Hoping to stay a step ahead of what's expected to be a period of strong growth, the city of Lincoln is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan.

It's a plan in need of updating, according to the five-member committee taking on the task, because it was last reviewed in1979. The group unveiled their work to date at a public input meeting on Thursday that drew only four residents.

Members of the committee are Steve Weiland and Don Lervik, members of the Planning and Zoning Commission; Sean Johnson, a resident of the nearby Pinewood development; council member Karen Daly; and Lincoln resident Marie Horning.

Horning said the plan has seven major parts: government, residential, parks and recreation, transportation-infrastructure, economic development, facilities and services, and environment-natural resources. Horning said that much of Lincoln is residential, and preserving property values should be a goal of the comprehensive plan. Increased effectiveness of government decisions is another goal of the plan.

Other issues brought up during the meeting included bringing the Bismarck-Mandan CAT bus to Lincoln, creating a citywide emergency evacuation plan, securing the services of a professional grant writer, developing a land use plan that will encourage development of commercial endeavors and getting representation on the Burleigh County Planning Commission and Bismarck School District board.

Lincoln resident Eric Wanchic questioned whether Lincoln having its own school should be addressed in the plan.

Johnson said a school is something worth pursuing, and that small towns need "centers of gravity."

"Usually the centers of gravity in small communities are churches, schools and bars," Johnson said. "A school is a pretty powerful one."

"Is there enough interest for a school?" Weiland asked. "There doesn't appear to be any driving force, no passion to have one."

Daly said that at one time Lincoln was high on the district list to get a school, but that has fallen by the wayside.

"We need families with preschoolers to get involved," Daly said. "Those families that already have kids in schools are perfectly happy. Most work in town (Bismarck) and are closer to their kids that way."

The committee noted that Lincoln does have a big turnover in homeowners because the town is often seen as a steppingstone to buying a home in Bismarck or Mandan.

"I've had people tell me the reason they're leaving is that they are just tired of driving back and forth. They've got kids in activities and it just gets to be too much," Lervik said. "But people are also staying here long and Lincoln is not the transit community it used to be. Perhaps we should have in the comprehensive plan to organize a grassroots school committee. It will probably take years, but they'll need to work with the school board continuously."

Weiland said the school district owns 10 acres of land near the corner of Lincoln Road and 66th Street, but a school could be developed in just about any area except industrially zoned property.

The land use plan, Weiland said, offers suggestions for the city council to consider, but it probably will go through major modifications if a route for a new road connecting Lincoln to Bismarck is chosen.

Many areas along the major arterial routes serving Lincoln - 66th and 52nd streets - are being considered as commercial areas. Weiland said a request has come to planning and zoning to annex property west of 52nd and south of Lincoln Road. The requested zoning is for commercial and industrial use.

"We need a different mix of uses," Weiland said. "While we have plenty of residential, we need commercial to help support our tax base."

The committee will have further meetings on the comprehensive plan and is taking comments until Nov. 10. Hopes are to provide the city council with a completed draft sometime in January.

"Once the comprehensive plan is adopted, it's our intention it will be revisited every three to five years, rather than the 26 years since it was last looked at," Horning said.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)