SUBJECT:
Title
Erie Comprehensive Plan Update
Body
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Development
PRESENTER: Sarah Nurmela AICP, Director of Planning & Development
Deborah Bachelder AICP, Planning Manager/Deputy Director of Planning & Development
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Not applicable
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Background
The current Erie Comprehensive Plan was drafted and approved in 2005, with minor updates to the text and land use map in 2015. The Town’s significant growth over the past 10 years has changed the face and footprint of the town from the compact Old Town and rural homesteads to a broader, suburban community of parks, amenities, and expanded commercial uses. With continued potential for growth on the horizon, the Town’s vision and policies addressing all aspects of community building and experience should be evaluated and updated. Additionally, new challenges and opportunities are present-from increased housing costs to employment and growth opportunity along I-25 on the Town’s Erie Gateway property. Mobility, equity, sustainability, and long-term resilience are all key factors that the update to the Comprehensive Plan should address.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant assistance for the Comprehensive Plan process was initially posted and responded to in 2021. Ultimately, selection of the consultant team was postponed until 2022 to coincide with the addition of new leadership and long-range planning staff. Additionally, the scope of the Comprehensive Plan has expanded to include a more robust transportation and mobility component. The latter scope update accommodates a combined effort to run the Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Master Plan (originally scheduled for 2023) concurrently.
Immediate next steps in the process will be an updated RFP posting and selection of a consultant team to assist Town staff through the Comprehensive Plan process. Staff will provide the Planning Commission with a briefing of the outcome and the consultant team recommendation for the Board of Trustees. The role of the consultant team will be to support and amplify the capacity and expertise of Town staff. Town staff, together with Planning Commission, Board of Trustees, and the community, will lead the visioning and policy direction of the plan. The planning process is expected to take approximately 18 months and will include extensive public outreach and stakeholder involvement. This process will include regular check-ins and discussion sessions with the Planning Commission, as the approval body of the Comprehensive Plan.