On April 21, the Town of Smyrna kicked off the first part of its request for community input on the city’s Comprehensive Plan update for 2045. The city updates the community’s Comprehensive Plan every five years. The plan helps the city planners and government guide long-range decisions on land use, infrastructure, and services as Smyrna continues to grow.
The first community update meeting took place at the Smyrna Event Center. It was a drop-in open house with no formal presentation, where the public was allowed to ask questions and share their thoughts. The project is being coordinated by Pape-Dawson Engineering, which was Regan Smith until the two companies merged in 2024.
Pape-Dawson is an industry-leading civil engineering and professional services firm that helps communities plan better infrastructure and development as they grow. Their team includes engineers, surveyors, planners, landscape architects, environmental scientists, archaeologists, data analysts and construction management professionals.
They will help the city develop a comprehensive plan to guide building, infrastructure and public services over the next 20 years while fostering connection, sustainability and prosperity.
A community survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VisionSmyrna2045 is an additional instrument they are using to gather feedback and thoughts from members of the community. The survey will be open through June 5, 2026.
Similar to previous planning done five years ago, it will focus on strengthening transportation networks, enhancing the downtown as a community center, expanding park systems, and the creation of sustainable, high-quality development. This will include residential, commercial, industrial growth, and mixed-use development. The city government wants to ensure the Smyrna 2045 plan reflects residents’ input and priorities.
The Comprehensive Plan will include ideas for future police and fire services, and how the city will continue to provide for these and other services as the city continues to grow.
The city’s Instagram notes that “in conjunction with the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, the town is implementing the 2025 Mobility Plan and the Downtown Smyrna Redevelopment Plan, which was adopted in February 2026, targeting specific improvements in the city center.”
The new downtown development plan includes 350 homes, a bike and foot path, a hotel, space for new businesses, and restaurant space. A large part of the plan focuses on property the Town of Smyrna purchased from Smyrna First Baptist Church, which will be moving to a new location.
From the information received through these town halls and the community survey, town leaders hope to manage growth, increase economic development opportunities, and ensure public safety. Smyrna has come a long way from being the sleepy little train depot town it was in 1869, but city leaders need to know the community’s thoughts on how that growth needs to happen.
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