* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] ENTERTAIN A MOTION, [Planning Commission Work Session on March 24, 2026.] UH, TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S MOVING PROPERLY. SECOND THAT WE ADOPT THE AGENDA. ANY DISCUSSION HERE OR NONE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, LET IT BE KNOWN BY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AND THAT MOTION HAS CARRIED, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY TYPE OF CONSIDERATION FOR REMOTE PARTICIPATION, UM, PARTICIPATION. TURN IT OVER TO, WITH THAT WE CALL THE CALL THE ORDER, THE MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THE AKIMA COUNTY CONVENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. ADOPT THE AGENDA AND, AND ENTERTAIN A MOTION NOW TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. SO MOVED. SECOND HAS BEEN PROPERLY MOVED. AND SECOND, THAT WE ADOPT, UH, AGENDA AS PRESENTED. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION PASSED. WITH THAT, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. VICE CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. I'M LEE PAM, THE DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A KICKOFF FOR THE MACK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. UM, THIS IS A JOINT WORK SESSION OF THE TWO BODIES. AND, UM, THE, THE BERKELEY GROUP, WHO IS OUR CONSULTANT ON THIS, UH, UH, UH, RECOMMENDED THIS STEP TO SET THE TONE AND TO ALSO GET, UM, UH, Y'ALL'S INITIAL FEELINGS ON HOW TO PROCEED IN TERMS OF, UH, HIGH LEVEL COMMENTS. UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE, THE COMP PLAN REVIEW IS REQUIRED EVERY FIVE YEARS, AND IT'S A, UM, IT'S A MAJOR LIFT FOR ANY LOCALITY. UH, THE COMP PLAN IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND, UH, IN GENERAL AND ADVISORY IN NATURE. SO IT DOES NOT CARRY WITH IT THE, UH, THE, THE FORCE OF LAW, BUT IT IS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT VISIONARY DOCUMENT. UH, UH, THAT TAKES A, UH, ABOUT A 20 TO 30 YEAR LOOK INTO THE FUTURE. NOW, WITH THAT BEING, UH, WITH ALL, WITH THAT ALSO BEING SAID, THIS UPDATE IS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE CODE. WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE UPDATING, UH, POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS, AS WELL AS OTHER STATISTICS AND NEW CONDITIONS. UM, THERE, A, A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE 2018. AND, UH, SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO FACTOR INTO OUR CURRENT COMP PLAN THAT WASN'T, UH, HEAVILY FACTORED INTO THE PREVIOUS COMP PLAN. UH, FOR INSTANCE, THE HRSD FORCE MAIN IS A NEW CONDITION THAT IS GOING TO, UH, THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE HOW WE DEVELOP IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY. THERE WAS A REGIONAL HOUSING STUDY IN 2022 WITH THE FOCUS ON AFFORDABLE AND ATTAINABLE HOUSING. AND THAT HAS NOT BEEN FACTORED. OF COURSE, THAT WAS 2022. OUR COMP PLAN WAS LAST REVISED IN 18. UH, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING A NORTHERN MACK SEWER STUDY. SO THAT IS GOING TO, UH, THAT IS ALSO GOING TO INFLUENCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. SO DISTRICTS ONE, TWO, AND THREE ARE, UH, ARE GONNA BE INFLUENCED BY THAT, UH, UH, BY THAT SEWER STUDY. AS WE ALL KNOW, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAS STRATEGIC AND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, AND WE CAN THROW THOSE, UM, UH, UH, INTO THE HOPPER TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. OTHER THINGS THAT ARE, UH, THAT ARE EITHER NEW OR, UH, OR, UH, HAVE A GREAT INFLUENCE NOW, ROCKET LAB. SO, UH, FACTORING IN WHAT 250 ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES FOR ROCKET LAB WILL DO IN NORTHERN MACK. NASA ALSO HAS TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS VIRGINIA SPACE. SO WE RECENTLY HAVE THOSE TWO REZONINGS FOR VIRGINIA SPACE, THE, UH, 370 ACRES AT, UH, AT THE DARBY FARM, WHICH THEY ARE NOW CALLING THE MARS INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, AS WELL AS THE, UH, OLD SEAFOOD PROCESSING PLANT ON ROUTE 13 ACROSS FROM KAGA TANK. THEY'RE NOW CALLING THAT THE LAUNCH TEAM, MAINTENANCE FACILITY. BUT ALL OF THOSE, UM, AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE, UM, UH, ITEMS, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE ALL NEW. THE RAIL TRAIL. OTHER THINGS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE CURRENT COMP PLAN DOESN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT PLACEMAKING. SO HOW DO WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO LOOK IN 20 YEARS IS, UH, IS WHAT PLACEMAKING IS ALL ABOUT. THE BALANCE BETWEEN, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO ACCOMMODATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS THE RURAL CHARACTER, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE EASTERN SHORE AND TO THE CITIZENS OF THE EASTERN SHORE. UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON IS THE, UH, IS THE ABILITY OF THE EVERYDAY CITIZEN TO UNDERSTAND AND APPROACH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IF ANYBODY'S LOOKED AT THE COMPREHENSIVE [00:05:01] PLAN RECENTLY, THEY'LL FIND A VERY GOOD COMPENDIUM OF FACTS AND FIGURES, MAPS, UH, TECHNICAL DATA, THAT KIND OF STUFF. UM, IT'S, IT'S A WONDERFUL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR ALL THAT. BUT THE, IT'S, IT'S, UH, HUNDREDS OF PAGES LONG AND, UM, IF I, IF I MAY SAY IT'S NOT A VERY APPROACHABLE DOCUMENT, THE WAY THAT IT'S CURRENTLY, UH, UH, UH, LAID OUT AND THE CONTENT AS WELL HERE. UH, AND, AND, UH, JUST FINALLY, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE THE HEART OF ANY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE PAYING, UH, UH, A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THAT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. AS FAR AS HOUSEKEEPING IS CONCERNED. WE'VE GOT BATHROOMS RIGHT OUT HERE IN THE HALLWAY. AND OF COURSE WE'VE GOT REFRESHMENTS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM IF YOU ALL, UM, UH, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANY OF THAT. SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE A STEP BACK. I WANT TO INTRODUCE, UH, STEPHANIE MENA AND FRANK WITH THE BERKELEY GROUP, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE CONDUCTING THE BULK OF THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT. SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL AND STEPHANIE. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. HOW WAS THIS? GOOD. EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME? OKAY. IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU ALL. UM, I'M STEPHANIE WITH THE BERKELEY GROUP. I GOT TO KNOW SOME OF YOU ALL TODAY A BIT. I HAVEN'T MET THE PLANNING COMMISSION MUCH, UM, BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE. BROOKE FRANK IS BEHIND ME. UM, SHE CAN WAVE TO YOU. UM, WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR TWO DAYS NOW. WE TOOK A LONG TOUR WITH LEE AND SHANICE YESTERDAY. UH, WE GOT TO TO COVER A LOT OF GROUND. WE SAW HOUSING, WE SAW WALLOPS, UM, WE SAW SOME COMMERCIAL. WE SAW GOOD ROADS, BAD ROADS. UM, SO WE GOT A GOOD, UM, BOOTS ON THE GROUND EXPERIENCE YESTERDAY. UM, WE'VE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE TODAY SITTING DOWN WITH SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, JUST LEARNING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MACK, THE IDENTITY, THE CULTURE, UH, WHAT'S WORKING HERE, WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED. UM, SO WE'VE JUST GOTTEN STARTED ON THE PROJECT. WE WILL BE WITH YOU ALL FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. SO YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF, A LOT OF ME. