COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CITY OF CHADRON, NEBRASKA FEBRUARY 2015 Acknowledgements Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Kerry Bailey Richard Pyle Jason Carnahan Karen Eisenbarth Betty Reading Sandy Roes Matt Reeves Randy Bauer Chadron City Council Paris Fisher, Mayor Mark Werner, Vice Mayor John Coates Miles Bannan John Gamby Chadron Planning Commission Chuck Miller, Chairperson Russ Bohnenkamp, Vice Chairperson Darrell Lang Loren Young Justin Coupens John Woodson Jeff Beye Justin Murdock Kourt Cooksley Buff Tewahade, Alternate Planning Team The Lakota Group Urban Development Services Baker and Associates Contents Section 1: Introduction 5 Section 2: The Chadron Community 13 Section 3: Land Use and Existing Conditions 37 Section 4: Comprehensive Plan 73 Section 5: Plan Implementation 113 Key Acronyms ADA - Americans with Disability Act ADT – Average Daily Traffic CCCFF- Civic and Community Center Financing Fund CDBG - Community Development Block Grant CDE - Community Development Entity CDR - Chadron Municipal Airport CIP - Capital Improvements Plan CLG – Certified Local Government CRA - Community Redevelopment Area CROWN - Credits to Own Program GIS – Geographic Information System HOME - Home Investments Partnerships Program HUD – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development MGD - Million Gallons Per Day NAHTF - Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund NDOR - Nebraska Department of Roads HPCDC - High Plaines Community Development Corporation NMTC - New Markets Tax Credit Program NNR - Nebraska Northwest Railroad NTAP - Nebraska Transportation Alternatives Program PDA - Priority Development Areas PUD - Planned Unit Development SBA - Small Business Administration TIF – Tax Increment Financing USDA - U.S. Department of Agriculture CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 1. INTRODUCTION CHADRON AERIAL CONTEXT MAP KENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOOG HORSE PARK DOWNTOWN CHADRON 3RD STREET HIGHWAY 20 HIGHWAY 20 DAWES COUNTY COURT- FINNEGAN HOUSE PARK CHADRON COMMUNITY MAIN STREET CHADRON HOSPITAL WILSON HIGH PARK WAR SCHOOL MEMORIAL PARK CHADRON STATE COLLEGE HIGHWAY 385 HIGHWAY NEBRASKA NATIONAL RIDGEVIEW FOREST COUNTRY CLUB LEGEND CITY BOUNDARY 0’ 1/4 mile 1/2 mile NORTH 4 CITY OF CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 1. INTRODUCTION Section 1 Introduction What is a Comprehensive Plan? In the years ahead, as the Chadron community seeks to explore new growth and development opportunities along with the revitalization of its traditional neighborhoods and commercial areas, a well-defined vision and planning framework is needed to help guide local decision-making, especially in regards to land use, community and economic development, transportation, open space, neighborhoods, commercial corridors and districts, and infrastructure and capital improvements. A Comprehensive Plan, therefore, serves as a “guidebook” for elected officials and municipal staff, residents, business owners, and local industries and potential investors, allowing them to make well-informed decisions based on community needs, existing assets and conditions, and on future economic and social trends. Most importantly, decisions will be based on the community’s future vision for what it would like to become over the next 10 to 20 years. CITY OF CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 5 CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 1. INTRODUCTION The time horizon for implementing a • Public Investment Guide. The Comprehensive Plan and working toward its Chadron City Council should use the community vision is 10 to 20 years, although Comprehensive Plan to guide decision- the Plan should be reviewed and updated every making regarding investments in five years to address local needs, issues and infrastructure, community facilities, and opportunities, and changing trends. The Plan other capital improvements. The Plan should be used on a daily basis to assist the can also be used in seeking grants at the community in making any land use or development regional, state and Federal levels. decision. • Private Investment Guide. Developers, In summary, the Comprehensive Plan serves several industries, entrepreneurs and others purposes: interested in investing in Chadron can use the Comprehensive Plan to gain insight • Existing Conditions. City officials into the City’s development policies. Such and community members can use investors also view sound comprehensive the Comprehensive Plan to review planning as critical to ensuring the viability where Chadron is today in terms of its and long-term success of their investments existing population, transportation and in the community. infrastructure needs, and other conditions related to its commercial, residential and • Community Engagement Tool. The process industrial areas. in creating this