Plan Lubbock 2040 due for first evaluation, possible modifications

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - As the Lubbock City Council accepted the Fourth Annual Report from the Comprehensive Oversight Committee about Plan Lubbock 2040, the discussion turned to the need for its first Five-Year Evaluation since its adoption in 2018.

“I think it’d be a good assessment to go through that process,” Committee Chairman John Zwiacher told the Council. “One of the things on that Five-Year is to update what may have changed in the last five years that we didn’t address in this 2040 plan.”

Zwiacher gave a positive review to the Council in the Fourth Annual Report, a year-end assessment of the implementation of Plan Lubbock 2040, which guides decisions in various areas of the City of Lubbock that affect its future growth.

“It’s been great, and the goals are being followed,” Zwiacher said. “It’s really rewarding to see the work that we’ve done.”

Plan Lubbock 2040 identifies five objectives that are of most importance to the City of Lubbock:

• Development of a well thought out Impact Fee Program
• Revise the Zoning, Subdivision, and other land development ordinances into a Unified Development Code (UDC)
• Begin a formalized Neighborhood Planning Program
• Formally adopt the Cultural Arts District Corridor concept and extend it to the Canyon Lakes area
• Link the Playa Lake recreational opportunities with new stormwater drainage criteria and consider a Park Land Dedication Ordinance

According to the Fourth Annual Report, the Impact Fee Program has been implemented and has collected $3.8 million since June 2022. The UDC is expected to be adopted in March or April. The Neighborhood Planning Program is now working with Jackson-Mahon and Dunbar-Manhattan Heights to develop their plans and the Neighborhood Project Program is processing approved applications.

The implementation of a Cultural Arts District Corridor has not begun but Zwiacher hopes that happens this year.

“This is one of the largest participating meetings we had when we did the the 2040 plan,” Zwiacher said. “We’re hoping that here in the next year, particularly year and a half or so, this will be coming to the head.”

Finally, the Parks Master Plan was adopted by the City Council in November 2022 and the Canyon Lakes connectivity and the Parkland Dedication Ordinance are included.

In Plan Lubbock 2040, it calls for a Five-Year Update/Evaluation Report from the City Manager’s Office or Planning Department and a presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Along with evaluating the effectiveness, it should also, “look at what has changed over the last five years, and make suggestions on how the Plan should be modified to best accommodate those changes.”

Zwiacher told the Council the evaluation is needed and offered the support of his committee, but called for “fresh eyes.” He is seeking a new citizen to fill a vacancy on the Oversight Committee.

If you’d like more information on applying, click here.

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