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Public input sought on Heartland 2050 plan

Public input is being sought on a 40-year visioning plan for the metro area called Heartland 2050.

Heartland 2050 is a public-private partnership. For the next three months, community input will be taken online and at community events. The goal is to learn what's most important to residents in the eight-county metro area.

Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan, co-chairman of Heartland 2050, says the communication is critical to addressing what's expected to be a doubling of the metro area's population by 2050.

"How do you deal with too many people? And what type of jobs are going to be available, what's the transportation, the cost of infrastructure for the public sector could be astronomical. And where are people going to want to live? I mean, is it two and a half acre lots? I doubt it. We're seeing more density and we just can't keep spreading out."

The eight counties are Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Washington, and Saunders in Nebraska...and Pottawattamie, Mills, and Harrison Counties in Iowa.

After the public surveys are complete, a scenario development workshop will be held in October.