Comprehensive Plan provided an opportunity for local leaders, • Land Use Framework. The Plan provides stakeholders and residents to understand a land use framework and strategy that and evaluate community strengths and recommends a set of land uses and land weaknesses, and to craft strategies and use patterns that promote the highest recommendations for addressing critical and best uses of land while reducing planning issues. Future planning efforts land use conflicts and increasing the for Chadron’s residential, commercial, benefits the land can provide in terms of and industrial areas, as recommended employment, transportation, food, clean in this Comprehensive Plan, will also water and recreation. Benefits must also provide additional opportunities to engage be enduring and sustainable so that current Chadron’s stakeholders on important and succeeding generations of Chadron development and revitalization issues. residents can enjoy an enhanced quality of the life. In addition, the Plan sets forth • Future Vision. This Comprehensive Plan broad development and revitalization will serve as an important document in strategies that can be used to review and informing current and future community refine current and on-going community stakeholders about Chadron’s long improvement and development projects, term vision. Above all, preparing as well as adjust zoning and development a Comprehensive Plan represents a regulations to ensure that such projects collaborative process between the City are in conformance with the goals, and its citizens in determining Chadron’s objectives, and policies set forth in this future. Comprehensive Plan. 6 CITY OF CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 1. INTRODUCTION Comprehensive Plan Organization A Comprehensive Plan is typically composed of a Elements and chapters included in this several interrelated elements and chapters defined Comprehensive Plan are: within the Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 19- 903. The key elements included in the Chadron • Section 1 - Introduction Comprehensive Plan are based upon those outlined • Section 2 - The Chadron Community in the State Statute, “which shall consist of both • Section 3 - Land Use and Existing Conditions graphic and textual material and shall be designed to • Section 4 - Comprehensive Plan accommodate long range future growth.” • Section 5 - Plan Implementation In addition, the Comprehensive Plan shall address key issues and elements such as providing adequate The Comprehensive Plan is essentially divided transportation, schools, parks, water and sanitary into two parts. Section 2 describes and analyzes systems; protecting property against blight and the City’s current land use, transportation, deterioration; and, promoting a community’s infrastructure, environmental, and economic setting. general health and welfare. A comprehensive land Section 4 describes and summarizes the overall use plan must also reflect the local conditions, vision and comprehensive plan for the City of concerns, and goals of a community. Most Chadron, along with the future land use framework importantly, the plan must have a land use element, and planning and revitalization strategies. Section 5 “which designates the proposed general distributions, summarizes key implementation action steps. general location and extent of the uses of land for agriculture, housing, commerce, industry, recreation, education, public buildings and lands, and other categories of public and private use of land.” It should be noted that a municipality’s zoning powers can only be exercised after the adoption of the community’s comprehensive plan. In July 2010, the Nebraska Legislature amended Nebraska State Statute 23-114.02 to require all community comprehensive plans to incorporate an energy efficiency element. This element should document a community’s energy infrastructure and use by land use, including residential, commercial and industrial, and provide recommendations for encouraging energy conservation and the use of alternative and renewable energy sources. Dawes County Courthouse CITY OF CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 7 CHADRON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 1. INTRODUCTION Planning Mission and Process In August 2014, the City of Chadron, along with governmental agencies and City leaders and officials, community stakeholder groups and residents, was formed in August 2014 to help guide the Plan’s initiated a five-month planning process to create a development. Comprehensive Plan. The key purpose of the Plan was to update the 1997 Comprehensive Plan and to Beyond understanding Chadron’s long-term create a long-term vision and planning framework future, the Comprehensive Plan also seeks to assess for enhancing the community’s overall land use, current conditions and propose strategies and economic vitality, and physical appearance