It was standing room only at the beginning of the Perryville City Council meeting on May 7. Residents heard a presentation by PGAV on Perryville’s Comprehensive Plan. It was the final presentation of the finished product for the Board to consider and approve. This is the final step required by state statutes for the comprehensive plan’s approval.
PGAV held open houses and surveys starting in February 2023. It is a long-range planning document that establishes a community’s vision for the future and serves as a road map for achieving that vision over the next 10 to 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan acts as a policy guide providing a framework for the City’s staff and appointed/elected officials to make zoning, development, and other decisions. Whether it’s the future land use map establishing priorities for future development opportunities, placemaking in the downtown, a new street layout or corridor improvements, the plan also allows residents, businesses, property owners, and the development community to find themselves in the plan.
The Comprehensive Plan is not a zoning ordinance, subdivision regulation, capital improvement program, or other regulatory document, but rather the basis for the City’s creation and maintenance of such tools which help to implement a comprehensive plan. The Comprehensive Plan identifies priorities related to future land use, street layout, housing, commercial and industrial development, parks & recreation, and other topics that impact the City moving forward.
It was reiterated throughout the meeting that the Comprehensive Plan is not a stone-cold plan for what is going to happen year-by-year in Perryville.
“It is merely a guideline by which we use for the city,” Perryville Mayor Larry Riney said.
Perryville City Administrator Brent Buerck said that plans like this are required by state statue. The last plan was completed in 2011.
The full 200-plus document can be found on the city website.
A public hearing was held for a special use permit from Rinehart Properties LLC to build self-storage units on Lots 17 and 18 of Colonial Plaza and Lot 2 of Sides Minor Subdivision. The proposed location is in the vicinity of the Holiday Inn and Days Inn properties. This is a highly trafficked commercial area but staff questions if the location would be better suited as a traditional retail, restaurant, or strip mall development. It is hoped the answer to these questions becomes clearer during our review process. It was decided that the board will think about the situation and come back at the next meeting and make a decision.
In the consent agenda, a clarification was made on an approved Perryville Police Department recommendation regarding placement of a “No Truck Through” sign on Lucy Street. Trucks delivering to Tractor Supply were attempting to pull around behind the building and were driving through small portions of resident’s yards. Trucks are now recommended to pull into the front of the building.
There was a discussion regarding revision to Residential Sidewalk Installation Program Application relative to width of sidewalk. This program has been in place for several years and has served the City well. That said, the city has not adjusted rates since the program began in 2020. City Engineer Tim Baer has worked to determine the appropriate value and staff asks the Board to make an adjustment to the program as detailed by the Engineer, allowing for both traditional 4 foot sidewalks but also now scalable for wider sidewalks required by ordinance The board decided on $35 for a 4-foot sidewalk and $6 for each additional foot.
During the City Administrator’s report, Buerck gave a conclusion on the amount of people in town during the eclipse. It was determined that 56,000 people were in town including 48 states and 12 countries.
