A meeting of the Morgan City Land Use and Zoning Steering Committee will be held today at 6 p.m. at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

The meeting is open to the public, including residents, business representatives and other stakeholders who wish to offer ideas pertaining to the city’s future regarding land use and zoning related matters. Anyone interested in the project or serving on this committee is welcome to attend, too.

The city has begun the initial phase of work in preparation for the city’s first planning and zoning upgrade since 1972.

The evening will be devoted to a review of data collected to date in an informal, open-house atmosphere.

The public will be able to offer comments on maps with preliminary ideas and possible improvement recommendations.

Topics of discussion may include input regarding future land use, community growth and infrastructure, transportation improvements, community character, beautification and amenities, as well as:

—How much and where should city growth be guided?

—What areas are in most need of revitalization, and can and should urban renewal be encouraged?

—How does the community improve the city’s uniqueness, value and economic opportunity as a mid-sized coastal Louisiana community situated along the banks of the Atchafalaya River?

—What street and other infrastructure improvements are needed?

Capital improvement needs such as water, wastewater, drainage and roadway improvements that may be warranted may be discussed, too, as well as other important issues including economic sustainability and resiliency to natural hazard events as well as quality of life enhancements such as recreation, sidewalks, parking lots, design standards, zoning concerns and community beautification.

The steering committee will be asked to review sections of the plan and to provide feedback to the consultant team, which consists of Kendig Keast Collaborative of Sugarland, Texas, and the Baton Rouge office of T. Baker Smith.

Also, joint meetings will be held with the steering committee and the city council at future council meetings. It is anticipated that the final plan will be ready for city council consideration in mid-2012, following review and comment by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the Board of Adjustments steering committee and interested citizens.

Citizens will be given an opportunity to review the plan, as it is drafted, online at www.cityofmc.com or at city hall as sections develop.

The primary end product of this overall project will be a Unified Development Code whereby all development codes are readily accessible to the public, easily cross-referenced and carefully coordinated to avoid duplication and redundancy.

The zoning update also is intended to guide future decisions of the mayor, city council, planning and zoning commission and the board of adjustments, regarding the types, patterns and direction of future growth.

For more information about these plans or the upcoming meeting, contact city Planning and Zoning Director Carl Kraemer at 380-4716.