Overland Park is asking residents for input to help decide the direction of growth for the city.
Driving the news: FrameworkOP, the City’s process to update its comprehensive plan, is officially underway with a community kickoff event called “Framing Our Future Workshop.” The workshop takes place Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Overland Park Convention Center.
- From 7 to 9 p.m., Overland Park residents and stakeholders can gather at the center at 6000 College Blvd. to begin discussing the city’s future.
- The workshop will include a variety of individual and group activities to celebrate accomplishments, discuss emerging trends and generate ideas.
- Attendees can register here to take part in the city’s first community discussion.
What is the comprehensive plan? Cities develop comprehensive plans as guides for future development and land use. Defined by Overland Park as a “policy guide that describes… the City’s intentions for directing future land development,” the city’s current comprehensive plan was drafted nearly 40 years ago in 1963.
- While the city’s plan has been reviewed and updated each year since first adopted, Overland Park is now looking to steer away from its “traditional” model and instead create a plan that includes community engagement, encompasses social and environmental issues, and focuses on implementation steps.
- This process will explore topics such as housing, population, parks and recreation, community services and economic trends to “define our pathway for the future.”
Key quote: “If you are passionate about your community – or topics related to development, sustainability, housing choices, mobility and transportation, the economy, local business and more, this is a great opportunity to get involved,” city officials wrote in a news release.
Background: Prior to the kickoff event, the city has been preparing for the public engagement process by giving residents the opportunity to watch its Planning the Plan Speaker Series, which focuses on Overland Park’s current approach to different planning topics.
- Mayor Curt Skoog first invited residents from across the city to voice their opinion about what the city should keep in mind when drafting the new plan at the State of the City address in April.
Timeline for Overland Park’s new comprehensive plan
Set to be formally adopted in 2023, the next comprehensive plan aims to lay out the city’s guide for future land development over the next 20 to 25 years.
- Throughout the next several months, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee — a group of community members selected to aid in the update process — will meet to provide guidance and substance of the plan.
- Other advisory teams will also meet to bring knowledge and expertise on specific topics throughout the process, in addition to feedback received during community events.
