Planners present Dunkirk Town Center draft; commissioners question population and unemployment figures

Department of Planning and Zoning long‑range planner Kat Lockwood previewed the May 2025 draft of Chapter 3 for the Dunkirk Town Center master plan and asked commissioners to review the draft and advise whether to start a 60‑day public comment period at the June meeting.

“On 02/19/2025, the planning commission endorsed the format for the master plan of town centers to streamline the update process,” Kat Lockwood said, and walked commissioners through the updates specific to Dunkirk. Commissioners pressed staff on demographic numbers in the draft. One commissioner observed, “It's my understanding that there's only 1 residence in Dunkirk Town Center and that is at the church,” and asked where the roughly 2,000‑person population figure applies. Staff explained the draft uses Census designations and five‑year American Community Survey estimates, which can expand beyond strict town‑center boundaries and may lag; Long Range Planner Tay Harris said staff would review alternate data sources and consider adding caveats to clarify the geography and source of the figures.

The exchange focused on data definitions and presentation rather than policy changes. Staff told commissioners they would examine whether the unemployment statistic and population references should be revised or footnoted for clarity before publishing the draft for public comment.