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME OTHER FOLKS I'LL INTRODUCE YOU TO JUST ON THE SCREEN. I JUST WANNA SAY BEFORE I GET STARTED, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HURT MY FEELINGS IF YOU WANNA GET UP AND GET A DONUT OR A SNACK. UM, SO IF YOU GET HUNGRY OR THIRSTY, PLEASE GO ON UP THERE. UM, ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA COVER A LITTLE BIT TODAY. AND THIS IS THE BULK OF IT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF ME TALKING AT YOU. UM, THIS IS THE ONE MEETING OUT OF ALL THE ONES WE HAVE TOGETHER. WE'LL, I'LL DO THE BRUNT OF THE TALKING. THE REST OF THE MEETINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE BACK AND FORTH. UM, SO I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT AS QUICK AS I CAN GET THROUGH ALL THIS. UM, BUT STILL GET, GET YOU OUT FOR DINNER. UM, SO WE'LL INTRODUCE WHO WILL BE ON THIS PROJECT, ASIDE FROM BROOKE AND I. UM, WE'LL GO OVER WHAT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS FOR ANYONE THAT IS NEW TO THIS PROCESS OR JUST DOESN'T KNOW. UM, WE'LL GO OVER THE PROCESS IN DETAIL SO YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM TONIGHT FORWARD. WE'LL GO OVER THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN SO THAT YOU ALL KNOW EVERY PIECE OF THE, UM, EVERY COMPONENT OF HOW WE'RE REACHING THE PUBLIC. SO WHEN AND IF YOUR CONSTITUENTS COME TO YOU AND SAY, ALRIGHT, WELL WHEN DO I GET TO SHARE MY PIECE? OR WHEN DO I GET TO, TO GIVE MY INPUT? YOU ALL KNOW. UM, AND THEN WE'LL GO OVER WHAT'S CALLED A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DIAGNOSTIC REPORT. THAT IS MORE OR LESS A REPORT CARD FOR YOUR CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND HOW IT STACKS UP AGAINST STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS, WHICH FOR YOU ALL MEANS CODE OF VIRGINIA AND THE CHESAPEAKE PRESERVATION ACT. UM, SPOILER ALERT, IT'S IN GOOD SHAPE, BUT TO LEE'S POINT, IT'S JUST A LOT OF INFORMATION AND IT'S A LOT TO SORT THROUGH. BUT FROM A A LAW STANDPOINT, YOUR COMP PLAN FOR THE MOST PART HAS EVERYTHING IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE. UM, WE JUST NEED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE MODERN AND A LITTLE MORE USER FRIENDLY. UM, AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE'RE GONNA DO THE MOST FUN THING YOU'VE EVER DONE. UM, AND WE'RE GONNA DO A VISIONING EXERCISE JUST TO KIND OF GET THE BALL ROLLING ON, ON THINKING ABOUT AKAMAK 20 YEARS FROM NOW. UM, POSITIVE, UPLIFTING, THAT SORT OF THING. ALRIGHT, SO, UM, I'M STEPHANIE, UM, I'M VISITING YOU ALL FROM ROANOKE. WE'RE WITH THE BERKELEY GROUP. BROOKE HERE IS BEHIND ME. SHE'S BASED OUT OF RICHMOND. UM, BUT BERKELEY GROUP IS A VIRGINIA BASED LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONSULTING FIRM. WE'RE PRIMARILY HERE IN VIRGINIA. WE DO DO SOME WORK OUT IN GEORGIA AND TEXAS. WE'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OUT WEST. UM, BUT OUR PRIMARY PRESENCE IS HERE IN VIRGINIA. WE'VE GONE FROM ABINGDON, UH, TO MACK AND EVERY PLACE IN BETWEEN. WE HAVE A LOT OF RURAL CLIENTS. UM, WE'VE HELPED NORTHAMPTON ON THEIR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. WE'RE WORKING WITH THE A-N-P-D-C ON THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. UM, SO WE FEEL VERY AT HOME HERE, BEING BACK ON THE EASTERN SHORE. WE'RE WORKING IN CAPE CHARLES ON A FUN PROJECT. UM, SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BERKELEY GROUP. WE HAVE A SPREAD OF FOLKS WHO DO LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. THE PART OF THE TEAM THAT BROOKE AND I ARE WITH, UM, OUR BREAD AND BUTTER, IF YOU WILL, IS COMPREHENSIVE PLANS [00:10:01] AND ZONING ORDINANCES AND SUBDIVISION. UM, SO WE GO TO COMMUNITIES AND WE HELP THEM REWRITE THOSE DOCUMENTS. UM, CECILE GAINES, UM, WILL ALSO BE ON THE PROJECT. SHE MIGHT BE HERE, UM, BENJAMIN TRIPP. AND IT'LL BE ANY COMBINATION OF US. ANYTIME WE COME UP, WE'LL TRY TO COME IN TWOS. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE FRIENDLY FACES YOU'LL SEE ON THE PROJECT. UM, I'LL BE HERE A LOT, SO WE'LL GET VERY CLOSE AND VERY FRIENDLY, I HOPE. ALRIGHT, IT'S TAKING ITS TIME. ALRIGHT, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS, AND I'M SURE MANY OF YOU THAT HAVE SAT IN YOUR POSITIONS FOR A WHILE NOW KNOW THIS, YOU WORK WITH IT. UM, AND LEE TOUCHED ON IT FOR JUST A MOMENT. UM, WELCOME IN. THERE ARE SNACKS IF YOU WANT ANYTHING. UM, UP HERE BEHIND ME. UM, IT'S A LONG RANGE PLANNING DOCUMENT. IT'S AKIN TO A STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, BUT IT'S NOT AS GRANULAR AND IT'S A MUCH LARGER TIMEFRAME. SO WHAT IT IS, IT'S A VISIONING DOCUMENT. HE TOUCHED ON IT, IT'S NOT LAW, IT'S JUST A GUIDING, UH, LIGHT, IF YOU WILL. IT'S KIND OF THE GOAL THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO REACH IN A 20 YEAR, 30 YEAR TIME SPAN. IT IS REQUIRED TO BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS. THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. UM, AND THAT'S OKAY. ALL YOU, ALL THAT STATE CODE REQUIRES IS THAT EVERY FIVE YEARS YOU GET TOGETHER, YOU REVIEW IT, YOU ADD TO IT, REVISE IT IF YOU NEED TO. BUT WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING NOW IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS EVERY FIVE YEARS. SOME FOLKS CAN GO AN ENTIRE CAREER, UM, EITHER STAFF OR BOARD AND NEVER SEE THIS PROCESS. UM, SO DOING THIS IS A BIG STEP. IT'S USUALLY DONE PIECEMEAL. UM, YOU'LL HAVE A COMP PLAN. YOU'LL DO, YOU'LL ADD TO IT WHAT YOU NEED. UM, SO WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS KIND OF TAKING WHAT YOU HAVE. WE'RE GONNA SET IT TO THE SIDE AND START, START FROM SCRATCH. UM, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SHOWCASE YOUR ASSETS AND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL AS WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED UPON. SO IT'S A LOT ABOUT EXISTING CONDITIONS, BUT IT'S MORE, OR EVEN JUST ABOUT AS MUCH WHAT'S NEXT? UM, YOU TAKE THE DATA, YOU SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHO'S LIVING HERE. THIS IS HOW MUCH THEY'RE MAKING, THESE ARE THE FACILITIES WE HAVE. AND THEN YOU SET OUT SOME VERY HIGH LEVEL STEPS TO IMPROVE UPON THOSE THINGS OR ANSWER THE NEEDS THAT YOU HAVE BASED ON THAT DATA. UM, THE TWO OBVIOUS ROLES THAT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN HAS FOR MOST FOLKS, TRANSPORTATION, UM, SMART SCALE, IF YOU KNOW, RAISE YOUR HAND IF THAT RINGS A BELL TO ANYONE. OKAY. UM, WHEN VDOT IS GIVEN AN APPLICATION FOR A GRANT, THE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY'RE THAT THEY'RE GONNA DO IS THEY'RE GONNA GO TO A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THEY'RE GONNA SAY, IS THAT PROJECT IN YOUR PLAN? UM, SO IT'S A PIECE, UH, IT'S A HUGE PIECE OF, OF SEEKING GRANTS FOR TRANSPORTATION. A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS, IT'S ALSO YOUR ROADMAP FOR, FOR LAND USE. SO WHEN YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT REZONINGS CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS, UM, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT FUTURE LAND USE MAP TO SAY, WHAT DOES THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SAY? SO THOSE ARE TWO, TWO OBVIOUS ROLES THAT THE COMP PLAN HAS. UM, IT DECIDES, IT, IT LEADS ALL OF YOUR DECISION MAKING. UM, SO HOW YOU'RE SPENDING MONEY, HOW YOU'RE BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS, UM, ALL OF THOSE GOOD THINGS. UM, IT IS CYCLICAL, A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IT'S VERY MUCH A LIVING DOCUMENT, RIGHT? UM, SO WHILE FOLKS MAY NOT SIT DOWN EVERY FIVE YEARS AND COMPLETELY REWRITE IT, UM, PEOPLE ARE CHANGING EVERY DAY. PEOPLE ARE LEAVING, PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN, JOBS ARE COMING, JOBS ARE GOING, HOUSING MARKETS CHANGE. UM, SO THE DATA THAT MAKES MIMA COUNTY CHANGES EVERY DAY. UM, AND, AND THAT, THAT LEADS TO NEW NEEDS, RIGHT? NEW OPPORTUNITIES. UM, SO A COMP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS NOT STATIC. UM, WE COULD WRITE IT TODAY, WE'LL WRITE IT FOR 20 YEARS, BUT 10 YEARS FROM NOW, SOMETHING COULD RISE UP THAT WE DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR. AND THAT'S OKAY. UM, COMP PLANS CAN BE AMENDED. COMP PLANS CAN BE ADDED TO. UM, SO IT'S VERY MUCH A CYCLE FOR A COMP PLAN. YOU KIND OF TAKE EXISTING CONDITIONS, STOCK OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, UH, WHERE YOU'RE AT TODAY. YOU ESTABLISH SOME GOALS FOR THE FUTURE. YOU SET A DIRECTION ON HOW TO GET THERE. TYPICALLY THEY'RE CALLED STRATEGIES. UM, AND THEN YOU, YOU BUILD A PLAN FROM THERE. THAT'S KIND OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF A COMP PLAN. COMP PLANS TOUCH ON QUITE A BIT. UM, STATE LAW REQUIRES LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION. UM, A LITTLE BIT OF HOUSING, BUT COMP PLANS TOUCH ON A LOT, LOT MORE THAN THAT. TYPICALLY, THEY WILL HAVE AT THE VERY LEAST, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, PUBLIC UTILITIES, UM, PRIVATE UTILITIES, HISTORIC CULTURAL, NATURAL RESOURCES. THE ENVIRONMENT, OF COURSE IS A BIG ONE FOR FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, IN THE CHES BAY AREA. UM, AND THEN, UH, ECONOMIC AND, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BRINGING IN NEW INDUSTRY, FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU HAVE. UM, SO A COMP [00:15:01] PLAN CAN TOUCH ON A LOT MORE. AGRICULTURE IS IN THERE. PARKS AND RECREATION. UM, I WILL SAY IT DOESN'T REPLACE ANYTHING, RIGHT? SO YOU MIGHT HAVE A PUBLIC WORK STRATEGIC PLAN, YOU MIGHT HAVE A PARKS AND REC PLAN. THE LIBRARY MIGHT HAVE A PLAN. UM, AND THOSE ALL GET A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC. THIS DOCUMENT WILL STILL TOUCH ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS, BUT IN A VERY, VERY BROAD SENSE. UM, SO IT TAKES A, A WHOLE, A HOLISTIC PICTURE AT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. UM, AND AGAIN, WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED ON, CAPITALIZED ON LEVERAGED, UM, PIECES OF THE PLAN. WE TRY TO BREAK THIS DOWN TO MAKE IT USER FRIENDLY, EASY TO FIND. AND SO EVERYONE KIND OF KNOWS WHAT IT'S FOR, WHO'S USING IT WHEN THEY USE IT. UM, STARTS WITH A VISION. EVERY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN HAS A VISION, UM, WHERE YOU WANNA BE IN, IN 2050. THAT'S THE HORIZON FOR THIS PLAN. SO IN 2050, YOU WANT TO BE X, Y, AND Z DOING X, Y, AND Z. THAT VISION IS THE GUIDING LIGHT FOR THE WHOLE PLAN. SO EVERY STRATEGY THAT'S IN THERE, EVERY POLICY THAT'S IN THERE GOES BACK TO THAT VISION. UM, FROM THERE YOU BUILD OUT SOME PRINCIPLES, SOME KEY THEMES. WHAT MATTERS TO YOU THE MOST? UM, WE'LL JUST PICK OUT SOME OBVIOUS THINGS. YOU HAVE A VISION IN 2050. WE WANT TO HAVE BLACKOUT CURTAINS EVERYWHERE. UM, AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US ARE PENS, CELL PHONES AND PIECES OF PAPER. AND THEN YOU BUILD THE PLAN FROM THOSE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS THAT YOU PICK OUT. UM, WE THEN BREAK IT DOWN INTO PLAN ELEMENTS AND GOALS. THOSE ARE WHAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC FACILITIES. THAT'S WHERE KIND OF THE DATA LIVES. THE EXISTING CONDITIONS WE GIVE SNIPPETS. UM, AND THEN THE MEAT OF A PLAN IS THE STRATEGY. