Yankton planning panel approves "Yankton 2045" comprehensive plan with minor edits

The Yankton City Planning Commission voted to recommend adoption of ordinance number 10 97, the "Yankton 2045" comprehensive plan, after a presentation and discussion at its meeting. The motion to accept the plan "as presented with edits as we have discussed" passed on a roll call vote where commissioners present recorded unanimous support.

The plan update, presented by Amy Hazy of RDG Planning and Design, summarizes roughly a year of work including data collection and community engagement and replaces a previous plan that the consultant said guided about 20 years of local decisions. "We were excited to start just a little over a year ago on this journey of helping update the comprehensive plan," Hazy said. The document identifies nine vision/goal areas and lays out goals and policies across land use, transportation, housing, parks, public services and an implementation chapter.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan frames long-term land-use decisions and infrastructure investment priorities. Commissioners framed tonight's vote as a recommendation to the City Commission; the plan will proceed with small map edits and typographical corrections before that next step.

Hazy told the commission the update used a mix of public outreach—advisory committee meetings, listening sessions, an online survey, interactive mapping and a design workshop—and technical analysis. The plan tested a future population scenario using an assumed annual growth rate of just under 1 percent to estimate residential land needs. Hazy said the update emphasizes mixed-use opportunities, reinvestment in existing neighborhoods, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, accessibility of outdoor spaces, and a spectrum of housing types "for every stage of life." She also described the team’s shift from labeling industrial areas as "industrial" to using the term "job centers" to reflect a mix of uses and intensities.

Commissioners pressed for clarity on implementation and prioritization. Hazy and city staff said that the plan sets the long-term framework while a separate city strategic plan (a three- to five-year document) will provide near-term priorities and implementation sequencing. On transportation, the consultants explained there are two maps: an existing functional classification map coordinated with the state department of transportation, and a future map that meshes that existing system with projected land-use changes.

Commissioners and staff identified one edit to the future land-use map: the intersection of Verdig and Whiting (a parcel formerly associated with Don Tucker) should be labeled regional commercial rather than residential. Commissioners also requested correction of several typographical errors and updating one park photograph that shows an old playground feature no longer present. Those changes were described as editorial corrections that would not require a change to the commission’s recommendation.

Formal action: A motion to recommend adoption of the comprehensive plan to the City Commission, "as presented with edits and corrections," was made and seconded. Roll call recorded affirmative votes from Oster, Peterson, Saenz, Kraft, Erickson and Chairwoman Speck; the motion passed. The commission’s recommendation and the editorial/map corrections will accompany the plan as it goes forward to the City Commission.

Next steps: The planning staff and consultant will incorporate the agreed map change and typographical/photo updates before transmitting the plan to the City Commission for its consideration and any formal adoption actions there.