With the release of the 2040 Plan “Final Draft” and upcoming Planning Commission meeting next week, it is highly likely that the 2040 Comprehensive Plan will be moved forward to City Council. Public concern about the plans contents and future impact will need to be presented and substantiated at this meeting. Citizen attendance and participation is important at this meeting. A large turnout of citizens at this meeting is needed in order to communicate to the Planning Commission that many citizens have specific concerns and are not in favor of moving the 2040 Comprehensive Plan forward to City Council.
Over the next few weeks, the City of Georgetown will give us all opportunities to fill our cups with abundant joy. Worship, concerts, tree lightings, ice skating, and caroling will be part of our citywide celebrations. I am grateful for the people who work to ensure that these freedoms and traditions continue and to God for the blessings of this wonderful city.
For several months, I have considered writing on this platform about a different side of our city life. This other side involves the push and pull of citizen involvement versus government decision making surrounding the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the forces of change that are on our doorsteps. Many of you have encouraged me to write on this platform about my involvement, concerns and the next steps in this very important process. It has been a personal struggle for me to articulate my thoughts without seeming judgmental or arrogant. However, being complacent is also problematic. I have been waiting for the right timing for my public comments.
Nick Robinson
Comprehensive plans play a pivotal role in guiding the future of cities throughout the country. They act as a roadmap guiding us toward sustainable, resilient and vibrant communities. You can’t build a house without blueprints. Likewise, you can’t grow a community without a vision, one that is captured in the Comprehensive Plan.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
So, if a Comprehensive Plan is so meaningful, why is the City’s Planning department apparently down playing its importance and implying that it some form of obligatory formality?
Nick Robinson
Ensuring Georgetown’s Future and the Regulation of its Development
Introduction
This post is a logical progression to my previous article which highlighted my involvement with the 2021 Comprehensive Plan (CP) task force which, in my opinion was not utilized in way that gave its members a sense of involvement or achievement. The final draft, sent to the Planning Commission in February of 2022 culminated in a plan that was woefully weak. However, as a unified community, it is time to move forward and decide how best to proceed and rectify the past shortcomings.
