Last year the city of Merrill began the process of updating the Merrill Comprehensive Plan, which was originally adopted in 2007. The Comprehensive Plan serves as a guide for the City Plan Commission, Common Council, and other City officials as they make decisions about the long term growth and improvement of the community.
The plan has a 20-year horizon.
The Comprehensive Plan covers a variety of topics, including: Housing, Economic Development, Land Use, Transportation, Community Facilities, and Natural Resources. The plan does not provide a detailed design for every parcel, but rather establishes a general policy for future community change. More specifically, it provides a foundation for decisions on public programs and activities such as: land use, growth and annexation, parks, economic development, public utilities, streets, downtown revitalization, various neighborhood improvements, and zoning. The private sector also uses the plan as a guide for investing in the community.
This planning effort requires citizen input to make it reflective of the community. In the coming months a survey will be conducted to gather information from people who reside, visit, and do business in Merrill. Citizen input will be critical to help shape the future of Merrill.
Citizens are asked to complete the survey to help plan the city’s future. The survey can be found online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/merrillcp.
To date a variety of background data and other information has been collected, maps have been prepared, and meetings held to discuss natural resources, economic development, historic preservation and housing. There are still a variety of topics to be covered before the plan is completed at the end of the year.
During this process the City of Merrill will work with the surrounding communities and Lincoln County to discuss various issues as well. Planning is important because cities are constantly changing; communities that are able to anticipate the future are better able to take advantage of what the future has to offer.
Following the community survey, all of the plan text and maps will be available for review on the city website. If you have any questions or would like additional information on the comprehensive plan, please contact David Johnson, City Administrator at 715-536-5594.