A New Era of Planning & Development
Earlier this year the Board of Aldermen adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan. The plan took nearly a year to complete and represents the work of several city boards as well as residents that participated in community meetings and surveys. The purpose of the plan is to outline long-term goals for the city and to serve as a road map for policy-makers. As the Board’s liaison to Planning & Development, I’m heavily involved in working with staff to craft bills that achieve the goals outlined in the plan.
It can be a long journey for an idea to be crafted into a bill before making it onto our agenda for public debate. There are months of discussions and debates that take place to shape the language of a policy or refine an idea. Many ideas die in the planning phase and never make it on the agenda. Others do succeed, but fail to gain the votes needed to pass.
With all the energy created by a growing city it’s a great time to be involved and have a hand in helping to shape the future of Ozark. So, I thought I would use this opportunity to share with you some of what is going on behind the scenes; to give you an inside look at the ideas that are being debated with the intent of achieving the goals outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and bringing to life a new era of planning and development in Ozark.
Conservation Overlay – Look at ways to identify and preserve wildlife paths to maintain our wildlife populations and a healthy ecosystem. Maintaining our wildlife ecosystem is a vital part of maintaining the small-town feel that we love about living in Ozark. We all want our kids to grow up with deer, turkey, beavers, etc. being as much a part of their daily life in Ozark as they have been for us. Establishing these overlays would preserve wildlife populations and prevent accidents and injuries that can occur when animals meet roadways.
Finley River Overlay – Implement modern development practices along the Finley River to protect water quality. Finley Farms has been a great partner to work with when it comes to sustainable, responsible development practices in an environmentally sensitive area. How can we take the techniques being used with that development and implement them all along the Finley to protect our waterways?
Dark Sky – Define lighting standards to provide adequate lighting to pedestrian and vehicle pathways without creating light pollution. In most modern cities when you look up at night the stars are almost non-existent. The city sky is covered in a haze of white illuminated fog. For Ozark residents, though, we value our rural setting which includes picturesque starry nights. Dark Sky is a national initiative to protect our night time views and we are looking into ways to bring those practices to Ozark.
Permeable Surfaces – Reviewing development policies that would allow and, in some cases, require the use of permeable surfaces for parking lots, trails, driveways, etc. This policy is partly driven by environmental concerns and the protection of the Finley River, but there is also an economic component. Ozark has millions of dollars of storm water infrastructure in the ground and millions of dollars in upgrades are needed. With our topography some of this is unavoidable, but what if a change in building material or vegetation requirements could lessen the need for costly infrastructure?
Zoning Districts – Every generation has different housing desires. Our grandparents lived in neighborhoods with houses and lots of varying styles and sizes. My parent’s generation opted for homogeneous subdivisions with uniform lots sizes, house sizes, and price points. My generation seems to want a bit of everything. And the generation coming up behind me is looking for condos, lofts, and smaller homes on smaller lots. How do we continue to evolve our zoning regulations so that each generation is able to build homes that suits their needs and desires? We are reviewing all our zoning regs and ensuring they meet the needs of new home buyers and as well as current residents.
Trails & Sidewalks – Trails are loved by residents for the recreational opportunities they provide, but they do more than that. For many residents, trails and sidewalks represent an alternative mode of transportation. Inclement weather may lighten use on some days, but they can and do have a measurable impact on traffic congestion. If Ozark had a robust network of pedestrian and bicycle routes you would see less congestion on your work commute, shorter lines outside your kid’s school, and be less impacted when special events come to town. Not to mention the economic benefit for local businesses. We are looking at ways to expand our trail network and searching for outside sources of funding.
