Eureka Springs is a town with soul, charm, and vision— but we’re missing a critical tool: a comprehensive plan.

Right now, our city relies on a vision plan. Vision plans can be inspiring, but they don’t carry the weight of policy. They lack the zoning updates, infrastructure modeling, and measurable goals needed to guide growth, attract investment, or win grants. Without a comprehensive plan, we’re reacting to problems instead of anticipating them.

A comprehensive plan is more than a document — it’s a strategy. It lays out how a city will grow, adapt, and invest in housing, transportation, infrastructure, and economic development. It’s reviewed every few years and updated about once a decade, keeping it practical, current, and community- driven.

I’ve seen this work firsthand. In Midwest City, Oklahoma, we completed a full update to our comprehensive plan, anchored by a detailed water and sewer study. We mapped the entire wastewater system, identified aging infrastructure, modeled future demand, and laid out a 20-year roadmap for phased upgrades. It wasn’t just technical—it was transformational. That kind of planning gave us clarity, accountability, and leverage for funding.

Eureka Springs deserves the same. Our terrain is steep. Our infrastructure is aging. Our tourism pressure is real. A comprehensive plan would help us coordinate street repairs with water upgrades, guide housing development, and protect what makes our town unique. It would also help residents understand where their money is going — and why.

The process begins with the Planning Commission voting to initiate the plan and City Council authorizing funding. A steering committee forms with representatives from city departments, schools, businesses, tourism, nonprofits, and neighborhoods. Public engagement follows—kickoff meetings, focus groups, surveys, and workshops. Draft strategies are refined and reviewed before final adoption by ordinance.

This isn’t about copying other towns. It’s about building a plan that reflects Eureka Springs — our values, our quirks, our future. We have the creativity and spirit to do it right. What we need now is the will.

Let’s ask City Council to begin the process. Contact your alderman. Attend a meeting. Speak up. The Planning Commission must lead, but success depends on all of us. The future of Eureka Springs shouldn’t rest on a vision—it should be built on a plan.

—M. Sean Reed