing, shopping and employment areas
  • Increase public transportation options
  • Improve the transportation network to support all users


Strive for a diverse mix of housing options:

  • Increase affordable housing options for workers, older adults, and families
  • Balance the desire for single-family homes with the need for townhomes, condos, patio homes
  • Limit construction of new high-density apartment communities
  • Selectively target areas with access to shops, services, facilities, and major roadways for higher-density residential

Balance OV’s unique suburban environment with thoughtful and limited development that improves the community:

  • Strategically manage growth and redevelopment to increase opportunities to live, work, shop, dine and play
  • Increase community connections through a central town gathering area
  • Diversify employment and housing options
  • Attract and retain more restaurants and retail
  • Maintain a well-planned and cohesive design of the built environment that complements the natural environment and OV’s unique character
  • Limit height to no more than three stories and protect views

Maintain financial stability:

  • Manage and administer the Town’s budget to meet the community’s needs
  • Anticipate increasing service and infrastructure needs and costs
  • Plan for revenue impacts as land for development becomes scarce
  • Diversify and increase revenue sources

Grow the number of high-quality employment opportunities:

  • Diversify the type of industries and job opportunities
  • Attract employers who offer high-paying jobs
  • Attract and retain workers by promoting quality schools, housing, parks, and things to do
  • Foster entrepreneurship
  • Expand research and development, bioscience, and emerging tech industries

Foster a broad range of shopping, entertainment, events, and dining options:

  • Fill empty storefronts and redevelop existing buildings
  • Increase customer base to retain and attract new businesses
  • Attract and support more local businesses
  • Increase tourism to support OV’s resorts, hotels and businesses

Uphold the scenic beauty and natural environment as a top priority:

  • Conserve the natural desert and mountain views
  • Protect significant, native vegetation
  • Maintain wildlife corridors
  • Expand open space conservation areas
  • Prioritize environmental resource conservation when considering development

Incorporate strategies for sustainability:

  • Promote waste reduction and recycling programs and participation
  • Encourage use of solar and energy efficiency technology
  • Reduce heat through landscaping, building materials, and design
  • Reduce carbon emissions by supporting electric vehicles, public transit, & other transportation options

Ensure water availability:

  • Continue planning for a reliable water future
  • Increase community awareness of the importance of water conservation
  • Expand water conservation programs, opportunities, and requirements
  • Reduce the use of drinking water for irrigation
  • Expand the use of reclaimed water



The first step in assembling the plan is creating the draft vision and guiding principles. Together, they set the framework for the plan and foundation for resident working groups to forge goals, policies and implementation actions.

The 13 draft guiding principles aim to capture residents' priorities for a variety of topics, such as safety, water, and more. The guiding principles will remain in draft form until the plan is complete.

They are based on the 8,900+ comments received from residents over the past year. The underlined words were directly derived from resident comments. See the resident responses that created the draft guiding principles HERE.

Uphold community safety as the top priority:

  • Maintain a low crime rate
  • Support and promote school safety
  • Improve traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety, especially at major intersections
  • Maintain a highly visible, community engaged, and fully staffed police force with quick response times
  • Develop and promote crime prevention programs
  • Prepare for natural disasters

Maintain the community’s unique character:

  • Promote a friendly, kind, and neighborly feel
  • Create and attract community gathering opportunities and spaces
  • Support arts and culture
  • Foster a community that welcomes a diverse population
  • Strive to keep a quiet and peaceful atmosphere

Keep OV a friendly community that supports a diverse range of ages, interests and backgrounds:

  • Be more family friendly
  • Attract and retain a young workforce
  • Foster more activities and entertainment options
  • Meet the needs and interests of an aging population
  • Support and promote high-quality schools and educational opportunities

Grow OV’s outdoor and recreational opportunities:

  • Increase opportunities and improve the user experience at park and rec facilities, especially during the hot summer months
  • Provide accessible recreational options for all ages and abilities
  • Support a variety of sports and activities
  • Expand bike, pedestrian, and trail connectivity

Maintain good roads, manage traffic flow, and encourage a variety of transportation options:

  • Proactively keep roads in good condition
  • Increase efficiency of all signalized intersections
  • Reduce vehicle miles traveled between housing, shopping and employment areas
  • Increase public transportation options
  • Improve the transportation network to support all users


Strive for a diverse mix of housing options:

  • Increase affordable housing options for workers, older adults, and families
  • Balance the desire for single-family homes with the need for townhomes, condos, patio homes
  • Limit construction of new high-density apartment communities
  • Selectively target areas with access to shops, services, facilities, and major roadways for higher-density residential

Balance OV’s unique suburban environment with thoughtful and limited development that improves the community:

  • Strategically manage growth and redevelopment to increase opportunities to live, work, shop, dine and play
  • Increase community connections through a central town gathering area
  • Diversify employment and housing options
  • Attract and retain more restaurants and retail
  • Maintain a well-planned and cohesive design of the built environment that complements the natural environment and OV’s unique character
  • Limit height to no more than three stories and protect views

Maintain financial stability:

  • Manage and administer the Town’s budget to meet the community’s needs
  • Anticipate increasing service and infrastructure needs and costs
  • Plan for revenue impacts as land for development becomes scarce
  • Diversify and increase revenue sources

Grow the number of high-quality employment opportunities:

  • Diversify the type of industries and job opportunities
  • Attract employers who offer high-paying jobs
  • Attract and retain workers by promoting quality schools, housing, parks, and things to do
  • Foster entrepreneurship
  • Expand research and development, bioscience, and emerging tech industries

Foster a broad range of shopping, entertainment, events, and dining options:

  • Fill empty storefronts and redevelop existing buildings
  • Increase customer base to retain and attract new businesses
  • Attract and support more local businesses
  • Increase tourism to support OV’s resorts, hotels and businesses

Uphold the scenic beauty and natural environment as a top priority:

  • Conserve the natural desert and mountain views
  • Protect significant, native vegetation
  • Maintain wildlife corridors
  • Expand open space conservation areas
  • Prioritize environmental resource conservation when considering development

Incorporate strategies for sustainability:

  • Promote waste reduction and recycling programs and participation
  • Encourage use of solar and energy efficiency technology
  • Reduce heat through landscaping, building materials, and design
  • Reduce carbon emissions by supporting electric vehicles, public transit, & other transportation options

Ensure water availability:

  • Continue planning for a reliable water future
  • Increase community awareness of the importance of water conservation
  • Expand water conservation programs, opportunities, and requirements
  • Reduce the use of drinking water for irrigation
  • Expand the use of reclaimed water



Page last updated: 26 Jan 2025, 05:16 PM