The 2023 Howell Master Plan is comprehensive in nature and explores many aspects of the community including land use, transportation, economic development, and community development.

Through the inclusion of cross cutting themes, this plan exposes the relationship between these various topics and identifies policies and initiatives that support multiple community goals. 

There are six major guiding values that provide the framework for the various chapters in this Plan. Each subsequent chapter identifies focus areas that relate specifically to the topic or subtopics within the chapter. The chapter then explores the existing conditions, vision for the future, and strategies to enact the vision, including policies, programs, and procedures.

In addition to providing a framework for day to day decision making, there is an implementation matrix at the end of the document that identifies a number of projects or initiatives in which the City could engage during the 5 year planning period. These projects or initiatives are intended to achieve the goals in the Master Plan. Each project or initiative supports the guiding values identified in the plan. Many of these initiatives and projects relate to multiple guiding values and support multiple topics and subtopics.