Bellaire Comprehensive Plan wraps up first phase; future community involvement coming soon
Published: Thu, 06/15/23
Bellaire Comprehensive Plan wraps up first phase; future community involvement coming soon
Bellaire residents and City Council members attended the June 13 Comprehensive Study open house and offered their opinions on the direction the city is headed.
(Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Community Impact
By Melissa Enaje
Updated
The city of Bellaire completed the first phase of updating is comprehensive plan with its June 14 open house. It’s a citywide plan designed to
reinforce the neighborhood integrity of what has been called the “City of Homes” as well as bring to the forefront the priority residents place on parks and recreation opportunities, safe streets, commercial areas development, and other city needs.
Helping plan the future of the city that includes a population of more than 17,000 people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, is a task City Planning Consultant Gary Mitchell will tackle alongside city leaders and staff. Mitchell was hired from the firm Kendig Keast Collaborative and has more than two decades of experience with cities across the country.
Bellaire locals were advised to put a green sticker next to issues they were in favor of, while the red sticker was meant to say they were not in favor of an issue, according to the instructions.
(Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Quote of note
“That’s really the point of this process. We’re not starting from scratch; we’re revisiting the current plan and looking where it needs adjustments,” Mitchell said.
Even on an annual basis, Mitchell said City Council looks at general themes and areas of authority for a longer range outlook.
Zooming out
- Neighborhood integrity
- Commercial development and enhancement
- Flood risk mitigation
- Public safety
- Infrastructure
- Quality of life
- Land use and zoning
Terms to know
Bellaire’s Comprehensive Plan, according to the 2015 document, is designed to take care of the “the basics” by reinforcing the fundamental importance of neighborhood integrity in the “City of Homes” as well as the priority residents place on parks and recreation opportunities, safe streets, and preservation of a small-town
atmosphere amid a vast metropolitan region.
What’s next
Officials with the consulting group said for July and August, a community survey will be sent to residents, and they can expect a second workshop to attend regarding the plan.