Meeting held January 27, 2025, at 4 p.m. at McCracken County Courthouse with McCracken County Fiscal Court.
Introduction of Paducah-McCracken County Comprehensive Plan
The Paducah Board of Commissioners and McCracken County Fiscal Court held a joint meeting this afternoon at the McCracken County Courthouse to introduce the City/County Comprehensive Plan. Both governmental bodies have been working together since early 2023 to develop a joint plan to guide area development, redevelopment, and enhancement efforts over the next 10 to 20 years. Prior to this Comprehensive Plan, each government agency had its own comprehensive plan which is required by the State to be updated every five years.
Regarding the partnership to develop a joint Comprehensive Plan, Paducah Mayor George Bray said, “We are looking out for the entire community. I’m really glad we are doing this together.”
It will take two readings by each elected body for the final approval of the Comprehensive Plan. The Paducah Board of Commissioners has the Plan’s second reading listed on the agenda for its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 28 while the McCracken County Fiscal Court will have the plan’s second reading at a meeting in February.
Throughout this planning process, there have been opportunities for the public to provide feedback. Community input led to the development of six themes in the Comprehensive Plan. The six themes are as follows:
- Retain/Add Population.
- Safe Community.
- Improved Infrastructure (specifically stormwater).
- Neighborhood/Corridor Revitalization.
- Economic Advantage from Location and Transportation.
- Build on Arts/Crafts/Culture and Tourism Success.
In referencing the feedback and how to move the City and County forward, Mayor Bray added, “Housing and job growth through economic development are the two things that I’ve come away with that will grow this community.”
In February 2023, the City of Paducah and McCracken County approved a 20-year interlocal cooperation agreement to establish a City/County Comprehensive Plan. Since that time, planning consultant Kendig Keast Collaborative has worked with the City and County and the community to gather feedback through meeting with the City and County Planning Commissions, surveys, small group meetings, and public forums to develop a plan that will guide Paducah and McCracken County over the next 10 to 20 years especially in terms of population, land use, housing, transportation, economy, and physical features.
The Paducah-McCracken County Comprehensive Plan has six main topic sections along with numerous goals for each section. The six main topics are as follows:
- Growth Capacity.
- Land Use and Community Character.
- Housing and Neighborhoods.
- Transportation.
- Economic Development.
- Recreation and Amenities.
To learn more about the Comprehensive Plan, visit Comprehensive Plan. The final plan will be uploaded to that webpage following the plan’s adoption.
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