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Council approves updated comprehensive plan
Members of the Hastings City Council voted 7-0 during their regular meeting Monday, March 24 to approve adoption of the City of Hastings’ 144-page updated comprehensive plan.
This is the first comprehensive plan update for the City of Hastings since the previous plan was adopted in 2009.
A comprehensive plan is a guiding document that provides recommendations for land use in the community, and helps set the stage for future development.
The City has worked with Marvin Planning Consultants of David City, which has been under contract with the city since April 2022 to develop the updated plan. That work included engaging with the public through surveys and open house meetings during the last three years to better determine land use needs.
Mason Herrman, Community Planner for Marvin Planning Consultants, told the council on Monday that having an updated comprehensive plan in place will make the community more attractive when applying for state and federal grant money.
The updated plan works with existing city policies addressing housing, annexation and zoning.
This plan, in conjunction with the Housing Needs Assessment Study adopted in 2021 and the Housing Action Plan adopted in 2023, supports the housing policies necessary to give all residents a safe, affordable and welcoming environment.
Goals and policies are provided in this plan to support actions suggested in the housing study.
The updated plan allows for increased density in Hastings’ residential areas to address the community’s housing shortage, particularly to facilitate “missing middle” multi-family housing units that could fit within single-family residential neighborhoods.
The plan contains guidance and language supporting annexation policy, including a guideline for annexation with standards and qualifications to be met before the City Council annexes areas into the city limits.
The plan also continues the effort to appropriately designate the area outside city limits but within the City’s 2-mile extra-territorial jurisdiction. This update establishes a new, flexible land use category to accommodate a blend of commercial and industrial uses, generally along highways.
The new zoning regulations, which will be written by planning department staff, will work with the land use policy contained in the updated comprehensive plan.
For more information about the City of Hastings comprehensive plan, visit the EngageHastings project here .
Published Date: 03/25/2025