Why does the city need a plan?
Jonesboro is growing and quickly evolving, and that momentum requires clear direction. A comprehensive plan ensures that today’s decisions—and tomorrow’s investments—reinforce the community’s priorities rather than reacting to change project by project. It provides a common framework for aligning development, infrastructure, and amenities with Jonesboro’s strengths and emerging needs.
Stakeholders have consistently highlighted strengths to build on: a strong manufacturing base, the competitive advantage of City Water & Light, major healthcare institutions, and Arkansas State University. They have also identified areas for careful consideration and strategic planning: retaining young professionals, strengthening older neighborhoods, improving housing quality and homeownership, advancing equitable representation in decision-making, and improving safety and function on major corridors. The comprehensive plan creates a shared playbook for tackling these priorities—clarifying what Jonesboro wants to become, where growth should occur, what “quality development” means, and how public investments (streets, utilities, parks, trails, lighting) should be sequenced to support the long-term vision.
What will the planning process look like?
Throughout the process, the community will have multiple ways to shape the plan’s direction, including public meetings, interactive online engagement, surveys, and workshop-based activities. Using what we hear from residents and stakeholders—along with data on housing, land use, infrastructure, and travel patterns—the project team will develop a plan that reflects Jonesboro’s collective vision and a set of actionable strategies to achieve it. The plan will then move through a public review process and, ultimately, consideration for adoption by City leadership.
If you are a resident, employer, or community leader, the city needs your participation to define a shared vision for Jonesboro’s future and establish practical, locally tailored recommendations guiding land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and quality-of-life investments that will lead to future success.