At some point, the governing body must make its decisions and carry them out. The extent to which developers, land owners, utility firms, and other members of the community can rely on a plan's decisions is generally referred to as predictability . Without it, a comprehensive plan has little or no value. But the need for predictability and the need for citizen involvement sometimes clash. Suppose, for example, that a city is considering rezoning an area from single-family residential to multifamily residential.
City officials work hard to get the public involved.
They send out mailings and run newspaper ads to explain how the rezoning will allow apartments in the area. They conduct several workshops and public hearings. They receive a great deal of testimony, most of it favorable, and they proceed to rezone the area. A year later, a developer proposes a new apartment complex in that area. Several neighbors object, but the city rejects their complaints.