Planning Commission Agenda and Packet 2024 07 11

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024 Page 7 of 8 Choi said that there were sections on special districts and neighborhood development which had not come up in his time on the Commission. Brauneis suggested that Choi may have been referring to a former idea to have small area plans, though this was never implemented. Choi confirmed that this is what he was referring to. Hunt said that as a relatively new member of the Commission, she had not yet used it. Bangs said that he had some concern about the potential overrepresentation of a vocal minority in public comments, and that he wanted to see the Comprehensive Plan survey be as balanced as possible. Mihaly said that he appreciated the use of aspirational language, but that he wanted the focus to be on actionability. He wanted to know how the focus groups were organized, and how their memberships were selected. Cotey said that the focus groups were topically based and were composed of experts on the relevant subject matter. Mihaly asked whether they were tracking the number of responses for the survey. Cotey said that they were. Baskett wondered if there was a way to reflect the varying viewpoints in the community in the plan. Mihaly suggested that they should try to identify ways that they could address issues around housing whilst still preserving the character of the community. Moline would like to see the plan give some guidance on how to balance the different values of the community. He also spoke of the importance of the plan being actionable. Hunt thought that the City's vision and values from the last plan were still largely accurate. Cotey asked the Commissioners if there were any values from the last plan that did not resonate with them. Hunt said that they all resonated with her. What stood out to her, though, was that the way those values were attained had changed. This was particularly the case with the notable decline in affordability. Brauneis said that he agreed. Choi said that all the previous plan's values were important to him. He said that he would also add things like sustainable growth. He also noted that there had been significant changes to City services over the last decade. Bangs said that he agreed with the comments from other Commissioners and highlighted the importance of trying to strike a balance between the different values. He also suggested that housing affordability should be its own point rather than being nested under families and individuals. Mihaly said that the plan needed to address what "small town character" actually meant, and how residents would define it. Hunt agreed. 9