WEIRTON — Municipal officials are taking the next step in developing a plan for the city’s future.

In April, Weirton Council began the process of developing a new strategic plan for the community, requiring an update as a result of various changes in the city since the last plan was drafted almost 30 years ago.

After spending much of the last year developing a scope, the city sought requests for qualifications in January, with bids due Feb. 13.

“We got 11 proposals we’re going through now,” explained Planning and Development Director Mark Miller as part of last week’s city budget workshop.

For the strategic plan, the city is seeking a firm which will be tasked with:

Updating the city’s existing Comprehensive Plan, addressing goals and objectives, land use, affordable and market-rate housing, transportation, public facilities and infrastructure, economic development, and implementation strategies. The city is required by state law to update its Comprehensive Plan every 10 years.

Creating a Parks and Recreation Master Plan as an adopted element of the Comprehensive Plan, to include an inventory of the parks, trails and other recreational facilities; assess the level of service available; identify the needs of the parks system; and recommend capital improvements along with cost estimates and phasing proposals for those potential projects.

Draft a Downtown Revitalization Plan as an adopted element of the Comprehensive Plan, assessing conditions in the city’s downtown, identifying redevelopment opportunities, and recommending economic development, placemaking, and streetscape strategies.

The Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation previously agreed to contribute $35,000 toward the cost of the project, with the remainder expected to be split between the City of Weirton’s General Fund and its Community Development Block Grant allocations.