Recap of June 2nd Community Meeting
By: Jennifer Peterson, Community Development Director
Approximately 70 -80 people attended our first community meeting. POND and Company began the evening with an overview of the comprehensive planning process in general and a presentation of data to show the existing state of the City. To view their presentation please click here.
The data gathered thus far is value neutral. This means that professional planners have reviewed the existing city statistics and forecasts. However now the community needs to weigh in on how we value those statements, and give opinions as to what sorts of issues and opportunity we focus our resources upon.
The group then did an exercise to discuss “Issues” and “Opportunities” within the City. The exercise was designed to solicit opinions and comments to show what the community agrees are issues that should get our attention, and to discuss what opportunities are the most important to capitalize.
The group then split into eight tables to do a “Preserve/Change” exercise. Each table was given a map of the city, orange dots that signify change and green dots that signify preservation. The goal of the exercise was for each table to show what areas of the city should be preserved as they are, and what areas of the City should be changed. Moderators were at each table to write down the comments and details of discussion, such as what sort of change is appropriate for each area or what about an area should be preserved while recognizing that the passage of time does require small changes and reinvestment.
The next meeting will focus on transportation and urban design. I hope to see you there!