Public input into the process is critical, said Gabe Preston, managing partner at RPI Consulting, the Colorado-based firm hired to update the county’s general plan, as he explained the schedule and process for the update.
The public process will begin with a “vision workshop” to be held on July 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Grand Center. It will be conducted by RPI.
“This meeting is important,” he said, adding that it will produce the “raw material that we’ll carry with us,” throughout the general plan update process.
He said the plan will create a vision for the county’s future for the next 20 years based in part on those things about the county that residents treasure and do not want to be changed, what area residents do want to see changed, and local concerns about living in the county now and for the future.
The vision that will guide the rest of the process is to be “based on what people say,” Preston said.
A prospective vision statement will be developed and brought back to a second public meeting on July 22 to give residents a chance to verify that the consultants got it right, or to explain where they missed the mark.
Participants will be issued keypads at the second meeting so they can express opinions by “voting” for or against proposed vision components, Preston said, calling the voting a form of an opinion poll.
Once the vision is completed, a working group of 12 to 18 residents chosen to represent a cross-section of the community will be established. The members will be “people with multiple perspectives,” to help make sure they understand the issues, Preston said.
The working group is scheduled to begin preparation of a comprehensive plan, with meetings scheduled for July 29 and Aug. 26.
The first step toward developing that comprehensive plan will be the creation of goals that are more refined and organized than the vision statement, he said. Following that, strategies for implementation will be developed. Those strategies will include recommendations for changes to the land-use code.
Standards for road construction in subdivisions are one example of potential land-use code change recommendations that could be made, Preston said.
The working group meetings will be done “seminar style,” with discussion among group members around a table. The public will be welcome to attend. If necessary, a way for individuals to speak on burning issues will be worked out, Preston said.
Preparation of strategies for implementation will include outreach meetings with municipal governments and special interest groups such as the Moab Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We will meet with them on their own turf and on their terms,” Preston said.
Education forums, strategy sessions, and a scientific community survey will be conducted, he said.
Once the strategies are developed, preparation of a “future land use plan” will get underway. It, too, will include education forums in which planning experts explain the issues at hand, followed by a question-and-answer discussion with the public.
The future land use plan will provide land use classifications and mapping that tie the vision, goals, and strategies to the land. It will include sub-area plans for unique areas of the county such as Spanish Valley, Preston said.
A general plan is not regulatory. It will be used to provide a long-term perspective to immediate land use decision-making, he said. Preston said the plan should be a guide for changes needed in the land use code for it to be consistent with the community’s desires.
More information and the community meeting schedule are available at www.grandcountyutah.net/grand_county_general_plan.htm. For questions, contact Preston at 970-382-9886.