The Clarkdale Town Council approved the 2021 general plan at its Sept. 14 meeting, outlining community goals and development policies for the next decade.
The council unanimously approved the plan following a public hearing, which received no comments from the community. The town updates its general plan every 10 years, which covers topics such as land use, circulation, recreation, open space, trails, education and infrastructure.
For the 2021 general plan, elements of the plan have been split into two primary focus areas: Land use and development, and quality of life.
Land use and development includes things like land use, circulation and transportation, water resources, cost of development, economic development and environmental resources.
Quality of life involves subjects such as community design, historic preservation, recreation, housing, open space, sustainability and education.
The town updated its land use designations, which encompass multiple zoning districts, included in the general plan to allocate certain areas as public lands, neighborhoods, commercial and low-density residential among others. The town also included a desire to improve connectivity with nearby communities in the Verde Valley in the general plan. The plan not only considers local streets and roads, but it also looks at how they connect with county, state and federal roadways and how they can better plan transportation routes to help reduce traffic congestion.
Water conservation was also identified as an important subject in the general plan, specifically related to how the town can better conserve water while making it available for residential use. The town plans to expand its water treatment programs and install more pipes in areas where future growth is anticipated.
The town also plans to create a parks and recreation department in the next 10 years to formalize its intent to preserve and build upon recreational opportunities in the area.
Another area Clarkdale hopes to improve is education. Part of the general plan is making sure there is enough land set aside for schools to better provide educational opportunities for students in the community.
Unlike many other town governments that outsource when constructing a general plan, Clarkdale town staff completed the entire process in-house. The council took a moment to thank the staff who worked tirelessly to complete the document.
“I just want to take my chance to tell you what a well-written document it is,” Councilman Bill Regner said. “It’s an elegant document …. I think it’s a document that we are, I am, very proud of and I know that Clarkdale will be very proud of.”
Mayor Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer echoed his sentiments, saying she looks forward to seeing how the document is used to benefit the town.
“To me, success will be in 10 years when this volume comes out of the community development department with little notes, battered edges and writings all over it of where we could do better, or changes, or things we have accomplished over the 10 years because we know in Clarkdale we use these documents; they do not sit on a shelf,” she said.
The public will have a chance to vote on the general plan in August. An overview of the 2021 general plan can be found at clarkdale.az.gov or at the Clark Memorial Library.
