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Waynesboro staff presents Phase 1 public engagement report for comprehensive plan; seeks wider participation
Summary
City staff presented a Phase 1 public engagement report for the Waynesboro comprehensive plan, reporting 342 survey responses to date, and outlined outreach plans to reach a goal of 1,000 responses.
City staff on Wednesday presented the Phase 1 public engagement report for the Waynesboro comprehensive plan, summarizing early outreach results and soliciting wider participation ahead of fall events.
Leslie Tate, director of community development, told the council the consultant-provided engagement report compiles results from an open house, 11 stakeholder-topic meetings, an online questionnaire, and a social-pinpoint map. Tate said the city had 342 responses on its standard survey and a social-pinpoint map with participation from 75 individuals who contributed 347 comments. The stated goal is at least 1,000 survey responses.
Tate described additional outreach planned for the fall, including "public intercepts" at community events — Chili Brews and Blues, the farmers market, Wine Over Waynesboro and the fall foliage festival — and distributing printed materials and QR-code coasters to restaurants and businesses. She also said staff will explore creating a youth stakeholder group and doing targeted outreach via barbershops and laundromats.
The staff presentation noted the plan branding — "Waynesboro Together" — was selected through the steering committee and public input. The engagement report contains visual-preference exercises, a strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats summary from stakeholder meetings, and draft analysis that consultants will use to develop data reports and a future land-use map for later steering-committee review.
During questions, a council member said the online survey page displayed an expired deadline; staff confirmed the survey remains open and said they would remove any incorrect expiry notice and that paper copies are available at the public library and the community development office.
Why it matters
Comprehensive-plan engagement guides long-term land use, transportation and public-facility decisions. Early public input and strong survey participation help ensure the plan reflects a wider range of resident priorities.
What’s next
Staff said the steering committee will reconvene in October to begin goal development and review future land-use material; consultants will produce topic-specific data reports and the city will continue outreach to increase survey participation.
