Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Plan Jonesboro, a community-focused initiative launched by the city of Jonesboro, held a public open house Thursday, Feb. 3rd, to gather information and feedback from Jonesboro residents on how to improve the city for the future.
The open house was an informal, drop-in discussion where residents could chat and share their thoughts on what they enjoy about Jonesboro, and how the city could improve.
| READ MORE: ‘Plan Jonesboro’ initiative kicks off Thursday with open house event
Attendees traveled throughout the gymnasium floor of the Earl Bell Community Center, gathering stamps to complete an “open house passport” for the opportunity to win door prizes, which included a $50 Visa gift card and a Jonesboro gift basket full of items donated from local businesses.
Attendees gathered stamps by visiting interactive stations to gather data.
Mapping exercises collected information about where Jonesboro residents lived, asking what type of neighborhood they live in versus the type of neighborhood they would like to live in, and how to improve Jonesboro streets. The exercises also asked residents to place on a map where they believe traffic causes accidents and congestion.
The data collected at the event will be combined with data collected online. It will help city officials prioritize what Jonesboro residents want and what the city needs.
| PARTICIPATE: Click here to take the Plan Jonesboro Survey
“As Northeast Arkansas’s largest and fastest-growing city, Jonesboro has experienced rapidly expanding economic and social opportunity,” reads the description for the plan online. “Exponential growth also places pressure on housing, transportation, safety, utilities, and the parks, trails, and public spaces that support daily life and attract talent. Plan Jonesboro will provide a clear, community-informed framework to guide land use and development, infrastructure investment, mobility, parks and recreation, and public services— guiding local strategies to strengthen neighborhoods, expand mobility choices, and preserve the character and resources that make the city an engaging, economical, and resilient place to live, work, play, and visit.”
Topics that received the most attention at the open house were improving traffic conditions, continued investment in schools, and the desire to attract and retain young professionals, keeping Arkansas State graduates in Jonesboro after graduation, as well as being an inviting place for young people to call home.
Ashley Fletcher, a Jonesboro resident, said she sees Jonesboro as a city that is currently thriving and hopes that it continues to do so. She and her husband moved to Jonesboro 26 years ago, and she hopes that Jonesboro is as attractive to young people now as it was to them then.
“Jonesboro looked great to us, it looked like a wonderful place to raise kids, and indeed it was,” Fletcher said. “It’s big enough to have stuff, but it’s got a small-town feel. This just speaks to Jonesboro’s culture.”
One improvement Fletcher wishes to see in Jonesboro is more parks and green spaces.
“I was here for the big park boom,” Fletcher said. “When we moved here, there wasn’t these wonderful parks that we have now. We could have more of those, especially in the north side of town. Everybody needs parks.”
Despite the wanted improvements, Fletcher says she is optimistic about the future of Jonesboro.
“There’s a lot right with Jonesboro. We should keep doing everything right that we’re doing and add a little bit to it to prepare to grow,” Fletcher said. “We’re a huge hub already. We’re a medical hub, we’re a retail hub. We just have to have people stay for the long haul, invest in the community, [and] plan to live here. That’s what we did, and we’ve never regretted it.”
Plan Jonesboro intends to hold more community events in order to better navigate what Jonesboro should look like within the next two to three decades. The next event will be a 5-day workshop held from March 30 to April 3 to discuss neighborhood growth, development, and investment.
More details about upcoming events and what Plan Jonesboro has learned through resident feedback so far can be found at PlanJonesboro.com.
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