Molly Maxwell, senior planner for the City of Carbondale, told the council the city is entering a second round of public engagement for the Plan Carbondale comprehensive plan update covering 2025–2040.

Maxwell said planners worked with consultants Planning Next and emphasized community engagement. She reported that the November “Big Ideas” workshop drew more than 100 participants and that the online survey had about 115 respondents. Stakeholder interviews included local organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Black Chamber of Commerce and SIU housing staff.

"We've been working closely with our planning consultants at Planning Next whose housing and community development expertise has been really crucial to this process so far," Maxwell said. She described key findings from the existing‑conditions analysis: roughly one‑third of land in the city is owned by civic entities, older neighborhoods show a mix of detached single‑family homes adjacent to more intense uses, and commercial activity concentrates along two primary corridors that become more auto oriented away from downtown.

Maxwell said those patterns informed a preliminary “key opportunities” map that will become the draft future land‑use map. Areas identified for possible revitalization include the southeast section north of Mill Street and the corridor near University Mall. She said the mile‑and‑a‑half zoning buffer outside the city limits is being integrated into the planning process.

When Councilmember Lopes asked whether the process contemplates simplifying or substantially revising the zoning code, Maxwell replied, "Yes. One of the main things that will come out of the comprehensive plan is recommendations for updates to our zoning code." Councilmember Kilman asked for examples of the infill and neighborhood character objectives; Maxwell described technical changes such as setback and lot‑size flexibility and noted a recent zoning amendment allowing smaller floor‑area homes in R‑15 districts.

Maxwell said the round‑one survey remains open through early February, round‑two engagement is planned for late February/early March, and staff will present a draft future land‑use map and final plan for council feedback later in the process.