2040 Vision Steering Committee unveils plan

Maricopa’s 2040 Vision Steering Committee has debuted its first draft of a strategic plan.

In the report, the committee outlined six “equally important Vision Elements” the city needs to focus on to sustain prosperous and successful growth over the next 25 years.

These elements consisted of well-planned quality growth and development, economic development, community resources and quality of life amenities, safe and livable community, community pride, and fiscal policies and management.

The committee also set plans for Maricopa to become a technologically savvy community. Maricopa needs “Smart City initiatives” to be put in place for the city to successfully reach this goal, according to the draft plan.

“Smart City refers to the integration of technology and city management,” 2040 Vision Steering Committee Chairman Dan Frank said. “For example, say something happened on [State Route] 347. If we had a system in place to alert residents immediately, we could better manage any issue that would follow.”

Maricopa would need to better integrate technology into everyday life to become a “Smart City,” he said.

Maricopa must also improve its waste management and limiting its carbon footprint. “Smart cities” are always technologically advanced and environmentally friendly. (San Francisco’s use of cable cars and Paris’ bike sharing are examples.)

The committee addressed this issue. In its plan, the city would develop express buses to the Phoenix area to minimize the number of cars on the road. Expansion of the park-and-ride and mass transportation system were also mentioned. The committee would even like to see a public transportation train similar to the light rail in Phoenix developed to help commuters to and from the Valley of the Sun.

The committee would like to see improvements to the use of land in and around Maricopa, the availability and diversity of local housing, transportation, the use and disposal of water and sewage, the handling and prevention of floods, and the technological infrastructure over the next 25 years. Each of these areas will need vast improvements to compensate the expected growth.

Maricopa is projected to grow from its population of about 45,000 to 144,500 people by 2040.

The city has already been developing plans to upgrade and expand the public transportation system through central Maricopa. The potential development of Interstate 11 would help with the expansion into the eastern portion of the city as well, the plan states.

Economically, the committee outlined the need to attract more industry and businesses to the area. The report states future business should “match the labor profile in the community.” Committee members also want to ensure areas designated for business stay business oriented and don’t bring in residential properties.

The city could run into a bit of an identity crisis here. According to the draft report, the city is built on manual labor and blue-collar work. However, to move forward with the “Smart City” initiative, much of that blue-collar industry would need to be scaled back for efficiency and technology to gain ground, according to the plan.

Another aspect the committee feels needs improvement is community resources and quality of life, citing improved parks, hiking trails and leisurely activities improve the quality of life, attract more residents and businesses, and contribute to the economic growth of the city.

However, not all residents agree on definitions.

“Quality of life is a general term that reflects an individual perspective regarding their perceived health status,” community member Gary Miller said at the March 17 City Council. “I’d encourage [the committee] to define what quality of life is. Especially if we are going to measure it. My quality of life may different from your quality of life.”

The road will be long, and the 2040 plan is likely to see many changes along the way. However, the committee is happy with the first draft.

“We hope we’ve covered everything,” Frank said. “We have had great public involvement so far and hope to continue that trend. We are open to changing [potential] policies if we have missed anything.”