The Carrboro Board of Aldermen discussed the creation of a new Comprehensive Plan for the town during their Jan. 9 meeting which gathered support by both the community and the board. The Comprehensive Plan will outline the community's goals for the future.
“It’s not a thing that actually exists yet,” Board of Aldermen member Damon Seils said. “What we do have is a series of issue-specific plans.”
Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said the board won’t be starting from scratch — they already have several specific plans, such as an affordable housing plan and a transit plan.
“The good thing about a Comprehensive Plan is that it would pull together all the other plans in a way that might organize it better or make it more obvious what direction the town wants to go in,” Lavelle said.
While the plan doesn’t exist yet, the board is beginning the steps to make it a reality.
“There are a lot of different ways towns and cities go about making a Comprehensive Plan so it’s not clear what path they will take,” Seils said. “The next step will be to have conversations before budget season about possibly setting aside part of next year’s budget to begin the process.”
Lavelle said there are many questions that need to be answered in the process of creating the plan such as how much it would cost, how to reach all the members of our community and how long will it take.
“We don’t want it to be cookie cutter,” she said. “We want it to fit Carrboro.”
Board of Aldermen member Barbara Foushee said she believes the plan should include sustainability, equity, transportation, climate change and housing goals.