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? THIS IS THE FACT, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS. UM, THIS IS THE GOAL, THIS IS THE STRATEGY. WE HAVE TO OVERCOME IT, USE IT, MAKE IT BETTER, IMPROVE UPON IT, WHATEVER THE SITUATION MAY BE. AND THEN YOUR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS HOW YOU DO IT YEAR BY YEAR. DECISION BY DECI. DECISION BY DECISION. IT WILL TAKE ALL OF THE STRATEGIES AND IT WILL ASSIGN SOME RESPONSIBLE PARTIES, MAYBE SOME TIMELINES, PRIORITIES, SO THAT WHEN YOU ALL ARE MAKING DECISIONS, YOU CAN STACK UP AND SAY, WELL, THIS ONE'S WAY MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT TAKES LESS TIME. OR, THIS ONE TAKES WAY MORE TIME, BUT IT'S NOT VERY EXPENSIVE. UM, AND THEN YOU CAN KIND OF WEIGH WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND EVERYONE CAN HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE ON HOW TO GET THAT DONE. THE COMP PLAN ALSO TIES TO A LOT OF OTHER ELEMENTS. DOCUMENTS, PLANS, STUDIES, UM, THAT YOU USE OR HEAR ABOUT BUDGETS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS, HAZARD MITIGATION PLANS, PROTECTION PLANS, RESOURCE PROTECTION PLANS. UM, OTHER STRATEGIC PLANS, LIKE I MENTIONED. LET'S SAY A DEPARTMENT HAS ONE STRATEGIC PLAN. IT MAY INFORM THAT. AND THEN THE MOST OBVIOUS IS THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE. UM, ANYTHING THAT'S IN THOSE DOCUMENTS, YOU REALLY COME BACK TO YOUR COMP PLAN AND YOU SAY, ALRIGHT, WHAT DID THE COMP PLAN GUIDE US TO DO? HOW DO WE BREAK UP THIS COMMERCIAL, THIS RESIDENTIAL? UM, SO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SETS THE TONE, IF YOU WILL. AND THEN ALL OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL PIECES HAMMER DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE ON ONE DETAIL OR ANOTHER TO MAKE THE COMP PLAN A REALITY. BECAUSE REMEMBER, COMP PLAN IS LIKE PIE IN THE SKY. WE GOT EVERYTHING WE WANTED, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT. UM, AND THEN YOU USE ALL OF THESE OTHER TOOLS TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT HAPPEN. UM, SINCE THAT COMP PLAN IS JUST THE VISION, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THE REGULATORY TOOL ITSELF. I NEED A ALRIGHT, UH, MISCONCEPTION A LOT IS THAT THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT USE A PLAN ARE THE FOLKS ON THIS SIDE OF THE ROOM AND THIS SIDE OF THE ROOM. THE COMMUNITY USES THIS PLAN JUST AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE DEVELOPERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, SOMEONE WANTS TO COME IN HERE, DEVELOP NEW HOUSING, DEVELOP ANOTHER ROCKET LAB, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, THEY'RE GONNA GO TO THAT PLAN AND THEY'RE GONNA SAY, DOES IT WANT ME THERE? AND WHERE DOES IT WANT ME TO GO? AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA CALL STAFF. UM, SO THE COMMUNITY USES IT IN THAT RESPECT. THE COMMUNITY CAN AND SHOULD USE IT TO HOLD EVERYONE HERE ACCOUNTABLE. UM, AGAIN, WHAT YOU POINT PUT, PUT IN THAT PLAN FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, UM, THEY CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, ALRIGHT, THEY SAID WE'RE GOING TO GIVE EVERYONE PIECES OF PAPER. UM, ARE YOU DOING IT? DOES EVERYONE HAVE A PIECE OF PAPER IN 10 YEARS? UM, SO THE COMMUNITY USES IT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. COUNTY STAFF AND PLANNING COMMISSION. UH, YOU ALL USE IT PRIMARILY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, RIGHT? REZONINGS OR CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS. UM, THEY'LL ALSO USE IT COUNTY STAFF TO TO, TO GUIDE THEIR BUDGETS TO A DEGREE. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS USES IT FOR A NUMBER OF THINGS. THOSE DISCRETIONARY APPROVALS, BUDGETS, CIP, UM, WHAT PARTNERSHIPS YOU MIGHT PURSUE. UM, AND THEN REGIONAL PARTNERS. THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE [00:20:01] HERE IS A-N-P-D-C. VDOT IS ANOTHER ONE. UM, MOST GRANT PROGRAMS, FEDERAL OR STATE, THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THIS COMP PLAN AND THEY'RE GOING TO SEE WHATEVER THEY'RE ASKING FOR. IS IT IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IN THAT PLAN? UM, SO THAT'S A PRIMARY ROLE FOR THE COMP PLAN WHEN IT COMES TO REGIONAL PARTNERS. UM, IT JUST SETS THE POLICY TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN, WHEN FOLKS ARE ASKING, UH, FOR MONEY OR, OR FORMING PARTNERSHIPS OR SETTING NEW POLICY, UM, THAT IT GOES BACK TO A CENTRAL IDEA THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY KIND OF AGREED ON. OKAY. UM, WE'VE TOUCHED ON THIS A BIT. WHY UPDATE THE PLAN BESIDES LEGALLY REQUIRED? LEAVE THAT TOTALLY OUTTA THE MIX. UM, LIFE CHANGES, RIGHT? WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT. WE COULD WRITE THIS PLAN, WE'LL BE DONE NEXT AUGUST. SOMETHING COULD CHANGE THAT, YOU KNOW, CHANGES THE WHOLE FABRIC OF THAT IN FIVE YEARS. AND, AND YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW. UM, SO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE, THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HERE, THE INDUSTRIES THAT COME HERE, UM, ALL OF THAT CHANGES OVER TIME. AND YOU NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE. UM, I THINK IT WAS LAST UPDATED 2018 BEFORE THAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHEN IT WAS UPDATED BEFORE THAT. UM, BUT THE ENVIRONMENT CHANGES, RIGHT? REGULATORY, UM, PROCEDURES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT CHANGE. UM, AND WHILE IDENTITY TYPICALLY DOESN'T CHANGE, PRIORITIES MIGHT, UM, AKAMAK WILL ALWAYS BE WHAT AKAMAK IS, BUT THOSE PRIORITIES MIGHT SHIFT A LITTLE BIT. UM, AND YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COMP PLAN IS RECOGNIZING THOSE PRIORITIES. OKAY? WE'RE GONNA GO OVER A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS. SO WE ARE IN THAT VERY FIRST, UM, COLUMN, AND WE'RE AT THE VERY START OF THE PROJECT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE BEEN UP HERE. UH, WE WILL BE WITH YOU THROUGH AUGUST OF NEXT YEAR. SO ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, MORE OR LESS. AND I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS FOR YOU. HIGH LEVEL, TELL YOU EACH STEP OF THE WAY, WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE DOING IT IN THREE PHASES. FIRST ONE IS WE'RE INVESTIGATING. WE'RE SEEING WHAT'S GOING ON. WE'RE TALKING WITH YOU ALL. WE'RE TALKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE'RE TALKING WITH STAFF. WE'RE DRIVING AROUND, WE'RE CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS, IF YOU WILL. WE'RE LOOKING AT CENSUS DATA, AND WE'RE GETTING A PICTURE OF WHO AKIMA COUNTY IS AND WHAT'S GOING ON. A BIG PIECE OF THIS PHASE IS THAT THIRD COLUMN RIGHT THERE. AND THAT'S COMMUNITY INPUT. IT IS THE BACKBONE AND THE LIFEBLOOD OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITHOUT COMMUNITY INPUT. THIS PLAN IS NOT FOR ME. I DON'T LIVE HERE. THIS PLAN IS NOT JUST FOR YOU ALL, IT'S FOR THOSE FOLKS OUT THERE THAT LIVE HERE. UM, AND WHAT WE HEAR FROM THEM DIRECTLY INFORMS THE PLAN. