Mary Caudle is mayor of Triana. (CONTRIBUTED)

TRIANA – Triana Town Council adopted a resolution on May 26 to apply for the community development block grant program for fiscal year 2015 with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

The grant request for $19,800 would provide comprehensive planning funds.

The proposed “Triana Comprehensive Planning Project” will include recommendations relating to land use, transportation, infrastructure, parks and recreation, urban design and utilities. If the application for the community block grant is successful, Triana will work to replace its previous plan adopted in 1983.

“The Town of Triana currently finds itself in a position to experience strong population and employment growth due to its location,” Triana Mayor Mary Caudle said. “This comprehensive plan will be a statement of a community’s vision of itself now and in the future.”

Caudle said the plan will direct physical growth, development and redevelopment of Triana.

The grant “will serve as a tool, combining many functional parts into a unified document that helps the community to achieve its long-term goals and objectives,” she said. “The council and I know that a successful comprehensive plan balances the importance of commercial development with the preservation of Triana’s character and quality of life.”

If Triana acquires the funding for $19,800, the town will give “10-percent cash match of $2,200 to develop a municipal comprehensive plan that will provide local leaders with a clear direction for the development of the community over the next decade,” Caudle said.

Lucas Blankenship, Director of Planning with Top of Alabama Regional Council of Local Governments (TARCOG), has emphasized the importance of comprehensive planning for local communities.

“The comprehensive plan (provides) long-range planning tools that will help Triana reach its full potential,” Blankenship said. “It will have a direct impact on the future quality of life in this community.”

For more information, call Caudle at 256-772-0151 or Blankenship at 256-716-2483.