Council adopts first reading of downtown neighborhood plan amendment after consultant presentation and public hearing

The Horace City Council on first reading adopted a downtown neighborhood plan amendment to the city's 2045 comprehensive plan after a presentation by consultant Luke Ciampa of SRF Consulting and a short public hearing.

Luke Ciampa, the consultant project manager, told the council the plan grew from an engagement process launched in June 2024 and included 'over 1,300 touch points' with residents and visitors. "We had over 1,300 touch points," Ciampa said, adding the document is intended as an appendix to the comprehensive plan that provides more detailed guidance for downtown investments and implementation tables.

The plan lays out five guiding principles, multimodal priority routes and a multimodal toolbox tailored to resident feedback. Ciampa cautioned the amendment is advisory: it 'does not change the zoning map or the future land use map,' but it will inform rezoning and conditional-use decisions and help prioritize projects for public investment.

During the hearing, several residents said they favored keeping a 'small-town feel' and raised concerns about traffic and the scale of future development. One resident asked the council to 'slow the growth' and avoid changes that would bring large multistory buildings to Main Street. Council members and staff responded that the plan is a long-range, guiding document and that leaving the city without such a policy would make it harder to control development consistent with residents' wishes.

Councilwoman Naomi Birkland, who participated extensively in the plan process, thanked the consultant and staff and urged colleagues to adopt the amendment. "It was a pleasure working with you guys," Birkland said during the meeting.

Council moved, seconded and carried a motion to adopt the ordinance on first reading; the vote was called by voice and the motion carried. The council and staff noted the amendment does not rezone property and that any rezoning proposals will continue to follow the zoning and future land-use processes. Officials said a second reading and any further procedural steps will follow the ordinance schedule and staff's posting for the next meeting.

The planning commission had recommended adoption, and staff emphasized the implementation tables included in the plan are intended to break long-term work into smaller, budget-friendly steps that the city can pursue as funding becomes available.