Residents and community leaders collaborate to offer input on the city's future

Cedar Park took one small step Feb. 21 toward building its future when the newly appointed Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee met for its first work session. The 14-member group of resident volunteers, community leaders and City Council members conferred with city staff and engineering consultant group Freese and Nichols about the purpose of the ad hoc committee.

"If we didn't have a plan or a guide for the city, Cedar Park would still go on. It's just easier for appointed officials to make decisions about development if there's a plan," said Dan Sefko, group manager at Freese and Nichols. "No city that does these comprehensive plans can afford to do everything in them, so we set priorities instead of doing it all at once."

During the next year, the committee will meet monthly to discuss and create different sections of the master plan. The process begins with building a community snapshot and city vision.

"If you look at a map of Cedar Park, you're starting to fill out," Sefko said. "There's some vacant land left but not a lot, so I think at some point you'll have to think about redevelopment in the next 20 years."

The committee discussed the issues facing Cedar Park, as well as how members prefer to see the city expand. The most common themes discussed were the need for continued economic development strategies, transportation and other quality-of-life benefits.

"The city needs to identify areas that are attractive to commercial developers that will build 35,000-square-foot buildings. That keeps people in Cedar Park and creates jobs," committee member Bob Ingraham said. "The second major issue I see is keeping our recreational money in Cedar Park. ... We need a business corridor and an entertainment corridor and then do what we have to do to attract people to it."

In conjunction with suggestions for an art museum, amphitheater and an increased number of parks, several committee members said Cedar Park should continue the pursuit of its goal to be a destination city, especially for families and businesses.

"We can create an identity for the city and generate some breakthrough ideas to transform it from a somewhat bedroom community to destination city," said Tony Moline, Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce president. "This is a city that can break through among other cities to become a destination for business. We can create an environment where they think they should be in this city rather than any other city."

Starting in April, community members will be able to provide online feedback about how they would like to see the city develop and redevelop during the next 10 to 20 years. In addition, Freese and Nichols plans to host at least one town hall meetings, tentatively scheduled in October. The plan must also pass through a public hearing process prior to its final review and approval by City Council, scheduled for February 2014.