Yankton adopts long-range comprehensive plan Ordinance 1097 (Yankton 2045) after public hearing

The Yankton City Commission on June 23 adopted Ordinance 1097, the city's comprehensive plan titled "Yankton 2045," after a second-reading public hearing and a presentation by consultant Amy Hazy of RDG. The commission voted to approve the ordinance on a roll call vote.

The plan, presented by Hazy and introduced by Dave Mingo, community and economic development director, reflects roughly 18 months of public engagement including steering-committee meetings, listening sessions, online surveys and an open house. Hazy said the plan advances nine guiding principles, including encouraging infill, preserving environmentally sensitive areas, expanding multimodal trails, and promoting housing for every stage of life.

The plan's adoption followed a public comment from Jameson Rounds, a nearby resident and former city planner, who urged the commission to remove an indicated extension of Fifteenth Street from the plan. Rounds argued the extension would create a high-speed corridor he described as a safety risk, said he and neighbors opposed it at public meetings, and called for the commission to require a return-on-investment and safety analysis before proceeding with any street project.

Commission discussion noted that a comprehensive plan is a long-range guide rather than an automatic authorization to construct. City staff and legal counsel advised that site- and project-specific safety, design and cost analyses, and required permits, would be considered at the time a project is proposed. Commissioners acknowledged the practical concern raised by Rounds that once a feature is included in a plan it becomes politically harder to remove, and some commissioners asked staff to bring more detailed cost and safety information if a project moves toward a construction proposal.

The commission approved the ordinance by roll call (Conkling, Hanoff, Mosher, Benson, Birch, Brunick, Sarta and Mayor Villanueva voting yes). The motion carried and the plan will serve as the city's guiding land-use and service framework for the next 25 years.

The commission also discussed next steps: staff will post the final adopted document and continue to use the plan as the basis for future zoning and capital discussions. Commissioners indicated they expect separate, project-level hearings and engineering review before any street, park, or utility projects identified in the plan are permitted or funded.

Votes at a glance related to the comprehensive-plan item: the commission conducted the required public hearing and a second reading on Ordinance 1097 and voted to adopt the ordinance as presented.