It guides where and in what form development occurs in the community and frames the city's capital improvement projects. It is used to test the appropriateness of both public and private development proposals. During the life of the plan, decisions will be made on land use issues and budget priorities. These decisions will be judged by the extent to which they correspond with the master plan. The master plan is a compilation of goals, policies, and recommendations for each of the subject areas it covers.
Goals are conceptual, broad, and long range.
Policies are the guides to the achievement of the goals. Recommendations define the specific actions needed to accomplish the overall goal as well as the policies. The master plan has a 20-year time frame. However, the Annotated Code of Maryland mandates that the master plan be reviewed or amended every six years. This helps to ensure that the document is updated to reflect current conditions and philosophy.