McLean County planning commission extends public comment and expands outreach on draft regional land-use plan

Ray Lai, executive director of the McLean County Regional Planning Commission, told the McLean County Land Use and Transportation Committee on Aug. 5 that staff extended the public comment deadline for the draft Strategic Land Use Plan to Sept. 1 and expanded public engagement with five open houses this month. The extension of the comment period was announced to allow more opportunities for residents and stakeholders to review the draft and submit feedback. "We have extended the public comment period…to September 1," Lai said, adding staff also attended recent community events, including the county fair, to distribute information and gather comment. Committee members asked about outreach to more rural areas. Lai said the five locations are intended to serve people coming from different directions in the county and that staff had held meetings with municipal leaders, including Hayworth officials, to solicit input. "We were at the mayor's association…we spoke with the staff from Hayworth," Lai said, and he reported municipal leaders had indicated they would send comments. Lai said the commission would incorporate comments into a revised draft and produce a subsequent draft for public review, with an anticipated public release and further review cycle after the Sept. 1 comment period. He added the commission plans to return to the committee with updates approximately monthly. No committee action was requested or taken on the plan at the Aug. 5 meeting; the announcement was provided as an informational update. The Strategic Land Use Plan is a draft policy document developed collaboratively by regional planning staff and municipal partners to respond to growth pressures across McLean County. Lai encouraged residents to submit comments via the commission's website or at the scheduled public meetings.