For the first time in nearly 20 years, Cape Girardeau is ready to re-evaluate its comprehensive plan.

The city will hire an outside consulting firm charged with taking input from both city staff and the community in order to determine what policies and priorities need updating. With help from the consultants, city staff will make changes to the document that the planning and zoning commission must ultimately approve.

The city's comprehensive plan was first adopted in 1927. It has been updated periodically since then.

The plan, said city leaders, is a vital but often overlooked document.

"It is kind of a blueprint that we want people and the community to approve as we continue to grow and continue to annex property and have more development. It's just so important," said Loretta Schneider, councilwoman and steering committee member.

I-55 expansion

One reason to update now is commercial expansion at the new Interstate 55 interchange to the north and residential expansion to the southwest. By streamlining ordinances and zoning the city can avoid future conflict.

"It will prevent us from doing all these special-use permits," Schneider said. "If we can have a plan it will prevent so much controversy of what areas are for industrial development and what are strictly residential. Or even what can be used for multifamily and apartments rather than single-family."

The comprehensive plan does not dictate development, but it can help steer development, say officials. Cape Girardeau hopes that by prioritizing land use it won't miss out on any development opportunities.

"Firms looking to come to your community are interested in your plan; they want to see that you have a plan," said city manager Doug Leslie. "We also want to make sure that the quality of life is preserved and we can handle growth in a positive way."

Over the past month, four consulting firms specializing in urban planning came to town to give presentations to the 11-person steering committee. The firms are from Cincinnati, Ohio, Wahoo, Neb., St. Louis and Perryville.

Living-room focus groups

All the firms stressed the need for community input, said community leaders, but the firms differed in their approach to how that input will be gathered.

"Some of them had unique ideas for getting people involved. Something other than just having a town hall meeting. I know through Vision 2020 and other groups that it can be difficult to get people to come out to those," Schneider said. "They talked about more informal meetings in people's homes and different plans for the media and ways to do some better advertising."

These living-room focus groups are used as intensive brain-storming sessions where residents' practical knowledge can be transformed into applicable legal guidelines.

The total process is expected to last between 10 and 18 months. Consultant estimates for the work are in "the ballpark" of $60,000 to $75,000, Leslie said. The city's payment for the project will be stretched over two fiscal years.

Heather Brooks, assistant to the city manager, said the steering committee looked for a firm with experience planning for cities similar to Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau's defining features include a population of just over 35,000, its status as an area commercial hub and being home to a 10,000-student university.

The bid from the selected consulting firm will be presented to city council for approval in June.

The comprehensive plan is available for public review in the planning services office at city hall.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245