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE COMMUNITY SAYS, WE WANT ALL KINDS OF PENS THAT WRITE IN BLUE INK, AND WE GO IN THAT PLAN AND SAY THEY ALL NEED TO WRITE IN PURPLE INK. UM, WE'RE NOT WRITING THE RIGHT THING, RIGHT? JUST TO GIVE YOU A VERY, UM, LIKE CRUDE ANALOGY FOR IT. SO WE GO TO THE PUBLIC TO HEAR WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING, WHAT THEY LOVE, WHAT MAKES MIMA COUNTY GREAT, OR WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED ON. UM, AND THEN WE PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER. WE SYNTHESIZE IT, WE SUMMARIZE IT, AND THEN WE START DRAFTING THE PLAN. UM, AND THEN THAT LEADS US TO THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH IS VISIBLY THE SHORTEST ON HERE, BUT ABSOLUTELY THE LONGEST PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE. UH, WE WILL START IN AUGUST WITH YOU ALL, AND WE WILL TAKE IT BIT BY BIT CHAPTER BY CHAPTER TO WRITE THAT PLAN. WE WILL DO THAT THROUGH FOUR WORK SESSIONS. SO FOUR MORE OF THESE, BUT IT WILL BE LESS OF ME DOING THIS RIGHT NOW. UM, AND I'LL PRESENT TO YOU A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS AT A TIME AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT IT AS A GROUP. WHAT WE GOT, RIGHT, WHAT BERKELEY GROUP GOT, RIGHT? WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED, NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED, WHAT IT'S MISSING. UM, AND WE'LL WRITE THE PLAN TOGETHER AS A GROUP A LITTLE BY LITTLE. WE HAVE FOUR OF THOSE, AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR. AND THEN JANUARY, MARCH OF 27. THEN FROM THERE, WE TAKE IT BACK TO THE PUBLIC. WE TAKE THE WHOLE PLAN TOGETHER AND WE SAY, DID WE HEAR YOU CORRECTLY? AND WE HOPE THE PUBLIC COMES OUT AND THEY READ THE PLAN. WE ASK, THEY ASK US QUESTIONS, GIVE US FEEDBACK. WE HEAR WHAT WE DIDN'T GET QUITE RIGHT, HEAR WHAT IT'S MISSING HERE, WHAT NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED. WE BRING ALL OF THAT BACK TO YOU. UM, TWO VERY IMPORTANT GROUPS. UM, DON'T, THEY COULD BE IN THE ROOM, I HOPE NOT. UM, V DE EQ, THEY ALSO REVIEW THIS PLAN. I DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE THEM OUT. SO WHEN WE GO TO THE PUBLIC, WE WILL SEND THAT OFF TO THEM AND THEY WILL LOOK AT THAT THROUGH TWO LENSES, UM, TO MAKE SURE IT, IT STACKS UP TO WHAT THEY ALSO KNOW ABOUT AKIMA COUNTY, UM, SINCE THEY ARE HERE. AND THEN STATE REQUIREMENTS. SO VDOT HAS STATE PLANS, UM, OF THEIR OWN. SO THEY LOOK AT COMPREHENSIVE PLANS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT COUNTY, TOWN, CITY PLAN MATCHES, [00:25:01] STATE PLANS, UM, AND DEQ WILL DO THE SAME, BUT IT'LL ALSO LOOK AT IT FROM A CHESAPEAKE BAY PRESERVATION ACT LENS AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT PLAN IS MEETING ALL OF THOSE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS. UM, THAT ADMINISTRATIVE CODE REQUIRES, UM, RIGHT NOW YOUR CURRENT PLAN MEETS ALL OF THEM. IT COULD BE IMPROVED, A LITTLE BIT MAPPING UPDATED, UM, BUT IT'S MAPPING CERTAIN INVENTORIES, CERTAIN RESOURCES, AND THEN HAVING CERTAIN POLICY ON, UM, EROSION, SHORELINE MANAGEMENT, ALL OF THE OBVIOUS THINGS. SO WE'LL SEND IT OUT TO THEM, MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THEIR, WE GET THEIR SIGN OFF ON IT AS WELL. UM, AND THEN WE BRING THAT BACK TO YOU AND WE SAY, THIS IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID. THIS IS WHAT VDOT SAID. THIS IS WHAT DEQ SAID, THIS IS WHAT WE THINK WE SHOULD CHANGE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. AND THEN WE FINALIZE THE PLAN. UM, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE A QUICK PROCESS, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT AS QUICK AS IT SEEMS. UM, WE'LL HAVE LOTS OF GOOD DISCUSSION IN THIS VERY ROOM GOING OVER, I MEAN, STRATEGY BY STRATEGY AS A GROUP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION IN THAT PLAN. OKAY? IF THIS IS TOO, TOO SMALL TO READ, THERE IS ALSO A PRINTOUT OF IT. I JUST WANNA TOUCH ON THIS AGAIN. SO WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A FEW MINUTES AGO. THIS IS THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN. UM, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S WORTH SAYING, NO PLAN IS, IS IS GOOD WITH NO GREAT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. UM, SO WE ARE PLANNING SOME ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TO MAKE SURE WE GET OUT THERE, OUT THERE, TALK TO THE COMMUNITY AND GET, GET THEIR INPUT. UM, SO WHAT WE HAVE ON DECK FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS AN ONLINE SURVEY. IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON PAPER SHOULD SOMEONE NEED IT. NO INTERNET ACCESS, NO COMPUTER ACCESS. UM, WE CAN, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK WITH STAFF ABOUT WHERE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE. SO PRIMARILY ONLINE. BUT IF YOU HAVE CONSTITUENTS THAT NEED A PAPER COPY, THEY WILL HAVE THAT. SO WE'LL HAVE A SURVEY. UM, WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC WORKSHOPS, WHICH ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. ANYONE CAN COME. WE WILL HAVE TWO OF THOSE. THOSE ARE AN EVENING FORMAT. THEY ARE ABOUT TWO HOURS. SO THEY ARE A COMMITMENT, UM, TO COME OUT TO, TO JOIN, UM, TO CATCH THE FOLKS THAT DO NOT HAVE A TWO HOUR COMMITMENT IN THEM. WE WILL HAVE WHAT ARE CALLED POPUPS. WE WILL HAVE FOUR OF THOSE. THOSE ARE DROP IN. YOU CAN COME FOR 30 MINUTES AND CHAT WITH US. YOU CAN COME FOR FIVE AND LEAVE YOUR FEEDBACK. AND AT BOTH OF THESE, UM, TYPES OF EVENTS, WE HAVE INTERACTIVE EXERCISES TO GET FOLKS, UH, TO GIVE US THEIR THOUGHTS ON TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, LAND USE, COMMUNITY FACILITIES. WE KIND OF LIKE RUN THE GAMBIT ON WHAT WE ASK. UM, SO WE HAVE A MORE IN DEPTH EXPERIENCE IF THAT'S WHAT SOMEONE IS LOOKING FOR. UM, BUT IF ALL THEY HAVE TIME FOR IS A QUICK FIVE MINUTE, 10 MINUTE, UH, CONVERSATION, WE HAVE FOUR OF THOSE. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE WHAT WE CALL FOCUS GROUPS. WE HAVE FOUR OF THOSE. AND THOSE ARE INVITATION ONLY. UM, FOR FOLKS THAT ARE TO BE CONSIDERED SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UM, DEVELOPERS, HOUSING, UM, DEVELOPERS, UM, VDOT, DEQ, FOLKS FROM THE AGRICULTURE AQUACULTURE COMMUNITY, UM, FOLKS THAT AGAIN, HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF, OF SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO SHARE ON A GIVEN TOPIC. UM, AND WE LIKE TO PAIR THOSE UP WITH LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS. SO DEVELOPERS AND, AND REAL ESTATE AGENTS MIGHT BE IN THE SAME GROUP, RIGHT? UM, SO THOSE, WE ARE WORKING WITH STAFF TO, TO FILL OUT THOSE GROUPS. IF YOU HAVE GOOD THOUGHTS ABOUT ANYONE THAT WOULD BE A GREAT FIT FOR THAT, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH STAFF. UM, BUT THOSE ARE WHAT THE FOCUS GROUPS ARE. UM, THEY'RE ONE HOUR. UM, AND THEY'RE MEANT TO JUST BE A DIALED IN DISCUSSION ABOUT VERY SPECIFIC TOPICS AS THEY RELATE TO THE COMP PLAN. UM, AND THEN I ALWAYS LIKE TO CALL THIS OUT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FEEL QUITE THE SAME AS EVERYTHING IN THAT BLUE CATEGORY. UM, BUT WE STILL HAVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT THE END OF THE PLAN. SO REMEMBER WE HAVE THAT PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE. SO WHEN WE GET THE PLAN ALL DRAFTED, WE TAKE IT BACK AND WE SAY, HERE'S THE WHOLE PLAN. WHAT DO YOU THINK? UM, AND THEN THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, AS YOU KNOW, IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. UM, AND THESE WORK SESSIONS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE'S NOT A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD, UM, AS TYPICAL FOR A HEARING, BUT THEY ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SHOULD ANYONE EVER WANNA COME SIT IN AND WATCH AS WE'RE GETTING INTO MORE OF THE MEAT OF IT. SO HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PHOTOS OF THE POPUPS IN THE WORKSHOPS, JUST TO GIVE YOU A FEEL OF WHAT THEY ARE. UM, SO AGAIN, POPUPS ARE QUICK. UM, CATCH PEOPLE ON THE WAY IN AND OUTTA THE GROCERY STORE. CATCH 'EM AT A COFFEE SHOP THAT'S BUSY IN THE MORNING, CATCH 'EM AT A FESTIVAL, UM, WHEN THEY COULD JUST BE WALKING BY. THEY HAVE THEIR KIDS WITH THEM. THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY TO GET THEIR KIDS. AND ALL THEY HAVE IS TIME TO GIVE YOU TWO MINUTES. UM, ON THE LEFT, THERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF [00:30:01] A WORKSHOP. SMALL GROUPS. IT'S FUN. YOU'RE GETTING MARKERS OUT, YOU'RE DRAWING ON MAPS, YOU'RE TALKING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS. UM, SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE POPUPS AND THE WORKSHOPS. FOCUS GROUPS. WE TOUCHED ON THESE, THESE AREN'T NAILED DOWN YET, BUT THESE ARE THE GROUPS THAT ARE TYPICALLY REPRESENTED IN SOME FORM OR FASHION. UM, UTILITIES AND SERVICES, HAMPTON ROAD, SANITATION, PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. UM, EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION, ANY COMPONENT OF THE PLAN. UM, AND I KNOW I'M KIND OF LIKE BEATING A DEAD HORSE HERE 'CAUSE I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT. WHAT'S IN A PLAN? ANY REPRESENTATIVE THAT CAN, THAT ADD A LITTLE BIT OF DETAILED INFORMATION ON THAT PARTICULAR COMPONENT. UM, AND THEN I WANNA SAY BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THIS, WE'RE STILL FINALIZING TIMES AND PLACES. UM, BUT THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS