Phased community benefits agreements - a pathway to mutually beneficial community developments: A guiding framework for implementation in Belize

Abstract

Local governments have pursued community benefit within the rezoning process using the policy tools of Community Benefits Agreements and Community Amenity Contributions. While there have been many successful negotiations of these agreement types, the process has not been without legal issues. Belize’s planning system offers a significant potential to implement Phased Community Benefits Agreements at its helm. This research illustrates the opportunities and risks associated with this evolution, and offers a phased implementation framework informed by a legal and social review of planning issues in Belize.