Last fall, more than 600 Thomasville citizens from all parts of the community took part in blueprinting the future of Thomasville. Next week, the comprehensive planning process will continue when the draft plan is shared with the community.
“Since the very beginning of this effort last May, we have been so pleased with the level of participation that we have seen from community members,” said, Brian Herrmann, City Planner. “Hearing from all sectors of the community is vital to ensure that the plan that is being developed truly represents the desires and needs of Thomasville as a whole.”
Throughout the comprehension planning process, citizens have been invited to participate in multiple opportunities to share their ideas about Thomasville’s future. Community design workshops have included those with a focus on topics such as community design and character, mobility and health, housing, the Roses site, civic services, and more. Next week, the final step in the outreach and engagement process will begin, allowing even more input from our community before the final plan is presented to City Council.
“Next week we will share the draft plan with our community, which is a very important step in the process,” said Herrmann. “This is an opportunity for everyone to see how all of their input has been compiled into our draft plan.”
The public unveiling of the draft comprehensive plan will be held Tuesday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 144 E. Jackson Street. The evening will begin with a presentation before moving into a Q & A session and then an open house workshop that will allow for additional feedback. The following day, Wednesday, March 21st, will offer more opportunities for citizen participation through targeted meetings on specific plan elements at 7:30 a.m. at the Thomas County Public Library System Flipper Room. According to Herrmann, this will be the first of additional opportunities for citizens to provide their feedback on the draft plan.
“We will be accepting feedback from our community throughout the spring,” said Herrmann. “The public input portion of our draft plan will be open from now until mid-May. After this, we will make any necessary changes before the plan is presented to our Planning and Zoning Commission and then our City Council for approval.”
The comprehensive planning process has been led by City of Thomasville Planning staff along with an outside consultant, Dover, Kohl & Partners. “Dover, Kohl & Partners is a nationally-renowned consulting firm known their experience, skill and knowledge,” said Herrmann. “They have been invaluable to us as they’ve guided our community through the process of identifying citizens’ priorities and our subsequent planning efforts.”
For more information, please contact Brian Herrmann at 227-4118. Additional information is also available on Thomasville.org and BlueprintThomasville.org.