CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — Cedar Springs has spent the last 18 months crafting a new master plan, a comprehensive 70-page document that will guide the city's development and priorities over the next five years.
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While state law requires all communities to review their master plans every five years, Cedar Springs chose to go beyond a simple review this time around.
"This time, we decided to really do an overhaul of the whole thing," said Cedar Springs City Manager Darla Falcon.
The master plan will serve as a road map for city departments when planning future budgets and initiatives.
"Literally less than two months, my staff and I will sit down and start talking about the 26-27 fiscal year. We'll come to this document and say, What are the top goals of each department?" Falcon said.
The city surveyed all residents to gather input on what they want to see in their community.
"A lot of the information we rely on is from our citizens. So that really starts the process," Falcon said.
Housing emerged as one of the biggest concerns for residents. However, community members made clear they want to preserve the city's character.
"They were very clear. They want to keep that neighborhood character, a house here and there, fine, an apartment complex here or there, fine. Major, drastic changes. No," Falcon said.
The plan also addresses the city's goal to attract more industry. Currently, Cedar Springs has minimal industrial presence.
"We have less than 1% industrial population in Cedar Springs. We do have some larger industrial businesses, but overall, we have 55 acres currently for sale. It's zoned industrial," Falcon said.
Despite growth goals, city officials emphasize maintaining Cedar Springs' identity.
"We're not recreating the wheel. We're just trying to plan thoughtfully for the future of Cedar Springs. We want this. We want to maintain our hometown character, you know, small community," Falcon said.
The Cedar Springs City Council is expected to vote on approving the final master plan during their next meeting on November 13th.
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