Erie is on its way from 35,000 to 80,000 residents. The North Star that guides how towns grow is called the Comprehensive Plan and answers questions like, "Where should our town be in 5, 10, and 30 years? Are we investing in resident amenities to set us apart? Do we have the proper infrastructure to grow intelligently? Are we continuing to invest in open space and trails? As a town, guided by our community, we updated the Comprehensive Plan in 2005 and 2015 and are ready for another.
Unfortunately, recent decisions by town leadership have abandoned this model, which has worked well for Erie for decades. The experts Erie hired to lead an update of the Comprehensive Plan were fired, replaced with a process of minimal opportunities for residents to participate at bars and coffee shops, and a poorly communicated survey lacking context that had a response rate of ~1%!
I would love your input on whether you would like to see residents, subject matter experts, and elected leaders collaborate on a vision of Erie via a thorough, Comprehensive Plan update. Or are you happy with the status quo of minimal resident input and shelving the more comprehensive way of doing long-term planning?
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