2026 Centralia Comprehensive Plan

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The intent of a Comprehensive Plan is to convey a plan for the orderly development and redevelopment of the city and its vicinity. Included in the document are current community conditions, inventories, and recommended actions to help in continued growth and goal achievements over the next 15 to 20 years. Outreach opportunities throughout the update process encourages residents and business owners to give their input on what the community needs and what it wants. This input aids current and future city officials in making decisions about where best to invest city funds. Not only does having a Comprehensive Plan give city officials a guide on what people envision for their community, it also gives them the strength to go after assistance in the form of grants to help make goals in the plan become reality. Grants are a great way to make tax dollars do more for the people. There are grants out there to upgrade facilities, replace aging infrastructure, enhance public spaces, and implement new technologies, but applications that aren’t backed by public outreach are weak. The same goes for zoning ordinances. Codes and ordinances put in effect with a Comprehensive Plan behind them are easier to enforce. Elements in the plan include:

• Community Profile

  • History

  • Demographics

  • Facilities Inventory

• Transportation System

  • Traffic Counts

  • Problem Zones

  • Sidewalks

• Land Use

  • Current

  • Future

• Funding Opportunities

SWOC Kick-Off Meeting

The 2026 Centralia Comprehensive Plan Update is underway! On July 20, 2026 Mid-MO Regional Planning Commission led a public SWOC discussion to gather initial community input. The following Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges were collected from those in attendance.