Bridgeport plans spring survey to guide city's growth vision

BRIDGEPORT – The planning commission is developing a survey for distribution among city residents to gather feedback that will help guide future development decisions. The survey is aimed at an early spring release and will be available on the city website in paper form and accessible by a QR code included in the city's monthly bill. The survey will be finalized in March. 

“We need this as a part of the public involvement,” said city planner Kurt Danison.

Danison said the information the commission will be requesting addresses topics such as how comfortable city growth is for city respondents.

“We are doing a plan for 20 years,” said Danison. “We have to have something to work with.”

While Danison estimates Bridgeport’s annual growth is one-half percent or less, he used a city growth projection of one percent – 30 people - a year for purposes of an example.

“If we had 30 people moving here a year and the average household size is 2.5, that’s 13 or 14 households we need, and we are supposed to plan for that,” Danison said.

He noted that the city has ample vacant land and water and sewer infrastructure.

“The thing that is missing out of all this is we can’t make people build houses,” Danison said.

A question related to housing growth is how community residents feel about accessory dwelling units (ADUs), a term used to describe an addition to an existing structure that can be rented out. 

2020 survey

Residents may recall a similar survey taken in 2020 when the city was compiling its Community Revitalization Plan for the SR-173 Corridor. That 14-question survey ran for a month and generated 196 responses. The full results of those responses can be revisited in Appendix A of the 80-page report published by SCJ Alliance Consulting Services of Spokane.

Among the questions asked in that survey were:

• What city do you work in?
• Do you own a business in Bridgeport?
• What new business or developments do you think are most needed in downtown Bridgeport?

One question asked respondents to rate downtown conditions, such as

‣ Parking

‣ Overall appearance

‣ Connections to trails and parks

‣Availability of housing

More recently, a door-to-door survey of downtown businesses helped the commission determine what elements to include in the sidewalk renovation design. The final concept features a four-zone sidewalk with frontage, pedestrian, street furniture, and enhancement lanes. 

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media