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POOR ORGANIZATION AND FORMAT Staff reports from ali b/pes and sizes of plan- ning agencies tend to contain Ihe same ete- ments (see box). A chief difference between a good report and a bad report lies in how that [nforma(ian is organized and presented. Poorty organized reports include bits of information scattered throughout, which skips between facts, analysis, suggestions, commentap/, and recommendations. 0epending on who prepares the report in a given agency, the placement of data and information varies from report to report. A ,NelFwritten and formatted staff report allows the reader to glean quick(,/the most important issues under consideration. It usually includes a cover sheet with pertinent informa- tion, sometimes presented in a form (see I~gure t) or under dear, bold suBheadin§s. The full contents of the report are presented in distinct sections, each with bold headings as well. Staff reports should be consistent in for- mat, no matter which staff p~anner prepares them. ['he reader should expect to find the same elements in the same order in each type of report. If the staff report concerns a singte development permission, such as a rezoning or subdivision, and additional actions by other agencies need to be taken, the report should indicate what those actions are. For example, if tile applicant is requesting' a rezoning' [which must be reviewed by the planning commission and approved by the ,eglsla[ive body), and a rezoning must pre- cede a conditional use permit application or /arlance Iwbich is approved by a board of zoning ~ppealsL then the report should state ~tlar ~:llose ;.ubsequen[ ]pprovats mus£ follow. Fur elected 5nd appointed officials, 'llere [g :imi[ed i'll'fie ~o ,'ewew die ~[aif ' Project name Case number Report prepareds name Action requested Applicant name ProperW owner Date of hehring General location of subject propel'b/ Existing zoning Surrounding zoning F~,dsting land use - Surrounding [and use Parcel size Comprehensive plan map designation, plus relevant policies TO: Planning Commission FROM: Planning Division DATE: ]uly ~2, 2ooo RE: CUP Randolph-Macon Women's College, 26o~ RivermontAvenue SYNOPSIS: Randolph-Macon Women's College is petitioning for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow the expansion of the existing College into an'adja- cent existing subject structure for offic.e use on a tract of about o.7 ac'res, [n an R-z, Single-Family Residential District, and an R-fi, Multi-Family Residential District. SUMMARY: · Petition agrees with the General Plan. ] The College has existed in the community since ~893 with no reported prob- terns; it now has a need for expansion. · ]'he subject structure will retain the appearance of a residence, bu[will change from a primariiv residential use to an institutional use. quickly. Figure 2 is an example of a synopsis and summap/!tQm a staff report prepared bv the Lynchburg, Virginia. Department )f Community P!anning and Development ou a .:onditibnat use permit. Some staff reports .isa ql,~£rlCeS (o ores- enl .:?ItlCal ifll'orlYlarlOF~ -'~_!evallf :o die ~pOliCL~- lion. Matrices, such as those shown in Figures and 4 below, provide a quick and easy way ~or readers to gauge/ar[pus proposais, such ~s a rezoning, ;:onditionaJ use, or variance, · ~gainst standard zoning requirements or more ~ubiec.qve ,:riteria contained in ~he _-onin§ or ~uDdivifiio~ .:ode for such .~crion. :'ONING PRACTIC'F ~.o~ .,~ERKAr,~ pL~,m,r~G ASSOCI^nON, p,:~j:~O3