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Planning commission discusses housing study, outreach plans and next-year priorities
Summary
Planning staff and commissioners discussed launching a housing study this year, prioritizing public outreach (including social media surveys and neighborhood meetings), and running parallel work on landscaping and sign-code drafts.
Planning staff briefed the Hot Springs City Planning Commission on plans for a housing study and sought direction on outreach methods and priorities for the coming year.
Planning Director Rick Selman said the housing study will follow completion of the new zoning code and that staff aims to complete the study within the year. He urged commissioners to consider how the department should gather public input and what stakeholders to involve: "My personal hope is that we can take input from a variety of sources, including, you know, the, the public for sure. Let's talk to the manufactured home folks. Any developers, although I'm not sure that it makes sense to go chase developers, other than just a public notice," Selman said.
Why this matters: commissioners said public outreach and buy-in will determine whether the study informs future policy. Commissioners and staff discussed multiple outreach channels'social media (Facebook), questionnaires/surveys, neighborhood meetings at accessible locations (the county library or web center), and printed posters with QR codes at local businesses.
Details and timeline: Commissioners and staff agreed to prepare a draft calendar for the year outlining priorities and schedules. Staff said drafts for landscaping requirements and a new sign code already exist and could be advanced more quickly while information for the housing study is being compiled. Selman reiterated the goal to complete the housing study within the calendar year but asked commissioners for input on scope and public-engagement techniques.
Public and stakeholder input: A meeting attendee who identified herself as a volunteer with a nonpartisan public policy group offered to share housing reports and resources (including AARP Foundation materials on senior housing policy). Staff asked the attendee to provide contact information so the materials could be forwarded to staff.
Commission direction: Commissioners signaled support for multiple approaches to outreach'online surveys, targeted questionnaires, neighborhood meetings in accessible venues, and use of social media'and asked staff to prepare a calendar and a public repository for background studies (similar to the site used for the code). Staff said they will set up an accessible public site for study materials and will draft a schedule for commissioner review before the next meeting.
Ending: Staff will prepare a calendar and public repository for background materials, advance the sign and landscaping drafts in parallel, and return to the commission with outreach proposals and a proposed housing-study scope for further direction.
