Jamestown hearing spotlights housing mix, urges citizen-led implementation of draft comprehensive plan

Jamestown city officials held a public hearing on the draft comprehensive plan during which residents raised concerns about housing priorities and implementation.

Rachel Anderson, identifying herself as a Jamestown-area resident, asked why the draft appears to "prioritize apartment housing over single family homes" and whether that emphasis would "disincentiviz[e] home ownership and long term residency" in the city. The chair said Anderson’s question had been noted and would be answered later.

A longtime resident who identified himself as "Gov Champ" of 225 Boland Street praised the plan’s vision but urged that citizen engagement not end with adoption. He recommended establishing topic-specific steering committees — including public facilities, public safety, finance and housing — augmented with ward-level citizen representatives, and said the plan’s implementation should specify costs, responsible parties and timelines. Gov Champ also cited past federal support, saying the Economic Development Administration "ended up funding $2,000,000 if we had a very little local match," and pointed to potential U.S. Department of Agriculture resources for downtown revitalization.

City staff answered public comments by stressing that the draft plan is intended to expand housing options rather than to prioritize one form over another. A staff member said "mixed use is a big part of it" and that a year-and-a-half analysis recommended a diverse housing mix to meet the community’s evolving needs. The staff member said existing residential zoning districts will remain in place, that a separate zoning-code update is forthcoming, and that the city will consider tools such as accessory dwelling units and multigenerational housing to help keep residents in their homes.

Several attendees attempted to distribute materials or raise related topics; the chair and staff clarified that some items would need to wait for a later 7:30 meeting.

The hearing notice read into the record listed locations where the draft plan is available for inspection (including the office of the City Clerk at 200 East 3rd Street and a public library at 509 Cherry Street) and gave a deadline for written comments of 12:00 PM on 06/29/2026. The notice also provided a phone number for accommodations for people with disabilities.

Next steps: the city will receive written comments through 06/29/2026 and will address public questions raised at the hearing in subsequent communications or meetings; the zoning-code process described by staff will follow the comprehensive-plan adoption process.