Somerset 2050 serves as a 25-year roadmap for public and private development projects
In its first official act of the new year, the Somerset City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday to adopt a new comprehensive plan.
Called Somerset 2050, the plan defines the community’s vision for the next 25 years. It builds a foundation for land use, transportation, infrastructure, and facilities that will shape future policy decisions. The plan will serve as a roadmap for public and private development projects and includes supporting goals and recommendations for future growth.
>> View the full plan
“It was important to me that we kick off 2025 by adopting this plan as our first order of business,” Somerset Mayor Alan Keck said. “One day in the not-so-distant future, many of the seats in our council chambers will be filled with new representatives. And those representatives will now have a guidebook for what the people of Somerset say they want to see in the future. Somerset 2050 ensures all of the strides we’ve made during the last five years aren’t all for naught — that we put this community in a position for further responsible growth by giving those sitting in these seats in 25 years a roadmap to success.”
The City of Somerset hired a consulting team and launched a steering committee last year to take on creating a new comprehensive plan, which is required by Kentucky law. Strategic planners with Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group guided the 15-member committee — comprised of representatives from city government, city council, economic development, tourism and planning and zoning — through a six-month process to develop the plan. The 106-page document includes objectives for seven high-level goals: land use, housing, downtown, economic development and tourism, parks and natural areas, transportation, and facilities and utilities.
In addition to the committee’s input from four planning sessions, Somerset 2050 includes public feedback from an online survey and workshop. More than 600 people participated in the public portion of the project, which Taylor Siefker Williams representatives said was one of the highest turnouts they’ve witnessed. With offices in Indianapolis and Louisville, Taylor Siefker Williams has collaborated with community residents to plan for, create and enhance places across the Midwest for over a decade.
The plan’s seven goals include:
- Encouraging the efficient use of land through strategies that create destinations.
- Encouraging multiple types of housing in Somerset that are affordable, encourage homeownership, and meet the needs of people at all stages of life.
- Continue establishing downtown as a destination in southern Kentucky with high-quality public spaces and diverse shopping, dining and entertainment options.
- Fostering a strong workforce and robust local economy by encouraging local business growth, attracting new industries, and expanding affordable healthcare and childcare services.
- Preserving and enhancing parks, recreational facilities and natural areas to expand recreational options for children, adults and tourists.
- Providing a transportation network that is safe and accessible for all types of users.
- Encouraging the efficient use of land through innovative land-use practices.
Bronte Murrell, a community planner with Taylor Siefker Williams, explained at Monday’s city council meeting that the comprehensive plan is a guiding document for the community’s future.
Each goal has supporting objectives and action steps, identifying champions, partners and resources to help implement the plan over the next 25 years, Murrell explained. Somerset 2050 also includes a future land use plan, which is a long-term vision for a community from a zoning perspective.
“They (comprehensive plans) aim to answer four big questions,” Murrell said. “Where is your community today? So, looking at demographic data from the community, where is Somerset today? Where is it heading? Looking at projections and looking at really, are there big businesses moving in, big things that are going to change the future of the community? And where does Somerset want to go? This is very much that community visioning process.”
State law requires that local planning and zoning commissions adopt the comprehensive plan before city councils approve by resolution. Somerset Planning and Zoning unanimously adopted Somerset 2050 at its Dec. 10 meeting.
Keck said he is excited to see Somerset 2050 in place after a year of planning.
“I’m grateful for everyone who participated, the citizens who were involved and engaged,” Keck said. “I think it will continue to be a great guide as we steer the ship for years ahead.”
Council member Tom Eastham agreed.
“The comprehensive plan is really exciting,” Eastham said. “I do believe that without a vision, the people perish. We may not achieve all these goals, but it’s good for us to have a set of goals to look toward.”
