KEARNEY, Neb. - Kearney is looking towards the future with the launch of the Kearney Tomorrow 2050 initiative.

The program aims to guide the long-term development of the community over the next 25 years, and started with public input sessions happening Tuesday and Wednesday.

The public engagement process is a collaboration between the City of Kearney, the Kearney Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council for Buffalo County, and the Kearney Visitor's Bureau. The goal is to gather as many ideas as possible from the community about what they want to see in Kearney's future.

President and CEO of the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Derek Rusher said the city wants to hear the public's ideas, no matter how large they may seem.

"Basically, if you could wave a magic wand over the Kearney area, what would you wish for? And we want to hear those ideas. We want that community engagement and that community voice, because we want your voice to be heard.

The process is still in the beginning stages, with the feedback from these sessions to be compiled into a collaborative document that will guide the city’s planning.

Tuesday's initial meeting had many different topics brought up for discussion with the most common being an increase in affordable housing, more development to the North end of Kearney, retaining local young professionals and expanding Kearney's agricultural and energy footprint.

The information will be reviewed by an ad hoc committee, which will then prioritize the ideas and determine which ones are achievable in the short and long term. 

The final session on Wednesday takes place at 8 a.m. at the newly-renovated visitor's center building at 220 11th Ave.