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City launches master plan update; selects LJA to lead yearlong community process
Summary
City staff introduced a master-plan kickoff and presented the scope and engagement plan from consultant LJA Engineering; staff recommended an advisory committee chaired by the Planning & Zoning Commission chair and described a roughly one-year schedule with in-person and online engagement.
Murphy staff and consultants outlined a yearlong comprehensive master plan process at the City Council meeting on May 6, presenting the proposed scope, public-engagement strategy and the consultant team LJA Engineering, which staff says was recommended after a qualifications process.
City staff said council allocated funds for a comprehensive planning effort in the current fiscal year, that a combined council/board meeting in November 2024 provided initial direction, and that an internal review of nine proposals led staff to recommend LJA. Reagan (city staff) said the professional services agreement with LJA would appear on a future consent agenda; council members asked when the contract would appear and staff said the item would be brought forward for formal authorization.
Abra Nusser (LJA) presented the consultant team and the project approach. She described a broad scope covering land use and design, mobility and connectivity, infrastructure and drainage, economic and fiscal analysis and an implementation-and-monitoring chapter. Nusser said the work will include two major community events (an in-person community forum and a second “Zoom town-hall” style forum aimed at increasing reach), an interactive online map where residents can drop pins and comment, stakeholder interviews (10 included in the scope), and outreach to youth through a youth advisory event. Consultants recommended a roughly yearlong schedule, with community-forum dates to be set once a contract is executed and venues confirmed.
Staff proposed an advisory committee (Master Plan Advisory Committee) to guide the process and suggested Christine Johnson, chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, as a candidate to chair that advisory committee; Johnson attended the meeting in support of the effort.
Council members asked about outreach reach and turnout; LJA said the combined approach—printed flyers, social media, an interactive map and a Zoom town-hall—has produced stronger overall reach in other jurisdictions. LJA said standard deliverables will include a future land-use map, corridor and wayfinding recommendations, infrastructure and facilities guidance, and prioritized short- and long-term action items with conceptual cost estimates.
There was no final contract vote at the presentation; staff told council the contract authorization would be scheduled for a future meeting and asked council for any initial direction before contract execution.
