What is the primary purpose of a comprehensive plan?

• A. To control growth and land use
• B. To regulate property sales
• C. To set property taxes
• D. To enforce zoning codes

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that a comprehensive plan acts as a long-range guide for how a community intends to grow and use its land. It lays out goals and policies for where housing, businesses, and open spaces should be, and how transportation, utilities, and public services will be provided. Because it sets the vision for future development, it directly informs zoning decisions and infrastructure planning, helping to coordinate growth in an orderly, sustainable way.

Regulating property sales isn’t the plan’s role, since sales activity is governed by market factors and separate laws. Property taxes are set by tax authorities and budgets, not by the plan. Enforcing zoning codes is the responsibility of the local ordinances and enforcement agencies; the comprehensive plan provides the policy framework that guides those regulations rather than enforcing them directly.