Murphy leaders preview draft comprehensive plan, set March 10 public hearing

City staff and consultants presented a high-level review of a proposed draft Murphy master plan at a joint City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission work session on Feb. 19, asking elected officials for ‘‘big-picture’’ feedback ahead of a public hearing. Reagan, a city project manager, said the draft had been posted online and requested written comments be delivered promptly so staff could prepare the document for legal notice and the joint public hearing scheduled for March 10. "We are looking at a joint PNB and city council public hearing on March 10," staff said.

LJA Engineering consultant Abernusser guided the bodies through the document's structure — introduction, economic vitality, design framework, services and implementation — and framed the meeting as a chapter-by-chapter, high-level briefing. The consultant noted "the the document's just less than a 100 pages," asked commissioners and council members to prioritize substantive additions over typos, and summarized community engagement results, including two forums and 104 online comments. Staff also pointed to baseline numbers in the draft (NCTCOG population ~21,172 and general-fund revenue and expenditure figures presented in the plan) and said the draft includes a short/mid/long-term implementation matrix. The plan will return for formal public hearings after staff compiles and posts any consequential edits.