Greenwood launches comprehensive plan update process

Greenwood residents will soon be able to give their input on the city’s vision for expansions and revitalization for the next two decades.

The city of Greenwood has formally launched its long-planned process to update the city’s comprehensive plan, which will guide development and growth in the city for the next 10 to 20 years. The last time the full plan was updated was in 2007, and while there have been some smaller updates since then, it does not account for all of the growth the city has seen over the last 20 years.

“We’ve had a lot of population growth and a lot of land growth in Greenwood since 2007,” said Gabe Nelson, planning director.

Mayor Mark Myers first announced the update to the comprehensive plan during his State of the City address in March. In June, the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety approved the selection of HWC Engineering’s Planning and Landscaping Architecture team to help create this new plan.

“Greenwood’s new comprehensive plan will outline our collective vision for the city, goals and principles to achieve success, and most importantly, it will be a community-driven plan,” Mayor Mark Myers said in a statement. “The development of this plan will be a collaborative effort across city leadership, residents and our engineering partner, HWC Engineering.”

The plan itself is designed to address the city’s “Four Pillars” — public safety, infrastructure, economic development and quality of life. Officials expect the plan to be developed in tandem with the community. It is expected to span four phases: envisioning, consensus building, plan formulation and practical action step development, officials said.

The plan will prioritize the eastern corridor of the city’s sustained expansion and reinvestment in more established areas of the community, while also looking at some areas of the city’s southwest corner, Nelson said.

Two important maps the city uses for planning and zoning come out of the plan: land use and transportation. These maps are to affect residents the most in their everyday lives, he said.

“It’s going to determine what types of projects go where and what the city of Greenwood really looks like?” Nelson said.

Additionally, the comprehensive plan helps the city attract grants for projects. Officials also use it to plan for trails and the design of the city, which in turn is used to help improve the city’s quality of life, he said.

“If you live in Greenwood, or shop in Greenwood or enjoy having a good quality of life, this plan will hopefully be a visioning tool for the city of Greenwood to meet those goals,” Nelson said.

Updating the plan is expected to take about a year. For the few months, officials will be collecting data, doing research and doing various forms of public outreach. Already, the city has contacted media outlets about the process and has also launched a website the public can use to learn more: PlanGreenwood.com.

The city will also be hosting both online and in-person public workshops, along with an eventual open house. The online workshop is set to go live on Aug. 21, and will be available for about a month at PlanGreenwood.com.

An in-person community workshop is set for Sept. 12 in community rooms A and B at the Greenwood Public Library, Nelson said.

The website will also feature mapping tools where community members can give feedback and input. Officials also plan to post a survey on the website, along with informational videos, he said.

The city is also forming a steering committee that will be tasked with promoting public outreach, getting the public involved and providing feedback. Plans are for the committee to be made of community experts, community leaders and prominent businesses, along with some youth involvement, Nelson said. Focus group interview sessions and meetings are also expected.

Once all the feedback has been gathered, officials will begin to draft a plan. Feedback will be used in every step of the plan when the drafting process begins, Nelson said.

“We’re really looking forward to working with the people who live here. This is their city, so we want their input to dictate how they want to see the future Greenwood,” he said.

Nelson strongly encourages the public to take part in the process, as it is a huge opportunity for the public to have their voices heard. This is a chance for the public to give their feedback on what their community could be in the future, he said.

“I’ll be disappointed if we only have a couple of people show up for a meeting or only a few people taking time to fill out the survey,” Nelson said. “I’m just trying to really stress to people that this is a big opportunity. It’s an exciting thing that’s happening in Greenwood.”

The hope is for the updated plan to be adopted by next summer, he said.

“We’re optimistic and hopeful that this will be about a year process and that we’ll have something by next summer,” Nelson said.

For more information on the comprehensive plan and the update process, residents and interested parties can go online to PlanGreenwood.com.

IF YOU GO

In-Person Community Workshop

What: An in-person workshop for community members to take part in the Greenwood Comprehensive Plan update.

When: Sept. 12 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Greenwood Public Library Community Rooms A and B, 310 S. Meridian St.

More information: PlanGreenwood.com