City Debuts 20 Year Comprehensive Plan

Sweetwater Reporter
Joseph Grant
​​​​​​​Nov 17, 2022

The genesis for the 2022 City of Sweetwater Comprehensive Plan can be found in the City’s mission statement: “We lead with trust and respect to provide a vibrant, secure community for all.”

A kickoff event for “Ignite Sweetwater” was held on November 7. The purpose was two-fold: To inform residents of the Comprehensive Plan and to gather community input and involve residents in the Plan.

The document was reviewed by City staff and recommended for adoption by the Planning & Zoning Commission.

The Comprehensive Plan was approved and adopted by the City Council during the City’s Tuesday, November 8 meeting.

In 2021, the City of Sweetwater began work on the first Comprehensive Plan. The initial document kicked off the groundwork of goals the City and community members hope to achieve.

This document will be in place for twenty years and will have updates at every three year intervals.

The City of Sweetwater partnered with Verdunity to prepare the document.

There are immediate goals that the City and therefore, the Community would like to see as outlined on the City website. These are...

Immediate Goals for City of Sweetwater Staff

1. Create a formalized Capital Improvement Plan for a five (5) year period, updating each year as part of the budgeting process. 

2. Update zoning, signage, and land development regulations to address the newly-adopted vision for the community. 

3. Involve and utilize Sweetwater residents, organizations, the business community, and agencies in plan implementation. 

4. Align development and budgeting with the community's values and desired outcomes by investing in projects that increase tax revenues while limiting additional costs and infrastructure liabilities. 

5. Establish a coalition to introduce accountability and monitor plan implementation on a monthly basis in strong partnership with City Hall and other partners. 

Year One Goals Set for: City of Sweetwater Staff, City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission

1. Add portion of the East Ridge School property to the park system as a new park. Note: Also a recommendation of the 2017 Parks Master Plan.

2. Create a schedule and earmark dollars to annually update a portion of the City's existing playground equipment. Note: Also a recommendation of the 2017 Parks Master Plan.

3. Adopt safe routes to school principles and identify intersections that are not ADA accessible and create a plan to address those gaps where ramp placement is needed.

4. Offer a need-based waiver request for residents to apply for usage of park facilities to hold family events at no cost.

5. Pursue matching grant opportunities to leverage existing funds and multiply their potential impact.  

6. Identify locations in downtown for placement of public art and publish a solicitation for area artists to submit sketches of their ideas.

7. Organize a local group of artists to refresh the mural on Broadway and identify other buildings where murals could be impactful. 

8. Set up meetings with small-scale residential builders who focus on infill development to assess their willingness to consider Sweetwater for local construction companies who might want to undertake a series of small projects.

9. Identify a staff member to serve as the main point of contact for residents interested in getting involved.

10. Institute a training program for city Council and Board members on an annual basis.

11. Assemble a Unified Development Code that contains regulations and regulator incentives to incremental redevelopment and high-yield revenue per acre development.

12. Administer the vibrant community assessment annually.

13. Take action to limit or prohibit game rooms.

14. Enact a vacant building register for ease of outreach and increased accountability for upkeep.

15. Create a guide to help neighborhoods organize and create their own associations. 

16. Write a 2-3 page guide for the website on what each Board and Commission is responsible for, who is on it, regular meeting dates, and contact information for each board liaison. 

17. Revamp Board and Council agendas that clearly outline agenda items and highlight the decision being considered, the amount of money being discussed, and/or the question being asked.