What it is and the community’s role in shaping it

By Josh Miller

City of Marshfield City Planner

The city of Marshfield is ready to begin the process of updating the Comprehensive Plan. A Comprehensive Plan is the master plan and overall guiding document for the community. The purpose of the plan is to guide the future direction of the city for the next 10-20 years. The plan inventories and identifies community resources and defines where and how growth should occur.

The current plan was adopted in 2007, and by state statute it must be updated every 10 years. Typically, updating an existing plan or writing a new one can take anywhere from 12-24 months, so in order to ensure that the plan is updated on time, we are beginning the process this summer.

The state requires that the Comprehensive Plan will include a minimum of nine elements. These elements will essentially be individual chapters on the following: Issues and Opportunities; Housing, Transportation, Utilities, and Community Facilities; Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources; Economic Development, Intergovernmental Cooperation, Land Use, and Implementation. It is likely the city will have another element or two that relates to the uniqueness of Marshfield such as a health element or something related to the medical community.

The plan will include a lot of data, demographic information, and maps, all of which are very important in the overall development of the plan. However, the most crucial input the city needs is public input from the citizens, businesses, and property owners. One of the first steps in developing the Comprehensive Plan is adopting a public participation plan that will lay the framework for what efforts the city will take to foster public feedback.

Opportunities to share your vision for Marshfield may include community surveys, public informational meetings, open houses, and public hearings. Please watch for press releases and meeting notices requesting public input on the plan.

If you would like to sign up for our email list and want to be notified directly of upcoming meetings and events related to the development of the Comprehensive Plan, please feel free to contact me at 715-486-2075 or by email at [email protected]

We are very excited to get this process started and look forward to working with the community on the development of the Comprehensive Plan.