The Paducah Board of Commissioners and McCracken County Fiscal Court held a joint workshop this evening at City Hall to receive a briefing from planning consultant Kendig Keast Collaborative on the project to create a joint comprehensive plan that will guide area development, redevelopment, and enhancement efforts over the next 10 to 20 years. Kendig Keast President and Project Manager Gary Mitchell led the presentation.
In February 2023, the City of Paducah and McCracken County approved a 20-year interlocal cooperation agreement to establish a City/County Comprehensive Plan. Currently, each government agency has its own comprehensive plan which is required by the State to be updated every five years.
Over the past year, Kendig Keast has gathered community input including holding a Forum on the Future open house in June 2023 and launching an online survey last August and September. Kendig Keast is using in-person feedback and the 1154 responses to the 24-question online survey to help Paducah and McCracken County develop a meaningful and long-range plan that digs into topics including future land use, transportation, economic development, housing, and quality of life.
Mayor George Bray said, “The whole goal of this joint Comprehensive Plan is to see how we can grow together.”
The first half of today’s joint meeting focused on the online Community Survey results. To read the survey report and learn more about the comprehensive planning process, visit Comprehensive Plan.
After reviewing in-person feedback and online survey results, Kendig Keast provided six planning themes that will be addressed in the plan as the City and County look toward the future. The themes are as follows:
1. Make the area more attractive to retain, or regain, youth who grew up here and to attract younger individuals and families.
a. Continue efforts to diversify the area’s economic and employment base, for long-term economic sustainability, and to offer a wider range of job options to current and prospective residents.
b. Increase the quantity and variety of housing options.
2. Safe community.
3. Infrastructure conditions particularly for stormwater management.
4. Neighborhood and corridor revitalization.
5. Take great economic advantage of area’s location and transportation assets.
6. Build on area’s tourism success including through sustained commitment to arts, crafts, and culture.
As input continues to be gathered over the next several months, the City and County government agencies will hold their third joint workshop regarding the plan in either May or June with the expectation of reviewing a preliminary plan draft. The Comprehensive Plan is expected to be adopted by both agencies later this year.
Learn more about community planning consultant, visit Kendig Keast Collaborative.
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