Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Master Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Task force debates whether master plan update should precede Lebanon strategic plan
Summary
Members debated whether to finalize the master-plan vision and land-use chapters before building an annual strategic plan, with several members urging coordination with the planning board and prioritizing vision and land-use work.
Members of the task force devoted significant discussion to how the strategic plan should relate to the city's master plan. Councilor Laurie Key framed the central question: "What does our community envision Lebanon should be," arguing that a shared vision should drive strategic priorities.
Deputy City Manager David Brooks told the group, "There's only 2 chapters that are required: a vision chapter and a land use chapter," and urged using the vision and land-use work as the primary inputs for a practical strategic plan. Several members warned that if master-plan visioning and land-use updates lag, market-driven development could lead to outcomes the city would not prioritize. Tim McNamara stressed the need to coordinate with the planning board and not supersede its statutory role while finding ways to accelerate vision work.
The discussion produced no binding decision to delay strategic-planning work; instead, members agreed to recommend a process that ensures coordination between planning-board master-plan updates and the task force's short-term strategic priorities.
