Subject: Study Session
Title
Erie Comprehensive Plan Update
Body
Department: Planning & Development
Presenter(s): Sarah Nurmela, AICP, Director of Planning & Development
Deborah Bachelder, AICP, Deputy Director & Planning Manager
Andrew Spurgin, AICP, Principal Planner - Long Range
Time Estimate: 15 minutes
only required for non-consent items
Staff Recommendation:
Recommendation
Discuss the process outlined below raise any questions or concerns the Board wants staff to address.
End
Summary and Background of Subject Matter:
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 within 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 also address.
Staff initial posted and received responses to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant assistance for the Comprehensive Plan process in 2021. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees postponed selection of the consultant team 2022 to coincide with the addition of new leadership and long-range planning staff. Additionally, staff has expanded the scope of the Comprehensive Plan update to include a more robust transportation and mobility component. The latter scope update accommodates a combined effort to run updates of the Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Master Plan (originally scheduled for 2023) concurrently.
Immediate next steps in the process will be posting an updated RFP and selecting a consultant team to assist Town staff through the Comprehensive Plan process. The role of the consultant team will be to support and amplify the capacity and expertise of Town staff. Staff will lead the consultant selection process and bring a proposed contract with the selected team to the Board of Trustees for approval. Town staff, together with the Board of Trustees, Planning Commission and the community, will lead the visioning and policy direction of the plan. Staff expects the planning process to take approximately 18 months and include extensive public outreach and stakeholder involvement. This process will include regular discussion and study sessions with the Board of Trustees and the Planning Commission, with the potential for a combined study session during the initial visioning phase.
Once the project is underway, staff will return to the Board of Trustees with an update on the overall schedule, key milestones, and community outreach plan.
Board Priority(s) Addressed:
ü Attractive Community Amenities
ü Engaged and Diverse Community
ü Prosperous Economy
ü Well-Maintained Transportation Infrastructure
ü Small Town Feel
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Effective Governance
ü Environmentally Sustainable
ü Fiscally Responsible
Attachment(s):
1. None