Because a land use plan cannot be successfully implemented when only physical factors are taken into account, PDI's innovative approach to land use plans includes social and economic factors as well; the community inventory, goals and objectives, and resident input all help determine how the identity of the Town can best be preserved and enhanced. The primary goals for the Town of West Bend included:

• To control and direct growth and development
• To establish cooperative planning with surrounding communities
• To protect environmental resources and permit controlled residential and commercial development only where appropriate
• To provide parks and recreational areas

Land use districts were created to reflect the type of land development appropriate for a specific area. Performance standards for each district identify how the place is created and what it should feel like. Districts define types of development rather than just land use (as is typical of zoning ordinances). Graphic illustrations throughout the plan explain and illustrate concepts and recommendations. Some such land use districts are:

• Roadside Mixed-Use - areas of commercial and mixed-use development along major arterials which regulate the scale, type and character of the environment
• Shoreline Residential - areas that include recommendations for commercial and mixed-use development along the lakes
• Neighborhood Residential - areas that preserve land by drawing smaller lots while providing a transition between the City and Town
• Rural Residential - areas that preserve and protect the natural environment by employing low density cluster development

PDI worked with an appointed Long-Term Planning Committee to develop the Land Use Plan, with assistance from the public in the forms of:

• Public workshops
• A town-wide land use survey
• A public hearing