Forward Springfield visioning workshops planned

(From the City of Springfield)

The community will again have the opportunity to provide input to help craft the vision for the future of Springfield with three visioning workshops planned for Jan. 28 and 29, 2020 as part of the Forward SGF comprehensive planning process.

“The goal for the visioning workshops is to generate a shared vision for the Springfield of the future,” says Planning and Development Director Mary Lilly Smith. “We want anyone who considers themselves stakeholders in our community’s future at the table during these visioning workshops to provide their input.”

Visioning is the second public engagement phase in the Forward SGF initiative.

Forward SGF kicked off in August and continued through the fall with several public engagement events to gather input on Springfield’s strengths, weaknesses and topics citizens felt the comprehensive planning process should address. The results of those workshops can be viewed at https://www.forwardsgf.com/pages/documents---springfield.

Mick Cornett, former Oklahoma City mayor and author of “The Next American City,” kicked off the Forward SGF Speaker Series Oct. 23 by sharing his experiences and how Springfieldians can use Forward SGF to create a better version of Springfield by 2040.

Once the input from the January 2020 visioning workshops is collected and analyzed, the City plans to host at least two goal-setting workshops March 10 and April 14, with times and locations to be announced at a later date.

Visioning Workshop Schedule

Visioning Workshop 1

6:30 p.m., Jan. 28, 2020

Oasis Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone


Visioning Workshop 2

2 p.m., Jan. 29, 2020

University Plaza Hotel, 333 S. Hammons Parkway


Visioning Workshop 3

6:30 p.m., Jan. 29, 2020

Relics Event Center, 2015 W. Battlefield


Background

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A comprehensive plan is a blueprint for the future. It is a community vision that is intended to guide the City for the next 20 years. Springfield’s Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan will result in a set of policies that direct future growth and development. 

Additionally, the creation of a plan can lead to potential strategies that will help effectively guide City leaders with making substantive and thoughtful decisions for the community.

A typical comprehensive plan outlines the existing conditions of the City, describes future goals and objectives for development, and includes an action plan on how to achieve these goals and objectives. 

The Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan will include sections on:

land use and development
economic development
housing and neighborhoods
transportation and mobility
community facilities
capital improvements and infrastructure
natural resources, resiliency, parks, and open space
cultural and historic resources
public health
community character and placemaking.
Who is involved in creating the Comprehensive Plan?

As the blueprint for the City, it is critical that all of Springfield’s stakeholders are involved in the development of the Comprehensive Plan. The City is committed to involving residents, businesses, and workers in the process in order to craft a community vision for Springfield’s future.

An advisory team comprised of 23 community members from across the City is serving as a community sounding board, meeting throughout the process to review and discuss issues and direction, and then provide feedback on a draft plan for Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council consideration, which will most likely be toward the end of 2021.