A Comprehensive Plan is the Town's development roadmap and is created by studying existing conditions, developing preferred alternatives and priorities, and identifying real-world and attainable strategies to help the Town obtain its vision. There are ten required elements that every South Carolina Comprehensive Plan must have – population, housing, economic development, community facilities, natural resources, cultural resources, land use, transportation, priority investment, and resiliency. This ensures that the Comprehensive Plan addresses land development issues, capital projects, resource preservation, accessibility, and other governmental decisions and market forces that might impact the Town. In South Carolina, communities are required to prepare new Comprehensive Plans every 10 years. For more information, see the Municipal Association of South Carolina website and the Town of James Island Comprehensive Plan.