LOOKING LIKE THE LAST WEEK OF APRIL AND THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY. SO IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER. SURVEY WILL BE OPEN, UM, ON A HUGE WINDOW EITHER SIDE OF THAT. WE'RE HOPING FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS OF, OF SURVEY TIME. UM, BUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. PLEASE LET YOUR CONSTITUENTS KNOW, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS. UM, KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEBSITE AND, AND, UM, TO LOOK FOR THAT INFORMATION AS IT COMES OUT DETAILS, BUT IT'S, IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER. OKAY? THE NEXT THING IS THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT, WHICH IS THAT THING I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE A REPORT CARD. I THINK EVERYONE MIGHT HAVE A PRINTOUT OF IT. UM, IT'S THE BIGGER DOCUMENT. IT'S IN YOUR PACKET. THIS LOOKED AT A FEW THINGS, HOW YOU STACK UP AGAINST CODE OF VIRGINIA, HOW YOU STACK UP AGAINST CHES BAY PRESERVATION ACT, AND THEN AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION BEST PRACTICES. AND WE TOOK A, TOOK A LOOK THROUGH YOUR PLAN. UM, AND IN THAT, ACTUALLY, COULD I BORROW YOURS? SURE. IN YOUR, IN YOUR DOCUMENT, THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. IT'S REALLY, UM, INTERESTING READING. SHOULD ANYONE NEED SOMETHING TO READ TONIGHT? UM, RIVETING STUFF. SO THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. AND IN EACH ONE WE SAY WHETHER IT'S INCLUDED, IT'S NOT INCLUDED. AND THAT MEANS WHETHER IT MEETS THE REQUIREMENT OR IT DOESN'T. UM, WE'LL GO OVER THE, THE HIGHLIGHTS TONIGHT. UM, LIKE I SAID, YOUR PLAN IS IN GOOD SHAPE. IT'S A LOT TO GET THROUGH AND IT'S VERY DENSE. UM, AND IT'S VERY BLACK AND WHITE AND IT'S A LOT OF TEXT, BUT A LOT OF WHAT IS REQUIRED IS IN THERE. UM, YOU HAVE A GOOD PLAN. WE JUST NEED TO GET IT A LITTLE MORE USER FRIENDLY AND MODERN. UM, SO LIKE I SAID, WE'LL GO OVER THE HIGHLIGHTS TONIGHT, BUT FEEL FREE TO READ THROUGH THAT. IF IT BRINGS UP ANY QUESTIONS, UH, PLEASE REACH OUT TO STAFF AND I CAN GET YOU SOME ANSWERS. SO WE'LL GO OVER CODE OF VIRGINIA FIRST, UM, CODE OF VIRGINIA. UM, THE THREE BIG IMPROVEMENTS HERE THAT ARE NEEDED ARE THE OBVIOUS, WHICH IS UPDATING EXISTING CONDITIONS AND DATA. UM, RIGHT, YOUR CURRENT PLAN TALKS ABOUT DATA AND, AND HOUSING POPULATION FROM FIVE TO 10 YEARS AGO. SO JUST UPDATING THAT DATA, MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE MOST RECENT NUMBERS WE CAN FIND. THE BIGGEST ONE THAT IT IS NOT COMPLIANT RIGHT NOW IS IT DOES NOT INCLUDE A LOT OF TRANSPORTATION REQUIRED ELEMENTS. UM, SO CODE OF VIRGINIA REQUIRES THAT YOU LIST OUT PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS, TRANSPORTATION WISE, AND COST DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TO THE DOLLAR. I'M NOT AN ENGINEER. UM, BUT THEY DO REQUIRE THAT YOU HAVE SOME BASELINE IN THERE. RIGHT NOW, THE PLAN IS MOST LACKING IN THAT RESPECT. SO WE WILL BEEF UP YOUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN ELEMENT, MAKE SURE WE HAVE ALL OF THAT, THAT THAT'S REQUIRED TO BE IN THERE. UM, AND THEN THE THIRD ONE IS YOUR HOUSING POLICIES. A LOT HAS CHANGED WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING SINCE THE PLAN WAS LAST UPDATED. UM, SO WE'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ROBUST HOUSING POLICIES. UM, BUT OTHERWISE YOUR CODE OF VIRGINIA REQUIREMENTS ARE MORE OR LESS MET. UM, THE PLAN IS DOING A GOOD JOB OF THAT. UM, AND THEN WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON ANYTHING. LEGISLATION CHANGES A LOT THAT'S GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS AKIN AND RELEVANT TO ZONING ORDINANCES, BUT WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON IT IF ANYTHING SHOULD POP UP IN OUR PROCESS FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY PRESERVATION ACT. UM, THIS ONE, I WANT TO SAY YOU MET EVERY SINGLE MARK. WE JUST NEED TO UPDATE SOME MAPS. SO DOING A GREAT JOB ON THAT FRONT. UM, SO THE KEY THINGS HERE TO UPDATE THROUGHOUT THE PLAN ARE JUST UPDATING MAPS. SO SHOWING SHORELINE, UM, CONDITIONS, EROSION CONDITIONS WHERE FISHERIES ARE. UM, THERE'S A, A SLEW OF REQUIRED MAPS. THERE'S ALSO, UM, A PIECE OF THAT REPORT, UM, AND IT TELLS YOU EVERY SINGLE MAP THAT'S REQUIRED AND THEN EVERY SINGLE MAP THAT YOU CAN PUT IN THERE IF YOU WANT TO. UM, AND LIKE I SAID, YOU HAVE A LOT OF THEM REGARDLESS. SO FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY, IT'S REALLY JUST ABOUT UPDATING THE INFORMATION. YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT REALLY MISSING MUCH, [00:35:01] AND THEN YOUR BEST PRACTICES ARE NOT STATUTORY. SO AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, UM, IS JUST THE, THE, UM, ASSOCIATION THAT SETS OUT SORT OF THE, UM, BEST PRACTICES. UM, THE, THE THE WAY TO PLAN BEST FOR EVERY COMMUNITY. UM, IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL, OF COURSE. UM, BUT WHAT THIS, THE REPORT THAT IT MENTIONS, UM, IT TALKS ABOUT WAYS TO MAKE A GREAT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE MEETING THE COMMUNITY. UM, EQUITY ENGAGEMENT, MAKING SURE YOU'RE COVERING ALL THE RELEVANT TOPICS. THOSE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S IN THERE. UM, SO THE TOP THREE THINGS THAT, THAT FELL A LITTLE SHORT OF THOSE A PA PLANNING BEST PRACTICES OR JUST NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF WORK, ARE COMPLETING AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX IN YOUR CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AT LEAST THE PUBLIC FACING VERSION ON THE WEBSITE. AT THE VERY, VERY, VERY END OF THAT, THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED AN ACTION PLAN. AND IT HAS ALL THE STRATEGIES OF YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. AND IT SAYS WHO'S SUPPOSED TO DO THEM TIMELINE, BUT ALL OF THAT'S EMPTY. NOW, THERE MIGHT BE A VERSION OUT THERE THAT'S NOT EMPTY. UM, BUT THIS IS THE BIGGEST PIECE HERE TO, TO MEET THOSE. A PA, UH, PLANNING BEST PRACTICES IS JUST TO MAKE A ROBUST IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR IT? WHO'S LEADING THE CHARGE? HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE? MORE OR LESS, HOW MUCH MONEY? VERY EXPENSIVE, NO COST AT ALL. AND THEN SOME REGIONAL PARTNERS WHO COULD YOU, WHO COULD YOU CALL TO SAY, WE NEED TO GET STARTED ON THIS. UM, THERE'S MORE THAT YOU CAN ADD TO AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX. UM, BUT THOSE ARE SORT OF THE BASELINE THAT THAT SHOULD BE IN THERE TO KEEP EVERYONE KIND OF MOVING ALONG. UM, SO THAT'S THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY THERE. AND THEN ALIGNING IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER WITH SOME REGIONAL PLANS. UM, A-N-P-D-C HOUSING STUDY. AND THEN THE NEW HAZARD MITIGATION ARE THE MOST OBVIOUS TARGETS HERE. JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY MENTION THEM, COMMUNICATE A LITTLE ONE'S NOT SAYING SOMETHING, AND THE OTHER IS SAYING SOMETHING COMPLETELY OPPOSITE. SO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE REGIONAL PLANS ARE, ARE COMMUNICATING. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE THAT'S, THAT'S A MODERN BEST PRACTICE, IF YOU WILL, IS COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLBEING. UM, SO AS WE CAN, WE WILL BUILD IN SOME HEALTH DATA. UM, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS NOW THAT, THAT MONITOR THAT AND YOU CAN BUILD SOME STRATEGIES, UM, OR SOME POLICY AS NEEDED, UM, TO MEET THOSE GOALS. THAT CAN BE RELATED TO ACTUAL HEALTH FACILITIES. IT COULD BE PARKS AND RECREATION, UM, IT COULD EVEN BE TRANSPORTATION, RIGHT? SO THAT COULD BE A LOT OF THINGS. UM, IT DIVES IN A LITTLE BIT MORE IN YOUR REPORT, BUT THOSE ARE THE BIG THINGS FROM THE A PA REMINDER. THESE ARE NOT STATUTORY BY ANY MEANS. THESE ARE JUST GOOD IDEAS. UM, THESE ARE THE SHOULDS, THESE ARE THE, THE PLANNING BEST PRACTICES, NOT LAW. OKAY, I'M GONNA GO AGAINST MY OWN PRESENTATION HERE. QUESTIONS. I'M GONNA PAUSE HERE. WE'VE GONE OVER A LOT BEFORE WE DO THE MOST FUN THING YOU'VE EVER DONE BEFORE. UM, WHO HAS QUESTIONS? WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHY, WHAT IS A COMP PLAN? ANYTHING? OKAY. ANYBODY NEED A SNACK? OKAY. OKAY. I'M PUSHING THE SNACK SHANDI, SO I'M TRYING STAFFING. CAN I, CAN I THROW ONE OUT THERE? YEAH. I JUST, UM, AND, AND I READ YOUR DIAGNOSTIC, UH, THAT YOU PUT OUT ON OUR, OUR COMP PLAN AND, UH, AND, AND I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE SEEMED TO BE THE PIECE THAT WAS MOSTLY YEAH. MISSING AND YOU JUST REMARKED ABOUT IT. BUT, AND, AND PERHAPS, I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT IS. MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THE COUNTY FOR THE MOST PART IS UNDER, UH, V DOTS MAINTAINING ALL OF OUR ROADS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIN, WHICH I BELIEVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS OWN, OWN ROADS. BUT I GUESS WHAT, WHAT, AND, AND MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A COMMON, THIS IS MORE OF A COMMENT IN THE QUESTION. TYPICALLY WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS OUR TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES DON'T ALIGN WITH V DOTS. UM, PARTICULARLY IN SMART SCALE, WE HAVE, THERE ARE CERTAIN ROADS 1 75, FOR INSTANCE, THAT WE HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS TO GET SMART SCALE FUNDING FOR, AND, AND WE JUST, WE, WE'VE BEEN UNABLE TO DO IT. AND COST HAS A LOT TO DO WITH. SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT THE DYNAMICS LOOK LIKE THERE BETWEEN, UM, ON ONE HAND WE'RE WE ARE HAVING THIS TRANSPORTATION, UM, COMPONENT THAT WE BELIEVE ARE THE PRIORITIES, BUT THEN WE HAVE THE DISCONNECT WITH THE FUNDING SOURCES AND THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY FOR THOSE ROADS. I WISH I HAD A GOOD ANSWER AND I'M GONNA DISCLAIMER, I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ONE. , UM, VDOT IS TOUGH. IS ANYONE FROM VDOT NEAR? OKAY. UM, LIKE I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WE MOSTLY WORK WITH RURAL LOCALITIES. AND SO WE HEAR THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WELL, VDOT OWNS THEM, RIGHT? SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? BUT THE UNFORTUNATE [00:40:01] REALITY FOR WHATEVER REASON, AND IT'S NOT JUST VDOT, IT'S FEDERAL AS WELL, IF YOU GO FOR A GRANT PROGRAM, SO YOU GO TO SMART SCALE, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT YOUR LOCAL VDOT, UM, DISTRICT, WHAT RESIDENTS OR WHAT DISTRICT OR IS MACK, WE'RE IN THE HAMPTON ROADS. HAMPTON ROADS, OKAY? THOSE FOLKS IN THAT OFFICE ARE SAYING, WELL, IS IT IN THE COMP PLAN? UM, THEN BECOMES HOW MUCH IS IT? AND COMPARED TO OTHER PROJECTS. SO FOR THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR, UM, YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN TRYING THREE OR FOUR TIMES ON SMART SCALE AND IT NOT GOING THROUGH. UM, AND MY BEST ANSWER HERE, AND IT'S NOT AS HOPEFUL AS I'M HOPING TO GIVE YOU, IF IT'S NOT IN THAT PLAN AT ALL, IT'S AN IMMEDIATE NON-STARTER, LET ALONE THE COST. UM, AND SO WHILE THINGS MAY BE ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS TO EVEN THINK ABOUT EVER FUNDING, UM, IF IT'S NOT IN THAT PLAN, IT'S NEVER EVEN A CONVERSATION, A GOOD PARALLEL FOR ANYONE THAT KNOWS I'M IN ROANOKE. AND 20 YEARS AGO, BEFORE MY TIME, I 73 WAS A BIG IDEA, RIGHT? AND THE STATE WAS LIKE, WE'RE BUILDING AN INTERSTATE FROM BLACKSBURG ALL THE WAY DOWN TO NORTH CAROLINA, AND IT'S ALL ANYONE TALKS ABOUT OUT THERE, BUT MUCH LIKE THE ROADS HERE, IT STARTED, AND IT WAS A MUCH BIGGER PROJECT, RIGHT? THAT WAS IN, IN CODE OF VIRGINIA, IT HAD STATE FUNDING. UM, BUT BY LITTLE BY LITTLE, THAT PROJECT WENT FROM JUST FOR, JUST FOR SAKE OF CONVERSATION, 5 MILLION TO THEN 15 TO THEN A HUNDRED, THEN 300. AND IT JUST BECAME OUTRAGEOUS. AND IT, IT WAS, IT WAS A NON-STARTER. UM, BUT I DON'T, MY PERSONAL OPINION, I DON'T THINK IT EVER WOULD'VE STAYED A CONVERSATION IF IT WASN'T IN EVERYBODY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLANS. UM, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO RICHMOND AND YOU'RE NOT HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH DELEGATES AND REPRESENTATIVES AT ALL POINTS, ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO SPEAK FOR YOU WHEN VDOT ENTERS THE ROOM. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS AN ANSWER FOR YOU. UH, THERE'S ALSO THE PIECE OF IT THAT WHILE WE ARE ALL HELD TO VDOT, RIGHT, YOU CAN ONLY DO WHAT VDOT WILL LET YOU OR HELP FUND, THEY STILL REQUIRE YOU LIST IT. UM, SO IT MAY SEEM LIKE A FUTILE EXERCISE AT TIMES, BUT AGAIN, IF IT'S NOT IN THAT PLAN AT ALL, IT'S ALMOST AN IMMEDIATE NON-STARTER FROM SOMETHING AS EXPENSIVE AS WIDENING A HIGHWAY OR RECONFIGURING A STOPLIGHT, BUILDING A HUNDRED FEET OF SIDEWALK. UM, ANYTHING YOU, YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT'S TRANSPORTATION RELATED, IF IT'S NOT IN THAT PLAN, NO MATTER HOW EXPENSIVE, NO MATTER HOW CHEAP VDOT WILL SAY, IT'S NOT IN YOUR PLAN. WE CAN'T CONSIDER IT. I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR VDOT. THERE MIGHT BE SOMEONE OUT THERE THAT CAN WORK A LITTLE MAGIC AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE A CONVERSATION HAPPEN WITHOUT IT. BUT T TYPICALLY SPEAKING, IF IT'S NOT IN THAT PLAN, UM, IT'S NOT CONSIDERED, AND IT DEFINITELY DOESN'T MAKE IT THROUGH GRANT CYCLES. UM, SMART SCALE IS THE MOST RIGOROUS AND THEY SEEM TO CHANGE IT EVERY OTHER CYCLE. SO WHAT'S EXPECTED ONE CYCLE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THE NEXT. UM, BUT WHAT DOES REMAIN THE SAME IS THAT IT HAS TO BE A COMMUNITY AGREED UPON PROJECT AND IT'S IN THAT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. UM, NOW HOW TO GET MORE MONEY FROM VDOT, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT . AND I THINK THAT'S THE RETIRED, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN IT IN OTHER LOCALITIES. YOU HAVE A ROUNDABOUT THAT'S A SMART SCALE PROJECT FOR FOUR YEARS RUNNING AND THEY SAY, LOOK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SPENDING MONEY ON THESE PRE PRE-PLANS OR THESE COST ESTIMATES AND IT WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE. UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, RIGHT? IT'S SO MUCH BIGGER THAN I THINK ANY OF US, UM, WHY THINGS COST WHAT THEY COST NOW. UM, SO I THINK THAT THERE ARE TWO APPROACHES. YOU CAN TAKE THE ONE I SAID 2, 2, 3 MINUTES AGO AND YOU COULD GO PIE IN THE SKY AND SAY, IT MAY COST A HUNDRED MILLION. AND IT, THEY MAY BE TELLING US NO, BUT WE ARE GONNA KEEP ASKING FOR THE THREE LANES OUT THERE. WE'RE GONNA KEEP IT IN THERE. UM, SO THAT IF ANYTHING CHANGES OR YOU CAN CHOOSE PROJECTS THAT MIGHT SEEM MORE REALISTIC AND ACHIEVABLE SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SOME HEADWAY, RIGHT? UM, AND I'LL ALSO SAY WITH THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE, THE COMP PLAN DOESN'T NEED A COMPLETE OVERHAUL EVERY FIVE YEARS. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY. BUT WHAT COULD BE CHANGED AND AMENDED EVERY 1, 2, 3 YEARS IS THE TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT, RIGHT? UM, YOU, THAT'S THREE YEARS OF GRANT CYCLES THAT YOU COULD SHOOT FOR SOMETHING AND BE TOLD NO. UM, SO YOU MIGHT HAVE TO SAY IT'S A TOUGH DECISION, BUT WE'LL TAKE IT OUT OF OUR, OUR, UH, GOALS AND WE'LL GO FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. UM, SO MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE OF WHY THEY LIKE TO HAVE [00:45:01] IT IN THERE IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS, AS STATIC, IF YOU WILL, AS THE REST OF THE PLAN. DOES THAT ANSWER THE QUESTION ? YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? YEAH, STEPHANIE. UM, BUT BASED ON THAT, AND I NOTICED WHERE YOU HAD VDOT ON THE TIMELINE, I THINK IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCE IT WOULD BE, AND, AND MAYBE YOU'RE GONNA DO THIS ANYWAY, BUT TO ENGAGE THEM EARLIER RATHER THAN LATER. I THINK WE WILL HAVE THEM BE PART OF THE FOCUS GROUPS. UM, AND THEY CAN CERTAINLY COME TO ANY OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, THAT PIECE OF IT ON THAT, THAT IS JUST SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE IT AND CHECK OFF STATE REQUIREMENTS, NOT SO MUCH REALITIES, IF YOU WILL. UM, EVERY DISTRICT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, AND SHAKE YOUR HEAD LIKE THIS IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. I'M IMAGINING YOU TALK WITH VDOT PERIODICALLY THROUGH THE YEAR ON PROJECTS YOU HAVE IN MIND, MAYBE. UM, SO IT, UNLESS YOU'RE IN THAT WORLD, YOU DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S HAPPENING. UM, BUT VDOT WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH STAFF. AGAIN, EVERY DISTRICT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. EVERY RESIDENCY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. UM, BUT STAFF AND VO COMMUNICATE ALL YEAR, YEAR AFTER YEAR, UM, ON WHAT'S KIND OF ON THEIR, THEIR, UM, WHAT THEY HAVE THEIR SIGHTS ON, WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE HAPPEN. UM, SO ANY, ANY OF THOSE, THAT FEEDBACK THAT HAPPENS ALREADY, I'M HOPING, WE'LL, WE WILL GET, UM, BUT I'M ON, I'M ONLY SAYING THAT NOTHING SHOULD BE A SURPRISE TO VDOT, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION ALL YEAR LONG, WHETHER WE ARE HERE OR NOT. UM, SO HOPEFULLY NOTHING COMES AS A SHOCK TO THEM THAT WE END UP INCLUDING, EVEN IF THAT'S WIDENING A HIGHWAY THREE LANES. UM, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST ACCEPTING THAT ANYTHING THAT'S IN THERE, IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, RIGHT? IT'S JUST KEEPING IT A CONVERSATION. AS LONG AS IT'S IN THAT COMP PLAN, SOMEONE CAN SAY, VDOT, LOOK, PLEASE LET US TALK ABOUT IT. UM, THEY MIGHT STILL