Stephanie Hite, deputy executive director of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, gave the Fort Pierce Planning Board an overview of the city's Evaluation and Appraisal Review (EAR) of its comprehensive plan on Monday, Oct. 13.

Hite said the EAR is the seven-year statutory review that updates the city's goals, objectives and policies and the data and map series that accompany them. She told the board the comprehensive plan is intended to guide elected officials, department heads and staff on long-term community vision, land use, infrastructure and resiliency.

The presentation summarized the statutory plan elements the council will review, including future land use, transportation, conservation and coastal management, housing, recreation and open space, intergovernmental coordination, capital improvements, public facilities and school facility coordination. Hite said the 2015 state legislation commonly referred to in planning practice as the Parallel Flood Act is one example of statutory changes that must be considered in the EAR.

Hite described outreach completed to date: a public survey that ran July 24'Sept. 5, two public workshops (an initial kickoff on Aug. 6 and a follow-up last week), stakeholder interviews and planned youth council outreach. She said the council compiled stakeholder and survey input into a word cloud and summary of local issues for review by the board and staff.

Key issues the outreach identified included rationalizing the city boundary, strategic annexation, aligning land use and zoning, cleaning up main corridors and private properties, small business support, housing and transportation improvements, coastal protection and intergenerational engagement. Hite said the process will update maps and data to plan for both 10-year and 20-year planning horizons and bring draft revisions to the planning board before transmittal to the city commission and the state; she said staff expects to transmit to the state in January.

Hite told the board the council will review legislation since the city's last EAR in 2019, citing recent measures such as SB 180 and the Live Local Act as statutes the team will track and reflect in proposed revisions. She said the council will prepare proposed updates to goals, objectives and policies to reflect both statutory changes and the community vision captured through outreach.

Chair Bridal and other board members asked no substantive questions during Hite's presentation; Hite said she is available for interviews and follow-up. The planning board received the presentation and will review proposed EAR revisions and recommended policy edits later in the process before forwarding the plan to the city commission for final action and state review.