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Council backs ULI Plan Local program; Prairie Grove selected for parks and land‑use planning support
Summary
The council approved a resolution to participate in the Urban Land Institute’s Plan Local program after a presentation by Megan Brown of ULI. The program will provide most consultant costs; the city agreed to a 30% local match of the consultant fee (estimated $50,000–$60,000).
Megan Brown, director of operations for the local Urban Land Institute (ULI) chapter, told the Prairie Grove City Council on Oct. 20 that ULI selected Prairie Grove to participate in the expanded Plan Local program, a technical‑assistance partnership that pairs small communities with planning experts to produce land‑use and parks plans.
Brown said ULI is a 501(c)(3) founded in 1936 with a global research network and local volunteer membership; Plan Local is a competitive program rebranded from the Small Cities Initiative to offer more intensive help. She said the program is targeted at communities of about 30,000 or fewer residents and that Prairie Grove’s mayor submitted a “compelling” application that led ULI to waive the new application process and include the city in the next round.
Under the program described at the meeting, ULI will cover the majority of consultant fees and program costs while asking the city to provide a local match equal to 30% of the consultant fee. Brown estimated the city’s total out‑of‑pocket portion for the local match and related fees could be roughly $50,000–$60,000. ULI plans a design workshop at its regional summit on Nov. 13 and a technical assistance panel and consultant solicitation in early 2026.
Councilmember Doug Stall moved and Kevin Andrews seconded a resolution expressing the city’s willingness to participate and provide the requested match; the motion passed. Council members asked staff to coordinate with the mayor’s steering committee and to bring final contract language and a scope of services to the council for approval when ULI identifies a consultant.
Why it matters: Brown said the program aims to help small cities plan for growth “with care, collaboration and long‑term vision,” and the assistance will be used to refine the city’s parks and open‑space master plan and other targeted land‑use priorities. The adoption of the resolution allows staff to proceed with coordinating workshops and a consultant procurement process.
