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The public got a chance Wednesday night to add their input in the side-by-side process of developing plans

 

On Wednesday evening, the public got its chance to further the comprehensive plan process by both the City of Austin and Mower County.

While both entities are building 20-year plans that will act as a roadmap for future development, they are also taking the unusual step of working the process simultaneously and taking advantage of shared themes and concerns.

“As far as we can tell, it has not happened anywhere else in the county,” said head of IMPACT Austin Nick Novotny. “We’re trying something different.”

Held in the Ruby Rupner Auditorium at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, people could view the process and planning as well as give their input on the direction both the city and county should take in developing their plans. At the same time, people could view the planning and take part in an online survey, the second survey offered to the public.

This side-by-side track in plan development is helping to plan more solidly the vision statements for both sides, which is another important step in the overall process, said SEH Senior Planner Brea Grace, who is the project manager for the overall project. 

“Are we on track? Is there something in the vision statement that’s a value to the community or something that’s not worded right?” Grace said. “Understanding the values, we can put together a vision for the next 20 years. It’s kind of a test. How are we on track with those vision statements?”

Work on the plans began in earnest late summer, early spring of last year and will go through the end of this year. SEH has devoted two teams to the project, one with the city and the other with the county.

The steps include engagement, writing the plans and then finally adoption of the plans by the Mower County Board of Commissioners and the Austin City Council.

“What I really hope this will do is give us a road map in our decisions,” Council member Mike Postma said. “Now we have a framework that we can form so when we make a decision it’s not negatively impacting Mower County or downtown and goes against whatever everybody else in the area.”

It is hoped that with this increased clarity in formulating future plans, the city and county can also increase how it works with each and how clear communication is between the two sides.

It could be especially promising for the county given the variety of areas covered by board members. While three of the board members cover a majority of the county, two of them are board members who serve the City of Austin.

“That’s the way it should be,” Board member Jerry Reinartz said of this joint effort. “Both come up with our own ideas and then work them into a plan that you both can agree with that’s going to benefit not only the city but the county.”

“A lot of our problems are the same,” he added.

It also goes a little deeper and it’s not just the city and county governments that will benefit from these joint plans.

Lindsey Compton is the owner of The Style Lounge on Main Street in Austin and she’s also on the committee guiding the process forward.

What is of particular interest to her is what these plans represent for the future.

“Obviously downtown has my heart,” Compton said. “I just see so much potential and I’m excited for the next 20  years and the opportunities we could create downtown.”

Another beneficiary is Riverland Community College, which has been working closely not just with Austin, Albert Lea and Owatonna, but with the smaller communities the school serves in all three areas.

It’s also been developing its own strategic plan, which according to President Kat Linaker will be finalized sometime in February. Through that process and the plans the city and county are developing, Linaker said she is seeing parallels.

Many of its concerns are visible in what was being talked about Wednesday night. So much so that Linaker expects to see both efforts running in tandem into the future.

“I fully expect they will align really well,” Linaker said. “I’ve been invited to be a part of the process in Mower County and Austin and obviously heavily involved in ours and I’ve seen the same themes. I’m seeing the needs overlap and the potential to increase partnerships. I think there will be a nice synchronicity to it. It’s part of helping each other grow.”

As the process moves deeper, Grace predicts that this kind of joint effort will begin to show the ebb and flow of the 20-year direction of the plans.

“It’s fantastic because this way we can really start to understand pushes and pulls,” Grace said. “Opportunities in both the city and the county as there is a development pressure on the edges of the city that impacts the county. How do we work together to play out in increments for the next 20 years?”

“This collaboration is critical and really exciting,” she added.

For more on the plan, visit: www.compplan2045.com