 Kendig Keast Collaborative (KKC) was selected to prepare the update to the City’s Foresight McAllen Plan, as well as its Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan. Of significance to the City in its selection of KKC was the firm’s proprietary land use scenario model known as ScenarioPlus™. This analytical tool allowed KKC to evaluate multiple future land use and growth scenarios and quantify the implications of such development, including the factors of population and housing units counts, employment, traffic generation, water and wastewater capacity demands, parks and open space requirements, and others. Of primary importance was the use of this tool to understand the holding capacity of land necessary to support the projected Year 2025 population of 208,100 persons.
As the anchor city within the McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr Metropolitan Statistical Area, McAllen expects its population to double between 2005 and 2025. The City's rate of growth necessitates proactive and progressive planning measures to ensure that the community is able to seize its economic development opportunities and preserve and enhance its community character. The physical character of development and visual appearance of its corridors, entryways, and public spaces are priorities for McAllen. In fact, the City's vision is to "be the Valley leader economically, culturally, and environmentally, with a unique character that proclaims McAllen as a destination city."
The citizenry was highly active throughout the plan development process. Nearly 500 residents attended a Citizens’ Congress at the outset of the project to offer ideas and input. This event was supplemented by small group interviews attended by 80 people, more than 30 meetings of a 16-person Advisory Committee, regular briefings to the City Commission, presentations to, and meetings with, other civic groups and organizations, a “Goals and Policies” public workshop, and a “Future Planning” workshop.
The Foresight McAllen Plan update was adopted unanimously by the City Commission on December 10, 2007.
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