Rocky Mount staff outline Imagine Rocky Mount 2050 process, timeline and draft vision

Joseph Bowcook, director of Development Services for the City of Rocky Mount, told a city retreat that the administration has restarted the city’s comprehensive-plan update, branded Imagine Rocky Mount 2050, and outlined a public-engagement summary, a draft vision statement and next steps for hiring a consultant.

Bowcook said the update grew out of a recognition that “change is necessary,” citing demographic and economic shifts and state requirements that local governments keep land-development plans current. He described the comprehensive plan as “more than just a document” and said it will guide zoning, capital investments and implementation priorities across the city.

The presentation traced Rocky Mount’s planning history, noting an early plan adopted roughly 60 years ago and subsequent efforts in 1975 and 1993. Bowcook said the plan currently in force, Together Tomorrow, was adopted in 2003 and has since been supplemented by corridor studies, housing initiatives and hazard-mitigation work. He described public engagement for the…