Kick-Off for Bessemer's Gameplan for Growth

Updated: Apr 17

Process begins with an introduction and full day of listening.

In the dynamic arena of city development, the City of Bessemer has embarked on a strategic gameplan with the determination of a motivated sports team taking the field. This week's kick-off of Gameplan for Growth, the city's Comprehensive Planning effort slated to unfold over most of 2024, signals a decisive play towards shaping the future of this community, known both affectionately and respectfully as The Marvel City.

Marvelous Moments: Past and Present

Driven by tremendous growth tied to the steel industry in its early years, people “marveled” at Bessemer’s phenomenal progress, according to Bessemer Mayor Kenneth E. Gulley, who reflects on Bessemer’s past glory. “It grew into an amazingly successful city," he said, "and it happened so quickly that, as a matter of fact, at its inception it was larger than the City of Birmingham.”

So, in the late 1800s, the image of Bessemer and the reality of life here was quite impressive. “We know this perception was driven by the steel industry and we may never be like that again but we want to make sure that Bessemer is the best version of itself that it can be,” said Mayor Gulley, who also talked about improvements that are visible right now.

“Over the last 10 to 12 years, we’ve created 10,000 new jobs, we’ve worked on infrastructure. We built the city’s first youth and senior recreation facility. We built a new city hall and we’ve also done about $30 to $35 million in paving.”

Despite these accomplishments the hunger for more progress persists. In 2020, Bessemer formulated a 20-year plan called Vision 2040, a collective imagining of the city we want to be. Now, four years later, the city is working with the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) on our Comprehensive Plan, the playbook for how we'll achieve those goals.

Experts Take the Field to Kick Off the Comprehensive Plan

The kick-off for the Comprehensive Plan occurred January 9, 2024 with a presentation at the Bessemer City Council meeting with Mayor Gulley, City Councilors, other city administrators, as well as a room full of citizens receiving an overview of the planning process. Like the ceremonial coin toss, Susan Henderson introduced “The Marvel City Gameplan for Growth” and encouraged everyone to embrace the project. Henderson is leading a planning team assembled by PlaceMakers LLC, a consultant company with high-level skills in planning and urban design, zoning regulations and community engagement.

Just as a successful sports team involves individual, well-trained athletes with unique strengths, PlaceMakers convened listening sessions and enlisted input from diverse groups. Bessemer city department heads, business leaders, ministers and representatives of several non-governmental organizations attended separate meetings and shared their perspectives on Bessemer’s current challenges and future opportunities.

The listening sessions were led by Dr. Jennifer Hurley, an expert planner with an emphasis on public involvement. Dr. Hurley created an environment for active engagement and dialogue, igniting the collaborative spirit needed for a successful Comprehensive Plan.

The Mayor's Expectations of the Strategic Coaches

Mayor Gulley has high hopes for the Comprehensive Plan and wants to draw from the experts’ pool of experience. “We want to go beyond our perspectives and look at others who have faced a similar situation like Bessemer is going through at this time,” Mayor Gulley said, adding “We want to explore things that have been successful in other cities.”

View Mayor Gulley's full interview below:

Calling for Citizens to Join the Team

As work on the Comprehensive Plan continues through November 2024, the residents of Bessemer can expect to witness a series of strategic moves and Mayor Gulley is strongly appealing for citizens’ participation. “By all means, please get involved. Unfortunately, we don’t hear from our citizens oftentimes unless it’s about something negative.’

Mayor Gulley commented further on why all citizens should get in the game. “This Comprehensive Plan gives you an opportunity to work with us, to tell us what you want your city to look like, what you want in your city, independent of the negatives that are going on. Tell us some of the positive things you want to see. Not only tell us about the positive things you want to see in the City of Bessemer, I encourage you to help us make them come to fruition.”

Momentum has Already Started

The word is out and public interest is on a roll. Within two days of the initial presentation, 25 individuals had already completed the digital survey here on this website. Anyone else who wants to have a voice in this process should click on “Participate” in the navigation above. You can also join the email list at the bottom of this page to receive updates. If you would like to schedule a ZOOM meeting for your group or organization, contact Community Engagement Liaison, Karin Hopkins, by emailing karin@placemakers.com.

Let's Unite for the Win

Just as in sports, where victories are celebrated by the entire community, the success of Bessemer's Gameplan for Growth will be a triumph for every resident, bolstering Bessemer’s resilience, unity, and commitment to championship standards. The Comprehensive Plan will be a tool for Bessemer officials to pursue funding and other resources to accomplish goals and priorities. It’s a long-range process that ultimately can usher in a new era for The Marvel City. It starts now with all of Bessemer signed up, tuned in and ready to thrive.

Photos from the Day

On a rainy day with high winds and freezing temperatures, people still ventured to Bessemer City Hall to participate in listening sessions as part of the kick-off for the Bessemer Comprehensive Plan. The individuals represented a broad cross-section of the Bessemer community.