TELL YOU NO, BUT , YES. I HAVE A QUESTION. WHAT, UH, STEP DO YOU TAKE TO ENSURE THAT, UH, THE IN CORPORATE TOWNS AND UNINCORPORATED TOWNS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS PROCESS AND WHAT STEPS ARE TAKEN TO MAKE SURE THE PROJECTS THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT PARKRIDGE JUST ANNOUNCED, A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR SEWER IMPROVEMENT PROBLEM THAT PROBABLY BENEFITS OF VERY FEW PEOPLE, OR THERE'RE GONNA BE STEPS IN YOUR PLAN THAT WILL CAUSE US TO COOPERATE OR TO, TO INTERACT WITH THOSE TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES AND FOR THE UNINCORPORATED TOWNS, UH, ARE THEY GOING TO BE INCLUDED THAT MOST OF THEM ARE UNDER PRESSURE FROM AL CONDITIONS AND LOCATIONS AND STUFF? SO WHAT'S YOUR PLANS OR HOW WILL THIS, UH, AFFECT THOSE GROUPS? UM, THE SURFACE LEVEL IS, OR THE BASELINE ANSWER TO START WITH, WE, FOR THE INCORPORATED TOWNS THAT ARE THEIR OWN, UM, GOVERNMENT ENTITY, WE CAN'T BUILD THE PLAN FOR THEM, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ROADS OR LAND USE, WE CAN'T DECIDE THAT FOR THEM. SO WHAT WE DO INSTEAD IS WE, WE HOPE THAT THEY COME TO THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. WE HOPE THAT THEY COME OUT AS JUST CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY AND GIVE THEIR FEEDBACK. UM, BUT WHERE THAT REALLY COMES INTO PLAY IS LAND USE. AND WHEN WE BUILD YOUR NEW FUTURE LAND USE MAP, IT'S GOING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE INCORPORATED TOWNS AND THE UNINCORPORATED TOWNS, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THERE FROM UTILITY TO ROAD CONDITION TO HOW MUCH HOUSING, UM, SO THAT IT'S NOT HAPPENING IN A SILO. IT'S NOT ALL THE TOWNS ARE GONE AND IT'S JUST AKAMAK. SO WE WON'T WORK WITH THEM DIRECTLY ON ANYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THE TOWN FOOTPRINT IS WHAT I'M SAYING. BUT HOW IT CONNECTS TO THE COUNTY, WE WILL, UM, CERTAINLY FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES, ALL OF THAT WILL INFORM WHAT THE PLAN SAYS IS MAYBE A BETTER WAY TO SAY IT. UM, SO WE, WE DON'T HAVE PURVIEW OVER THE TOWNS, RIGHT? WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T WRITE A PLAN FOR THEM OR INCLUDE THEM IN OURS. UM, BUT HOW THEY COMMUNICATE ON, ON THE EDGES, WE WILL, DOES THAT HELP? WE WON'T SIT DOWN WITH THOSE TOWN FOLKS INDIVIDUALLY, UM, BUT CERTAINLY WELCOME TO COME TO THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY COULD BE ON SOME OF THE FOCUS GROUPS. UM, DOES THAT HELP? UH, YES, IT DOES AND PROBABLY WOULD ENCOURAGE, UH, PARTICIPATION IN THE FOCUS GROUP FROM THOSE TOWNS SO THAT WE ARE NOT, UM, PLAYING IN EACH OTHER'S SANDPITS. I WILL SAY TOO, PART OF OUR EARLY WORK IN THIS FIRST PHASE, UM, NOT QUITE TO THE EXTENT THAT WE LOOKED AT YOUR PLAN AND PUT TOGETHER A REPORT CARD, BUT WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE OTHER COMMUNITIES PLANS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND, AND, UM, WE'LL TALK TO HRSD, UM, TO KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL DRIVING, WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE. [00:50:01] UM, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SUGGESTING SOMETHING THAT THAT SAYS AS A NON-STARTER OR VICE VERSA. UM, THAT WAS PART OF THE PIECE IN THAT REPORT CARD THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. THERE COULD BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER MENTION IN THIS COMP PLAN ABOUT THE OTHER PLANS. UM, CERTAINLY WITH A COUNTY WITH 14 TOWNS, THAT'S A LOT. UM, TO KEEP UNDER YOUR BELT. I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE EVER WORKED IN ONE THAT HAS MORE THAN LIKE FOUR. UM, SO YOU ALL HAVE A LOT TO WORK WITH HERE, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE WE LOOK AT THEIR PLANS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER AS WELL. STEPHANIE, WHAT ELSE? MM-HMM . GOING BACK TO A COMMENT YOU MADE THAT I MADE A NOTE OF. YEP. CONCERNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND, UH, AND I AGREE THE, UH, A NEW BUSINESS OR A DEVELOPER IS GOING TO READ THAT FIRST AND THAT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST IMPRESSION. SO OUR, UH, OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SHOULD READ THAT. OUR ANSWER TO THEM IS GONNA BE, YES, WE WANT YOU HERE. SO IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT'S HARD TO GET BEYOND IT. BAD FIRST IMPRESSION. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS, UH, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BEING VERY POSITIVE ON, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SO FORTH. THANK YOU. AND WE WILL HAVE A CHAPTER ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIFICALLY. SO SOME STRATEGIES TO, UM, IMPROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUSH IT, INDUSTRY, WORKFORCE, WHATEVER THE SPECIFIC COMPONENT IS. BUT THEN THE OTHER PIECE OF THAT THAT'S INCREDIBLY, UM, LIKE TACTILE AND SPECIFIC IS WHEN AN, UH, A COMPANY MIGHT BE LOOKING AT YOUR FUTURE LAND USE MAP ON THEIR OWN, AND THEY'RE SAYING, I KNOW THAT I WANT TO LOCATE IN THIS AREA OF THE COUNTY, AND THEY GO TO THAT MAP. IF THAT AREA OF THE COUNTY SAYS ONLY AGRICULTURE, WELL THEN THERE'S THEIR ANSWER, RIGHT? UM, SO HOPEFULLY THEY CALL, BUT IT'S, IT'S PART POLICY. UM, BUT IT'S ALSO THAT ACTUAL MAP, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DECIDING WHERE YOU DO WANT THAT GROWTH, UM, AND WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE AND WHERE IT ISN'T. UM, SO DOES THAT HELP? THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. WHAT ELSE? ANYTHING? NO? OKAY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE VISIONING. UM, AND I JUST WANNA RE REHASH WHAT I SAID, WHAT FEELS LIKE AN HOUR AGO. UM, THE FIRST PART OF A PLAN, ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS YOU READ IN IT IS A VISION STATEMENT. AND AGAIN, IT SETS THE WHOLE TONE FOR THE WHOLE PLAN. IT, IT IS SHORT, IT'S INSPIRATIONAL, IT'S HOPEFUL, IT'S MEANT TO BE POSITIVE. UM, IT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE, WHAT YOU WANT TO BE, WHO YOU WANT TO BE IN 2050. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THREE QUICK QUESTIONS, UM, THAT WE HOPE JUST PULL OUT A LITTLE BIT FROM YOU ALL ON WHAT THE IDENTITY IS HERE, WHAT YOU WANNA KEEP, WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO AKAMAK, UM, AS A CULTURE, AS A, AS A COUNTY, UM, AND AS A COMMUNITY. AND THEN WHAT YOU WANNA FOCUS ON IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF THIS PLAN. UM, IT'LL TAKE A MINUTE TO GET EVERYBODY UP AND RUNNING. I'M GONNA CHANGE THIS SLIDE AND THERE'S GONNA BE A QR CODE, UM, IF YOU WILL PULL OUT YOUR PHONES, UM, OR YOUR TABLETS I GUESS, AND SCAN THAT. IF YOU NEED HELP, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND SOMEONE WILL COME BY. SEE IF THIS WORKS. DOES ANYONE NEED AN EXTRA HAND? I CAN COME AROUND. I THOUGHT THAT WAS YOURS. LOST IT YET. SHE'S GOT, [00:55:23] WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? I DUNNO WHAT'S HAPPENING. I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE OTHER ONE. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS ONE'S NOT WORKING. SORRY FOLKS. HOLD ON. CAN WE PULL, I'M GONNA PULL UP, I'M GONNA PULL UP THE MENTEE WEBSITE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. SORRY. MM-HMM . OKAY, LET'S TRY IT FROM HERE. SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOME FOLKS HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN IN THERE, BUT THIS IS, WHAT IS ONE WORD YOU HOPE WILL DESCRIBE AKIMA COUNTY IN 2050? SO IT IS TWO QUESTIONS, AND THEN IT GOES BACK TO THIS, IT'S GONNA BE THREE. THIS, IT JUST WENT A LITTLE AHEAD. THIS IS NUMBER ONE. HOW MANY TIMES CAN WE ANSWER? BECAUSE I'VE DONE IT LIKE THREE TIMES. OH, YOU HAVE? OKAY. KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING. , RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THROUGH, THROUGH QUESTION ONE. IF YOU, IF YEAH, IT'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR ME TO GO TO THE NEXT QUESTION. SO WE ALL DO IT TOGETHER. SO IF YOU WERE IN, IN THE MIX AND IT KICKED YOU OUT, THAT'S WHY. OKAY. SO ONCE YOU'VE POPPED IN YOUR FIRST, UH, ANSWER HERE, HAVE YOU GOTTEN IN YET? THE BROKE GOT, OH, IT'S GOT, I'M GOOD. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE GOOD, GIVE ME SOME, OKAY. ONCE YOU'VE DONE IT, JUST GIVE ME A THUMBS UP. OKAY. WE NOT SURE. SO NOW WHAT'S HAPPENING ON YOUR SCREEN? SO THIS ONE IS A RANKING. WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. AND IF YOU'VE ALREADY RESPONDED, IT MAY TELL YOU YOU HAVE TO WAIT IF YOU'VE ALREADY DONE IT. ANY QUESTIONS? STRUGGLING? GOOD. OKAY. AND THIS ONE IS JUST ABOUT RANKING. UM, SOME, SOME PRIORITIES. UM, AND IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH HOW TO DO IT, YOU JUST CLICK AND DRAG. OKAY, I'M WAITING FOR THE MIDDLE HERE. I SEE SOME HEADS DOWN. , IS THIS FUN OR IS THIS MAKING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE JUST LIKE GO THROUGH THE ROOF? IT'S FUN. [01:00:05] ISN'T EVEN SHOWING WHAT I KNOW EITHER IS THAT'S LIKE, IT'S STILL A PRESENTATION. