NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR JACKSON READY

JACKSON -- The City of Jackson needs to revamp its police station, create more parks and establish a stormwater runoff policy. Those are just a few of the recommendations in the city's new Comprehensive Plan.

The plan also calls for developing new arterial streets at the north, south, west and eastern edges of the city.

Completed at a cost of $42,625 over an 18-month span by the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development Commission in Perryville, the Comprehensive Plan is the city's first since 1981.

Once approved by the Jackson Planning and Zoning Commission, the plan will serve as a blueprint for the city's future growth. The Jackson Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the plan at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the council chambers in City Hall.

The Major Street Plan and Future Land Use Plan are the two components residents usually are most interested in in a comprehensive plan, says Rodney Bollinger, the city's planning and zoning official.

The Major Street Plan is the backbone of the blueprint. It calls for developing a north-south arterial -- Orchard Road -- parallel to I-55 and another north-south arterial west of the city at Whitewater Street.

An east-west arterial to be developed at the city's northern boundary would be Fruitland Avenue (Route Y). Ramsey Avenue would be the east-west arterial at the southern border.

The East Main Street extension to I-55 is another arterial.

Designated to be developed as collector streets are West Lane, Hubble Street, Autumn Drive, Pine Road, Cooper Road, Williams Road, Apple Road, Oak Hill Road, Shawnee Boulevard, Lacey Street, Deerwood Drive and Cane Road.

The Land Use Plan calls for keeping development away from the city's flood plain, and especially controlling residential development in the vicinity of Hubble Creek north of the city.

The plan recommends limiting development along the city's streams and creeks because these are the areas most prone to flooding and groundwater pollution.

Instead, the Parks and Recreation Commission has designated some of those areas for future parks which the commission staff says will be needed to keep pace with Jackson's growth.

One site already owned by the city is a 14.2-acre parcel on the north side of Ridge Avenue adjacent to Bent Creek Golf Course. Another potential park site is on the south side of Bainbridge Road near McKendree Cemetery, extending southwest along Williams Creek.

A third site is located south of Highway 61 and also extends along Williams Creek.

Thomas G. Tucker, executive director of the commission that developed the plan, said Jackson has done a good job of upgrading its facilities over the years but is in a typical position for a city of its size experiencing rapid growth.

"They're not unlike other communities in that the citizens and leadership didn't invest heavily in infrastructure," Tucker said. "That needs to be expanded in order to accommodate growth."

An example are the sewer and water bond issues recently passed in the city.

The study says modern police methods and technology have rendered the layout of the 16-year-old police/fire station obsolete. It recommends devising a new floor plan and making other improvements.

Extending East Main Street to a proposed I-55 interchange, a plan the city is pushing the Missouri Department of Transportation to give a high priority, is important because of the increasing flow of traffic between Jackson and Cape Girardeau, Tucker said.

"Having limited numbers of access throws traffic onto a limited number of streets."

The plan also notes that the city's retail tax base has not kept pace with it's growing population. In 1997, sales in the city were 12.6 percent of sales in the county while the city's population was 17.7 percent of the total county population.

The three recommended actions -- hiring a director for the Chamber of Commerce, creating a Tax Increment Financing district and developing a new industrial park -- already have been under taken.

Another recommendation is to locate a branch firehouse and training facility at the intersection of Greensferry Road and North Shawnee Boulevard.

The city needs a stormwater runoff policy and needs to begin building detention basins, the plan says. Until now the issue hasn't gotten a lot of attention because the flooding that has resulted has been spread out, Tucker said.

Cost of building the basins also has been an issue, he added.

While doing the study, he said commission members were surprised by the amount of residential development that already exists in Jackson, Tucker said, adding that the city has a good mix of apartments and single-family dwellings.

Bollinger expects the plan to be adopted by the P&Z Commission Dec. 9. Tuesday's hearing is the opportunity for residents to express their opinions, he said.

"This is the time and place fort citizens to get involved."

Copies of the plan can be viewed at City Hall, the Jackson City Library and Riverside Regional Library.