Last Thursday, Oct. 24, the Whitesboro Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee met at the Whitesboro Public Library to begin discussions for the future of Whitesboro.
Representatives from Dunaway, the company hired by the city to head up this project, facilitated the meeting, during which the committee was introduced to the elements and purpose of a comprehensive plan, emphasizing its role in managing growth and preservation.
Committee members and city staff participated in two activities: a vision-building session and a mapping exercise.
The vision-building session allowed teams to identify shared community values and a list of top five priorities. Some of these included affordability, community character and small-town charm, educational ability and accessibility and health and wellness.
The mapping exercise allowed participants to pinpoint necessary land uses and potential locations for those uses.
These activities aimed to generate ideas for the initial drafts of the comprehensive plan’s vision statement and future land use map.
The committee consists of about 20 members of the community that represent a range of demographics: business owners, city employees, citizens, first responders, WISD and more. Their job is to serve as the voice of the people and share what’s really important to the citizens of the community.
A city’s comprehensive plan is a long-range strategy that guides the future growth, priorities, services, development and redevelopment of that city. It serves as a general framework that focuses on fulfilling a community vision, building on the foundation of the city’s past and creating a future of excellence by reinforcing the community’s current strengths while addressing opportunities for change.
The committee will meet several times over the next 10 months or so. During that time, the public will have opportunities for input through a website where they can see what’s being discussed and the direction the committee is heading. More details to come.
A comprehensive plan is intended to account for the next 20 years or so. The last time the City of Whitesboro developed a comprehensive plan was in 2020. It can be found on the city’s website at www.whitesboro.org/community/page/comprehensive-plan-2020
Source: Vecteezy.com