The St. Johns County Growth Management Department announced its comprehensive plan update public engagement plans at the county’s Board of County Commissioners regular meeting on Nov. 21.
It includes a new online survey at www.SJCPlanUpdate.com that is now available for public input on 10 elements to help guide the plan update.
Additionally, the current Listening and Learning Opportunity at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SJCListenAndLearn, asking for resident feedback on broader topics, has been extended to Dec. 15.
"The opportunity for the public to have their voices heard in the comprehensive plan update begins now and will continue well into 2024," Growth Management Director Mike Roberson said. "The county will keep the www.SJCPlanUpdate.com survey open for a long time, plan to set up a series of town halls in each county commissioner's district and host public workshops and open houses. This public engagement process will be a comprehensive and collaborative effort with our community."
The county also plans to have kiosks set up at many locations with paper copies of the survey for the public to complete and submit. The sites will include county libraries and other public facilities.
A comprehensive plan is a document designed to guide the future actions of a jurisdiction. It presents a vision for a community's future with long-range goals, objectives and policies.
The plan also helps residents identify their vision for the community's future, coordinates local decision-making efforts and provides guidance to landowners and developers. The plan elements include land use, transportation, housing, infrastructure, coastal/conservation management, recreation open space, intergovernmental coordination, capital improvement, property rights and economic development.
The listening and learning opportunity that was announced on Nov. 9 is a broad approach to gathering community feedback on eight questions that will help in both the comprehensive plan update and the county's inaugural strategic plan efforts in 2024.
While the comprehensive plan helps develop a long-range vision, the strategic plan helps develop internal operational and budgeting decisions.
While the listening and learning opportunity closes on Dec. 15, the public has plenty of time to participate in the comprehensive plan update.
"The comprehensive plan update public engagement efforts will be an ongoing journey during 2024, and we look forward to traveling on that journey with our community to arrive at a destination of a new vision for St. Johns County's future," Roberson said.