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S QUESTIONABLE AT THIS POINT. OKAY. YEAH. SO THIS IS, SHOULD BE SHOWING NOW, LIKE LIVE RESULTS HERE. TOOK US A MINUTE TO GET THERE. ALRIGHT, HAS EVERYONE MADE IT THROUGH THIS RANKING? OKAY. SO IT LOOKS LIKE, BASED ON THE RESPONSES, INVEST IN WATER, SEWER, TRANSPORTATION, AND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE IS NUMBER ONE FOLLOWED BY IMPROVING, UH, HOUSING AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY. AND IT LOOKS LIKE RESILIENCE TO FLOODING IS AT THE BOTTOM. YES. ALRIGHT. ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THAT? I'M NOT . I WAS WILLING TO DEBATE. HAS ANYONE NOT GOTTEN THROUGH THIS? I DON'T WANNA RUSH YOU. NO? OKAY. MAYBE, SHOULD I WAIT? YEAH. OKAY. WE'RE WAITING ON JUST A COUPLE MORE, SO, OKAY. EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO GET THROUGH THIS ONE? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. AND WE HAVE ONE MORE. AND THIS IS RANKING VALUES. UM, ASSUMING THEY'RE ALL TOUGH TO, TO RANK, BUT IF YOU HAD TO PUT THESE IN AN ORDER, ONE BEING THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OR VALUE, SIX BEING THE LOWEST, IF YOU'RE NOT SEEING THIS, LOOK WITH PANIC. NO. OKAY. NO PANICS, . YOU, YOU CAN ONLY DO THREE IF THAT'S ALL YOU WANNA DRAG UP. BUT IF YOU WANNA PUT THEM ALL IN ORDER, YOU CAN. OKAY. SO RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE INNOVATION AND FORWARD THINKING LEADERSHIP. YES, SIR. IS TAKING THE TOP SPOT TRANSPARENCY AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY HAS TAKEN THE LEAD. OKAY, . IT'S A REAL TIGHT RACE HERE. I LIKE A RECOUNT ON ONE. I RECOUNT ONE, ONE AND TWO. GREG HAS EVERYONE MADE IT THROUGH? YEAH. OKAY. SO IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS A CLOSE ONE. WE'LL CALL IT A TIE BETWEEN INNOVATION AND FORWARD THINKING, LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. AGAIN, WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, RESILIENCE ON THE END. I WILL SAY THAT MIGHT JUST BE BECAUSE IT'S A GIVEN FOR, FOR A PLACE LIKE AKAMAK, IT'S ALMOST NOT A CHOICE. UM, RIGHT. WE HAVE CHES BAY, UM, AND THEN YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY WATER. SO ANY THOUGHTS ON THESE? ANYTHING YOU WANNA SHARE WITH THE GROUP OTHER THAN A RECOUNT ? IT IS A TIE. YOU CALLED IT A TIE. IT'S A TIE. IT DOESN'T MATTER. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE YELLOW UP THERE. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS WITH US. UM, THESE ARE A, A SNEAK PEEK, IF YOU WILL, OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL GET INTO AT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. WE GET A LOT MORE DETAILED WITH THE PUBLIC. UM, WE ASK VERY SPECIFIC, MUCH MORE GRANULAR QUESTIONS. IT'S [01:05:01] A LOT MORE HANDS ON. UM, SO PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS FRIENDS. IT'S DONE. IT'S SAYING EVERYONE'S DONE , UM, NEIGHBORS, ALL OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS. ONCE WE GET THOSE NAILED DOWN, WE'LL PUT TOGETHER SOME MARKETING MATERIALS. SO WE'LL HAVE FLYERS, UM, TO SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY, UM, TO GET THE WORD OUT. BUT THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. UM, JUST A COUPLE MORE, UM, THINGS TO GET THROUGH AND THEN I PROMISE YOU'RE ALMOST DONE WITH ME, SO I WANT TO GO OVER THE NEXT STEPS. WE, IT'S REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME. ALRIGHT, WE WENT OVER THE PROCESS BEFORE, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NICE TO KNOW JUST WHAT'S IMMEDIATELY COMING NEXT. UM, SO FOLLOWING THIS, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK HOME. WE'RE GONNA SYNTHESIZE EVERYTHING WE HEARD DURING OUR TRIP HERE, INCLUDING THE VISIONING EXERCISE THAT YOU ALL JUST DID WITH US. UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO PUT SOME NOTES TOGETHER, UM, GET A HANDLE ON WHAT WE'VE HEARD SO FAR. UM, OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE COUNTY, UM, AND WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR US FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR SO. UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STARTS IN LATE APRIL. UM, SO AGAIN, THE SURVEY WILL BE OPEN BEFORE IN-PERSON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STARTS AND THEN IT WILL BE ONLINE MUCH LATER. UM, SO WE'RE SHOOTING FOR EARLY TO MID-APRIL FOR THE SURVEY. WE'LL HAVE THOSE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS THAT FOLKS CAN SHOW UP TO IN LATE APRIL AND EARLY MAY. UM, AND THEN OUR FIRST JOINT WORK SESSION. SO WE COME BACK HERE WITH YOU ALL, UM, IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME WE WILL GO OVER WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO WE'LL GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF THAT. UM, AND WE'LL ALSO GO IN DETAIL. THE HIGHLIGHTS WE THE COMMUNITY SAID WAS GREAT, WHAT THEY SAID NEEDS IMPROVED. UM, AND IT REALLY SETS THE GROUNDWORK FOR EVERYTHING WE'LL DO, UM, FOR THE REST OF THE PROJECT. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT? VERY NEXT STEPS. OKAY. I KIND OF AM BRINGING THIS ON STAFF SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT IT'S JUST TO GET EVERYONE IN THE ROOM THINKING ABOUT IT. WE DON'T NEED AN ANSWER TODAY. THE SCHEDULE HAS US FOR FOUR WORK SESSIONS TO COME BACK HERE WITH YOU ALL AND DRAFT THE PLAN. UM, JUST LIKE WE'RE DOING TONIGHT. BUT AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE LISTENING TO ME FOR AN HOUR. WE'LL BE TALKING TOGETHER, GOING OVER THE PLAN CONTENT ITSELF. THOSE ARE SCHEDULED UH, FOR AUGUST AND OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR AND THEN JANUARY OF MARCH WE LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND SET MEETING DATES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING SO EVERYBODY KNOWS SECOND TUESDAY WE HAVE THAT WORK SESSION. UM, SO I JUST WANNA START PUTTING FEELERS OUT AGAIN. WE DON'T NEED AN ANSWER TONIGHT. UM, THE BOARD OF WORKS, UH, SUPERVISORS HAS STANDING WORK SESSIONS FROM MY UNDERSTANDING FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH. PLANNING COMMISSION. COMMISSION HAS THEM THE FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH. WE COULD PICK EITHER ONE OF THOSE DAYS. YOU COULD PICK AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE DAY. UM, I PUT STARS ON THAT LITTLE CALENDAR SO YOU CAN SEE THE BOARD IS MEETING ALREADY THE FIRST WEEK PLANNING COMMISSION THE LAST. YOU CAN PICK SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE OR YOU CAN PICK EITHER ONE OF THOSE DATES. UM, SO JUST PUTTING THAT OUT, WE'LL CHECK BACK IN WITH STAFF, UM, ON NAILING THAT DOWN. BUT IF THERE ARE ANY THOUGHTS, PLEASE SHARE THEM FOR THE GOOD OF THE GROUP. BUT OTHERWISE YOU MIGHT BE HEARING ABOUT THIS TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK WHEN YOU'RE AVAILABLE. ANY REMOTELY. WHAT'D YOU SAY? WE CAN'T DO IT REMOTELY. WE CAN, WE CANNOT DO THIS. IT'S HARD. IT'S HARD TO DO IT REMOTE. UH, WE'LL ALWAYS BE HERE IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING COME UP AND YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT MAKE IT HERE IN PERSON. I WON'T SPEAK FOR STAFF OR THE, YOUR FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS ON WHAT WORKS. UM, BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE REMOTELY. WE LIKE TO BE FACE TO FACE WITH YOU. UM, BUT WE COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND LIFE HAPPENS. SO IF THERE'S EVER A MEETING YOU CAN'T MAKE OR YOU PLAN TO BE OUT OF TOWN A LOT, UM, CERTAINLY LET STAFF KNOW AND SEE WHAT OPTIONS WE HAVE. BUT WE WILL ALWAYS PLAN TO BE HERE. WE LIKE TO BE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH IT. I PULLED THIS UP JUST IN CASE WE NEEDED IT. I WAS TELLING SOMEONE EARLIER, UM, WE'VE REACHED 2026 AND WE HAVE DIGITAL BUSINESS CARDS NOW. UM, SO I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING PHYSICAL TO GIVE YOU, BUT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A PHOTO OF MY CONTACT INFORMATION, IT'S UP THERE. UM, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT ANYTIME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I ALSO HAVE LEE'S CONTACT. I'M SURE YOU HAVE THAT. UM, BUT ON THE BERKELEY GROUP SIDE I'LL BE THE POINT OF CONTACT. AND THEN HERE WITH YOU IN THE COUNTY, LEE WILL BE, UH, YOUR MAN WITH ANY QUESTIONS. YOU HAVE ANYTHING BEFORE I CUT YOU LOOSE. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE BACK UP HERE. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. UM, I HAVE LEARNED TODAY SO MUCH HISTORY ABOUT ACK COUNTY. I NEVER WOULD'VE ASSUMED WAS UP HERE. UM, AND SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO BE HERE AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.