Jersey Village City Council voted to bring in consulting firm Freese and Nichols to help guide and draft the city's new comprehensive plan at its March 17 meeting. Shad Comeaux, one of the firm's planners, provided council with details on the stages of the process, which begins in April and is expected to last 13 months.
The first step—and one of the most important steps, City Manager Mike Castro said—involves assembling the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. The city issued a request for applications following the March council meeting hoping to engage active residents and business owners representing different parts of the community.
"The most successful plans are the ones where both City Council members and active citizens are involved," Castro said. "Making sure we get good members on this committee is the first and most important step we are going to take as a community to ensure we have a successful plan."
The CPAC will be composed of 12 people, and three alternates will also be selected. City staff collected applications through April 15 and City Council hopes to have the committee members decided upon by April 21.
The CPAC will meet with Freese and Nichols planners several times throughout the 13-month process, with the first scheduled meeting in May, Comeaux said. Members will serve as ambassadors for the community, providing feedback on issues to consider moving forward.
Several council members, including Harry Beckwith III, emphasized the importance of getting business owners involved on the CPAC.
"The economic development part of this is going to be significant, and these are the people who have an interest in that," Beckwith said. "They are helping fund the community through retail sales taxes and should have a say in how we grow."
Councilman Justin Ray also suggested current members of the city's planning and zoning committee be included.
"They have extensive committee experience working with the city," he said. "Planning is what they do."
Comeaux said Freese and Nichols would be working closely with city staff and would also host two public hearings to gather input. Specific dates have not been scheduled, but the public hearings would be around the beginning and the end of the process.
The current Jersey Village Comprehensive Plan was drafted in 1989. The updated plan will be developed over the course of several stages and will tackle land use, transportation, economic development, community facilities, community character, parks and financial planning. Part of the update will also include updating water and wastewater rates based on population growth projections.
"The plan has to be evergreen," Mayor Rod Erskine said. "Every year or two we're going to need to have a workshop and revisit it based on what's changed. Just like in a business, you've got to keep your plan fresh."
