he Cross Plains Planning & Zoning Commission was formed in September of 2008 due to great public interest with the express purpose of working with the public, business leaders, and various other commissions of the city of Cross Plains, Texas to specifically deal with such issues as: City Funding, Housing Space, Business Space, Dilapidated Buildings of the Downtown District, and General Beautification Projects.

The Cross Plains Planning & Zoning Commission is a commission of the City Council and is composed of seven members appointed by the selected Chairman and confirmed by the City Council. Planning & Zoning members serve without compensation of time and effort.

The Planning & Zoning Commission advises City Council & Management on any proposal that directly affects any goal or policy related to any element of the City's comprehensive plan. The Commission also may review and comment on the implementation of city policies in relation to land use issues, amendments to the zoning code, urban renewal plans, transportation plans, public facilities plans, taxes & tax abatement programs and other citywide policies, as well as street vacations, dedications, and name change requests referred to the Committee.

There are many issues we must face as we look to the future of our economy, work force, housing, transportation issues, open spaces, and vacant lands. Cross Plains is a dynamic entity within which there are constant pressures for change, preservation, and renewal. However, as we enter the 21st century, new technologies, industry, city design, and the global Green Movement are providing additional opportunities.

The Planning & Zoning Commission serves to guide these changes to ensure that the qualities that make Cross Plains unique are preserved and enhanced. Its mission is based on a creative consensus concerning social, economic, and environmental issues. The Commisssion, under the ordinance of the City Council, serves as a "think-tank" for decisions that affect all aspects of our everyday lives from where we live and work, to how we play. It is both strategic and long term, broad in scope and specific in nature. It is successfully driven by decisions that direct the allocation of public resources and that shape private development. In short, the Commission is the embodiment of the community's vision for the future of Cross Plains.