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Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

Residents are encouraged to give feedback over a 15-month period to help identify needs in the city

The City of McAllen is developing an updated comprehensive plan and is asking for residents’ input on what they feel the community needs.

The plan will help McAllen maintain its character, enhance the quality of life for residents and support economic development.

Starting today, residents can visit the website Envision McAllen, at www.mcallen2040.com to take a survey on needs and share ideas on what residents would like to see in the future. The website is available in English and Spanish.

“We want to hear from our residents as we begin to develop a bold comprehensive plan with sustainable ideas that allow for everyone to feel a part of what McAllen will look like, will be like in the future,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos.

The comprehensive plan sets a vision for how McAllen should grow over the next 20 to 30 years. The plan will guide decisions related to transportation, infrastructure, land use, parks, economic development, community identity, development standards and incentives and implementation.

Over the next 15 months, the City of McAllen will host a variety of community meetings and engagement opportunities to allow the community to help shape the vision for McAllen.

“One of the great things about McAllen is our engaged community and their passion for helping to shape how the city has developed,” said McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E. “By listening to them, the City of McAllen will be able to direct its growth for the benefit of every community member and every neighborhood.”

The project is broken up into four phases, including the initiation phase, in which the physical, demographic and economic context of McAllen is reviewed to develop a snapshot of existing conditions and identify potential catalyst recommendations.

The second phase will be drafting the vision, guiding principles, and goals by seeking community input through robust community engagement efforts. The third phase will be developing the plan through committee and stakeholder meetings and community surveys. The fourth phase is to finalize the plan with the McAllen City Commission.

The first community event where residents can give their input will be at the City of McAllen’s Freedom Festival on Monday, July 4 at Archer Park from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00, p.m., where McAllen staff members and project consultants will be on hand to survey residents and discuss what they would like to see in McAllen’s future.

Residents are encouraged to visit the website to stay updated on the plan’s process; review documents being drafted; get to know the team working on the plan; and contact the City of McAllen Planning Department with questions or for more information.

The last time the City of McAllen Comprehensive Plan was updated was in 2007.