City seeks public input on west Dickinson area plan: KLJ to study 6,100 acres of land

City officials are getting ready to study how to use approximately 6,100 acres of land west of Dickinson.
The City of Dickinson, in partnership with engineering firm KLJ is preparing to draft a plan to address the rapidly developing area.
The West Dickinson Area Plan will be an addendum to the Dickinson Comprehensive Plan, “Dickinson 2035: Roadmap to the Future,” which was adopted just two years ago.
“So many things have happened in that part of the county since then,” said Carron Day, KLJ project manager overseeing the new plan. “There’s a lot of activity, a lot of interest in that area. It’s exciting what’s happening to the city.”
The study area will consist of the region spanning from 35th Street West south to Patterson Lake, and approximately 116th Avenue Southwest east to 30th Avenue West; it’s not within city limits, but receives some city services.
In recent years, developments in the area have included the Dakota Prairie Refinery, Bakken Oil Express, the Dickinson Interstate 94 Exit 56 interchange, the Dickinson interim bypass route and numerous infrastructure improvement commitments, including an extended sewer line, Day said.
“There’s lots of possibilities,” she said. “We’re looking to see what the area might develop as in the future.”
KLJ and the City of Dickinson will host two public hearings on the draft plan to hear input on plans for the study area.
“We’re really looking for the community to tell us what their interests are in this area, what they want to see,” she said.
The first community is scheduled for Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Dickinson City Hall. A second meeting will be held Aug. 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A draft of the plan is expected to go before a joint Dickinson City Commission and Planning and Zoning public meeting on Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Day said a final plan should be ready by the end of the year.
KLJ has been involved in developing the 2012 Dickinson Comprehensive Plan, a 400-page, $600,000 project that laid out a plan for the city’s traffic and population growth, among other issues, over next 22 years.
Day said the community workshops will allow the community’s priorities and ideas to shape “what we should consider in planning the area.”
More information on the hearings and the study, as well as a community survey, can be found at DickinsonPlan.com.