Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City presents 'Our Future 2040' comprehensive plan update, schedules third outreach in Sept–Oct
Summary
City staff summarized progress on the Our Future 2040 comprehensive plan, described new interactive visuals and data-driven mapping, and said a third public outreach round is planned for September–October with a goal to deliver the completed draft by year-end.
Brian Swetz, the city’s Assistant Director for Comprehensive Planning, presented an update on the Our Future 2040 comprehensive plan at the July 22 Newport News City Council work session. Swetz described the plan as a tool for “planned and orderly development” and said the update is required under the Code of Virginia and must be refreshed at least every five years.
Swetz said the planning team has completed project initiation, data collection and planned updates and has begun drafting the plan. He summarized outreach and analysis to date, including two rounds of public engagement across all three council districts and a demographic analysis designed to show trends, median income and neighborhood-level population changes. "The bedrock of the plan is the people in the community," Swetz said, noting the outreach produced a wider diversity of respondents than past efforts.
The presentation emphasized a shift toward a more visual, interactive plan. Swetz showed examples from other cities that limit narrative and instead use maps, concise analysis and interactive navigation elements so users can move between topics such as growth, development compatibility and design standards. He said departments will be assigned goals and objectives with status and priority markers so the plan functions as an implementation tool rather than a static document.
Swetz outlined next steps: a third round of public outreach expected in the September–October timeframe to review the draft goals, strategies and the future land use map, and a target to present a completed plan to council by the end of the calendar year. He asked council members to review the draft goals and strategies and send feedback.
Council members asked about coordination with the city’s strategic housing initiative and a separate Jefferson Avenue planning effort. Councilman Long asked whether the housing strategy and comprehensive plan would be aligned; Swetz replied that housing will be a major focus and staff are coordinating to avoid conflicting tactics. On Jefferson Avenue, Swetz said the corridor plan (Mercury to J. Clyde) is a separate effort but that traffic will be addressed in both forums in different ways.
The council did not take formal action on the plan at the work session; staff said they will return with updated materials after the September–October outreach.
