Fast forward 10-years to the future, what will Lakeland look like?

If you thought “flying cars” or “aliens,” think again because the City of Lakeland released its Comprehensive Plan of what Lakeland should look like in the next 10-years. The plan acts as a blueprint for the city to map out what is likely to happen by the year 2030, as well as a way to balance plans, ideas, goals, and necessities.

Here are a few important points the plan covers:

What the population of Lakeland could be (currently this estimate sits at 127,236 people within city limits by 2030)
How the city could develop, based on the current patterns
What land is suitable for development
The city’s capacity to maintain any future developments
The finances needed to bring developments to fruition

The updated draft of the plan details the city’s goal to find the balance between “future economic, social, physical, environmental, and fiscal management of development and redevelopment within Lakeland.”

To help fulfill the plan, the City is considering resident’s results from the Look Forward Lakeland! Survey including:

The creation of more businesses and jobs
The involvement of the community in the city’s decision-making process
The continuation of the preservation of Lakeland’s culture + history
Safe and affordable housing options (an additional 3,190 homes are needed by 2030)
The continuation of the conservation of natural resources, as well as the parks
More transportation options for Lakelanders without vehicles of their own.

The need for the 10-year plan comes from the State of Florida, relaying that all counties and municipalities must adhere to some sort of comprehensive plan.

Read the full plan draft here.

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