The City-Parish Planning Commission has been gathering feedback from locals on the draft of FUTUREBR, a plan to improve Baton Rouge and develop goals and objectives to achieve desired improvements.
A draft of the plan, which is an update on the Horizon Plan, was released in June. Since its publication, the commission has collected input from about 4,000 people through its website, surveys and public meetings to improve the document.
The plan breaks local issues like transportation, development and infrastructure into nine groups to describe their current status and desired results.
Ellen Miller, assistant planning director for the Planning Commission, said the draft will be finalized when the Metropolitan Council adopts it, and all changes and concepts will be accepted into the draft.
“It’s fairly common for any community to have a comprehensive plan in order to guide development,” Miller said. “Certainly land use, transportation and urban design will have the greatest immediate impact.”
This type of goal-oriented planning began in Baton Rouge in 1988, and the Horizon Plan, which emphasized city growth, was adopted in 1992. The new, updated FUTUREBR plan will succeed that original resolution.
Miller said the plan is important to everyone in the community, including University students.
“A plan is needed and necessary to improve lifestyle in and around the universities,” Miller said. “This will affect students who are there for two, four or five years, and it will make an impact on their lives.”
Miller said transportation in particular is paramount for students who don’t have cars but need to get to and from campus and around the Baton Rouge area. She said the changes to one aspect of the city are considered in how they work in concert with the rest of the plan.
The nine elements — land use, urban design, transportation, economic development, housing, parks and recreation, environment, public services and infrastructure — are broken down into goals, objectives and actions. Each section is introduced with core values and aspirations for the element.
The drafted elements of FUTUREBR are posted on the plan’s website for public review.
Ryan Holcomb, planning project coordinator at City Parish Planning Commission, said the plan is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission today and will go before the Metro Council on Sept. 21.
“The public is still encouraged to submit comments on the website and show up at public meetings to voice any concern they may have, but overall the feedback we’ve received has been very positive,” Holcomb said.
 
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Contact Morgan Searles at [email protected]