Irondale, Alabama – The City of Irondale is partnering with the Irondale Commercial Development Authority (CDA) , Greater Irondale Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) to develop a comprehensive plan for the city. The comprehensive plan will inform public policy, growth, infrastructure development and service delivery for the Irondale community.  Comprehensive plans typically address a broad range of topics such as transportation, utilities, land use, recreation and housing.  Typically comprehensive plans cover 15 to 25 years, depending on community size and rate of growth.

In a recent meeting with the Regional Planning Commission, Irondale Mayor Tommy Joe Alexander and City Councilor Donna Pike spoke of the importance of this plan for Irondale’s future growth. Mayor Alexander stated, ” We need a plan to shape the economic development opportunities in the city.”  The plan for Irondale will build on a 2010 corridor study and data from a 2008 comprehensive plan that was never implemented.  ” Being able to take data from the previous studies will help expedite the process,” according to Darrell Howard, Deputy Director of Planning of the RPCGB.

During the course of the planning process residents, business owners, landowners and others actively participate in the process. Citizens and stakeholders share their vision for growth, lend ideas about what places should look like, public facilities, infrastructure and public service delivery.  ” We plan to engage the community by launching a contest to name the plan on the City’s website,” stated Darryl Washington, the City’s Online Content Manager.

The intended outcome of the plan is a set of priorities, policies and projects that accomplish the community goals and better align resources. By providing a roadmap for implementing strategies, planning efforts continuously improve environments for all that call Irondale home.

 

By Darryl Washington