A comprehensive plan is a guide for a community’s future that outlines a vision, goals, and policies for physical, social, and economic development. It’s a tool used by local governments to regulate land use, guide investments, and promote a balance between the natural and built environment. The process of forming a comprehensive plan invites collaboration and input from citizens.

Comprehensive plans are continuously updated to reflect changes in the community. They are updated annually to ensure relevance and responsiveness to change.

The City of Columbus is currently in the process of forming its comprehensive plan. Additional public meetings will be held in October and November 2024 so that residents can review the plan and provide feedback.

Comprehensive plans are long-range planning documents used by local elected and appointed officials to make decisions about the future. Information about many community characteristics are included in comprehensive plans:

• Housing – Comprehensive plans provide information about housing and household characteristics. This information is useful for decision makers and aids in the understanding of current demographics and future needs.

• Parks & Recreation – Parks and green spaces are vital to community well-being. These facilities provide opportunities for residents of all ages to engage in physical activity, and they often serve as a source of pride. As a community grows, it should work to ensure the availability of adequate parks & green spaces and the proper maintenance of them. A comprehensive plan helps keep track of existing facilities and plan for new ones.

• Land Use Regulations – Land use regulations are policies designed to ensure sensible future property development. These policies encourage neighborhood consistency and ensure the city’s character reflects the preferences of its residents. Zones are generated for different development types, such as low-density residential, medium or high-density residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural uses.

• Future Land Use Maps (FLUMs)/Planning Boundaries –  Cities seek to attract additional businesses and housing opportunities for community to grow over time. Future land use maps (FLUMs) are used to identify areas where future development could occur. Typically, commercial and industrial development opportunities are most feasible near major highways and railroad lines, whereas residential developments typically make more sense away from these areas due to traffic and noise considerations. Property development is usually discouraged in the FEMA-designated floodplain. FLUMs identify possible developable areas in and around city limits, but are merely a conceptual guide for future growth. Land identified in a FLUM may never be developed and/or included city limits.

• Best Practices – Comprehensive plans identify best practices, goals and objectives for the city’s decision makers to consider over time. These are adapted over time as circumstances and preferences change.

The City Council passed Ordinance 1503, establishing a Planning Commission in October 2022. In April 2023, seven (7) community members were appointed to the Columbus Planning Commission:

– Rick Walden

– Dakota Smith

– David Boyd

– Thomas Niegisch

– Janet Miller

– Betha Elliott

– Jessi Cain

The Columbus Planning Commission authorized the creation of a Comprehensive Plan (K.S.A. 12-747) and recommended that the City Council release a request for proposals for consulting services to assist with the drafting, presentation, and implementation of the comprehensive plan.

In December 2023, Confluence, Inc was selected as the city’s consultant for the comprehensive plan. Confluence has assisted numerous communities through the same process.

A steering committee was formed to facilitate the work on the comprehensive plan. The steering committee serves as the liaison between the consultant and the city and has helped plan meetings and organize the work. A call for volunteers was requested by the city in early 2024, and the following individuals were selected to serve on the steering committee:

– Rick Walden

– Thomas Niegisch

– Lindsay Shoemaker

– Kathy Doherty

– Rodney Oels

– David Holmes

– Regina Jameson

On June 6, 2024, the city hosted a public meeting to gather input from residents about the plan and future of the community. Over 60 people attended this meeting and shared opinions and perspectives. Since then, Confluence has worked with the steering committee and city to assemble an initial draft of the comprehensive plan and associated land use and development codes.

Here is a summary of the public meeting held on 06/06/24.

You can find a current draft of the comprehensive plan here.

Public meetings are scheduled on Thursday, October 24th and Thursday, November 14th from 5 – 7:00 P.M. at the Community Building (320 E. Maple St. Columbus, KS 66725). These come-and-go, informal events are made available so community members can learn more and discuss concerns before the plan is finalized.