Comprehensive plan to envision next 20 years of city growth | Government

“One of the big things about a comprehensive plan is there’s a lot of public engagement,” City Planner Zack Martin said. “There’s a lot of meetings and all sorts of other things that during the past year, we just have not been able to do.”

Martin has picked up where his predecessor left off. The city has also turned to RDG Planning and Design to consult on the project. The council agreed to contract with the company for $70,000.

The main goal of the comprehensive plan is to bring all the other city plans under one roof. When making decisions, all the future visions pull the council in multiple directions.

“We have existing plans, but they’re not always all working together, or they’re very siloed into their specific departments,” Martin said. “One of the great things about a comprehensive plan is it brings all of these different elements together into one large cohesive plan that is comprehensive.”

Some of the goals that could come from the comprehensive plan include improving the zoning, recommending land use, revitalization and transportation and infrastructure improvements.

“A comprehensive plan a lot of times has to be a really good balance between how do we continue to keep our existing city strong and healthy and vibrant? And how do we make sure we balance it out with variety and options for new areas for new places for growth?” Amy Haase, a principal at RDG Planning and Design, said.

The plan will focus on future growth. For example, it might suggest adding bus routes to the east side of town.

“One of those steps that we take in this comprehensive planning process is looking at current trends in the city’s economic growth,” Martin said.

While the plan is comprehensive and every part of town will receive attention, RDG may focus more on certain neighborhoods, like historical districts.

To develop the plan, the city and RDG will turn to community engagement.

“It is very important that the people come out and engage when we start this process,” Martin said.

There will be multiple community meetings, small sessions, workshops and advisory committees. JL Robertson, a resident of the south side, said community engagement is vital.

“You can lead all you want, but if you don’t get the feedback from the people who are actually doing the work, forget it,” Robertson said.

RDG is expected to present their plan to the city at the beginning of next year.

“The process that we look to is to understand a little bit of where the community is today and where the community wants to be in the future,” Haase said.