What do residents love most about Webster City and what do they want to see improved in the downtown and city parks?
Local residents will have a chance to share input on those topics at an open house Friday, March 29, at Fuller Hall Recreation Center, from 6 to 8 pm.
The City of Webster City in collaboration with the University of Iowa invites the general public to discuss Webster City’s future. Students from the University of Iowa have been creating a Downtown Strategic Plan and Parks and Recreation Master Plan for Webster City over the last year.
“This is an opportunity for the students to share their progress and recommendations, and to hear feedback from the community before the final report,” said Community Vitality Director Lindsay Henderson.
The open house will give Webster City residents the chance to prioritize and rank their preferred projects for future development. The purpose of the event is to aid Webster City leadership and University of Iowa Urban and Regional Planning students working with the city as they develop the city’s downtown strategic plan and the parks and recreation master plan. Students will present recommendations and ask for community input to help the city prioritize their approach to downtown development and parks and recreation. Webster City residents are encouraged to attend, and both planning teams will be available to collect feedback and answer questions.
The open house will feature informational boards with solutions and recommendations as well as opportunities for public input. The event will also feature a kid’s “draw your dream park” coloring activity.
Area residents are invited to share digital photos of their favorite parts of Webster City or photos of family and friends enjoying the city to WCDiscussions@gmail.com by March 27 to be featured during the event.
The Downtown Plan will lay a roadmap for revitalization, from the streetscape and building vacancies to housing and economic development. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan aims to increase usage opportunities by reimagining, updating, and improving the park system.
The open house is made possible through a collaboration between the City of Webster City and the University of Iowa’s Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) program. Through IISC, graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning will assist the City in the development of two plans, the downtown strategic plan and a parks and recreation master plan over the course of the academic year and will have both plans completed in May 2019.
Click here to view this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: March 21, 2019