Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Comprehensive Plan


Coming Soon!

The City of Muscatine is in the early stages of updating its comprehensive plan.  What’s missing?  Y-O-U!

The public portion of the comprehensive planning process will be coming forward in the next few weeks.  We are in the process of creating a new website and setting dates for public participation.

Please review the following and remember to keep an eye out on the City’s website, Facebook page and in the newspaper.  Your participation will be the key to creating this roadmap to our future!

What is a Comprehensive Plan?
A vision for our community.  A plan adopted by the City Council, that incorporates residents and business community input to helps us achieve our desires for Muscatine…where is our City headed, what are we to become over the next decade.  This plan or roadmap will spell out specific actions, policies, and projects that are needed to make this vision for Muscatine a reality.

Comprehensive plan topics include:
  • Land Use
  • Transportation Infrastructure
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Demographics
  • Housing
  • Economic Development
  • Environmental Issues
  • Hazard Mitigation
  • Community Facilities
  • Annexation Policy
  • Community Character
  • Quality of Life
  • Iowa’s Smart Planning Principles
  • Land Use
  • Infrastructure
  • Economic Development
  • Quality of Life
  • Iowa’s Smart Planning Principles

Ways in which a comprehensive plan can be utilized or implemented include:
  • In 2013 the City of Muscatine will undertake a comprehensive review and rewrite of its 40-year old zoning ordinance. This review and rewrite will be undertaken with primary aim of implementing the vision set forth for Muscatine in the new Comprehensive Plan.
  • Future rezoning or changes in land use should be done in accordance with the future land use plan contained in the new comprehensive plan.
  • Guide the physical growth of the city’s buildings, streets, and infrastructure. All plans for capital projects in the city must take into consideration the goals of the plan.
  • Guide fiscal decision-making and allocation of City resources.

Why is a New Comprehensive Plan Needed?
Ten years is considered to be the effective shelf life of a comprehensive plan. The City of Muscatine’s current comprehensive plan was adopted in 2002.

How Can I Participate?
Offer Input at a Public Meeting
There will be seven town hall meetings, one in each planning district, to gather input on the issues facing Muscatine and what the community sees as its vision for the future of Muscatine. The initial draft of a new
comprehensive plan will be based on input from these meetings.

Participate Online
Community members can participate online in creating a new comprehensive plan. All material, meeting minutes, background information, draft plans, and all comments received on the previous items will be online online.  Community members are invited to comment on any of these items or offer any other thoughts, suggestions, or comments at www.muscatineiowa.gov/newcompplan

Serve on a Citizen Advisory Group
There will be four citizen advisory groups that will work with City Staff to create the initial draft of the new comprehensive plan. The citizen advisory groups will each focus on one of these four broad topics:
  • Land Use
  • Infrastructure
  • Economic Development
  • Quality of Life

For more information visit:
www.muscatineiowa.gov/newcompplan

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Text you Blue Zones Support!


Text Your Pledge and Help Make Muscatine a Blue Zone Community!

Muscatine's full application to become a Blue Zone Community will be submitted on January 4th. In the next few weeks we'll find out if Muscatine is one of the finalists which will have a site visit. It's not too late to pledge for Muscatine!  

The path to becoming a Blue Zone Community is a journey that will reap rewards of healthier and more vibrant families, closely connected communities, and an effective and productive workforce. Muscatine is ready.

To pledge via text follow these simple instructions:
1.Text "BZP" to 772937.
2.You will receive a message asking for your email address.  Respond and hit send.
3.You will receive a second message asking for your first and last name.  Respond and hit send.
4.You will receive a third message asking for your zip code.  Respond and hit send.
5.You will receive a final message confirming your response.

More information is available at bluezonesproject.com!

Thank you!  We are now one step closer to becoming a Blue Zone Community.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Blue Zones: Support Muscatine!


We are asking for your support to pledge for Muscatine to become a Blue Zones Community, a place where people live longer and happier lives!
 
Pledges can be completed by signing up at http://www.bluezonesproject.com/citizens/signup or by texting "BZP" to 772937.
 
After kicking off the Healthiest State Initiative on October 7th with the Start Somewhere Walk and submitting a Blue Zones Statement of Interest, the Muscatine community was selected to complete the full application to become a Blue Zones Community.
 
Blue Zones Communities will be selected based, in part, on the number of people that sign up on the website.  If you are a Muscatine area resident and/or wish to help the Muscatine area qualify as a Blue Zones Community, please visit the above website and make your voluntary pledge for our community.
 
Pledge today to endorse Muscatine as a Blue Zones Community!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Council Adopts Goals for 2012

The City Council adopted annual goals for 2012 at its October 20th, 2011, City Council meeting.
The following link will take you to a copy of the goals as adopted:

http://www.muscatineiowa.gov/index.aspx?NID=595

These goals will be used in the development of the budget for next fiscal year.  I hope you have the opportunity to review this years goals and as always, your feedback is appreciated! 

Gregg Mandsager,
City Administrator

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Weed Park to Wild Cat Den Trail Ribbon Cutting!

A photo from today's ribbon cutting for the Weed Park to Wild Cat Den Trail!  What a great addition to the Muscatine trail system.  Thanks to all those that contributed to the success of this project!
Mississippi Drive Corridor Project

Please check out the project fly through for the Mississippi Drive Corridor Project:

http://www.muscatineiowa.gov/index.aspx?NID=589

Additional resources will be available soon under the Community Development webpage.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Question: City Administrator Coffee Hour?

Please let me know what you think of having the City Administrator host a quarterly coffee hour at City Hall or around town.  This would be an opportunity for folks to learn more about the City - what is it that the City does, how does the budget process work, etc.  There would be opportunities for short presentations on specific topics, opportunities to ask questions about the City or to get into serious discussions about the levels of service the City provides.  I see the opportunity for this to take a number of different tracks.  So if you would, please let me know if you think this is a good idea and if so, what topics you would be interested in learning more about.