City of College Station

EVALUATION & APPRAISAL REPORT 

The 10-year Comprehensive Plan Evaluation & Appraisal Report was accepted by City Council at their October 8, 2020 meeting. The report is the culmination of 16 months of review and analysis by city staff and the Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Committee, along with multiple rounds of community and stakeholder input. The report recommends changes and updates to the Comprehensive Plan. City staff are now launching the plan update process. Formal updates to the Comprehensive Plan are anticipated in 2021 and city staff will host additional public engagement opportunities in the coming months. All amendments to the Comprehensive Plan will go through the public hearing process at future meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. You can stay up to date with the Comprehensive Plan update by joining The Next 10 email list. 

•10-Year Comprehensive Plan Evaluation & Appraisal Report (September 24, 2020)
•Appendix A – 2018 Existing Conditions Report
•Appendix B – Focus on the Future Workshops Summary (2019)
•Appendix C – Implementation Assessment Tool
•Appendix D – Best Practices Report
•Appendix E – Scenario Analysis
•Appendix F – Virtual Community Choices Workshop Summary (Summer 2020)

WHAT IS THE NEXT 10 

The Next 10 is a major effort to consider recent growth, current trends, and best practices, and to define updates to the city’s policies to guide the next 10 years. The city is committed to addressing the issues of today, preparing for those that may arise, and proactively addressing topics that are important to you. 

The process has led to the creation of a 10-Year Evaluation & Appraisal Report that recommends updates to the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of an Evaluation & Appraisal Report is to serve as a “checkup” by identifying the long range Comprehensive Plan’s successes and shortcomings and recommending appropriate modifications in response to changing conditions. College Station’s Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2009. It is meant to be a “living document” and recommends that the City undertake regular evaluations and updates, including a thorough review every five years. 

The Next 10 evaluation began in June 2019 with stakeholder and focus group interviews and the formation of a Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Committee (CPEC). The CPEC provided guidance throughout the process and was comprised of three representatives each from the City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission, along with seven citizen representatives. The report is the culmination of 16 months of staff and CPEC review and analysis, along with multiple rounds of community and stakeholder input. The report features a list of potential strategies and actions, contains a set of considerations for future map changes, and summarizes the community and stakeholder input. The report serves to prepare the city for an update to the plan, which is now underway. 

PUBLIC INPUT PHASES 

Thank you to the countless citizens, civic organizations, student groups, outside agencies, regional partners and community leaders who participated in The Next 10 evaluation process and public input opportunities. We encourage you to stay involved as the city staff undertake the plan update process. There will be future public input opportunities in 2021.   

The first round was conducted during the summer and fall of 2019. It began with a series of individual and small group interviews with a variety of targeted community stakeholders including leaders from City departments, representatives of the County, City of Bryan, Texas A&M University, student government, business groups, neighborhood groups, realtors and developers, local nonprofit and service organizations, and others. Over 130 stakeholders participate in those targeted discussions. Next, four community workshops, called Focus on the Future workshops, were conducted. Over 200 participants worked in small groups with trained facilitators to provide feedback on the existing Comprehensive Plan goals, input on issues and opportunities, and input on geographic locations for future planning. Following those workshops, similar activities were offered online with another 200 participants. Additionally, a workshop that engaged nearly 100 university students was convened in partnership with Texas A&M’s student government association. In total, approximately 600 people participated in the first round of input. 

The second round of public input was conducted in summer of 2020. It obtained feedback on potential updates to the future land use map and conceptual scenarios for six geographic areas of the city. Due to COVID-19, this round was conducted entirely online and branded the virtual Community Choices Workshop. A web page containing a series of maps and prompts allowed for rating and open-ended input, while a series of videos explained the material and expectations. Approximately 200 people participated, providing over 1,900 data points. Details of the community and stakeholder input processes is contained in Appendices B and F.

• Focus on the Future Workshop Summary (Fall 2019)
• Focus on the Future Workshop Presentation
• Focus on the Future Pictures 
• Virtual Community Choices Workshop Summary (Summer 2020) 

WHO'S INVOLVED

Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Committee. The Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Committee is a diverse group of residents appointed to serve as community advocates for the evaluation, to provide guidance and direction regarding the process and substance, and to serve as stewards of the evaluation plan once completed.

Stakeholders. Various stakeholder groups were convened to provide insight into the city's Comprehensive Plan. These groups included business leaders, neighborhood associations, real estate professionals and developers, education professionals, local nonprofit and service organization, seniors, students, and young professionals, among others.

Public. Widespread community participation is vital to The Next 10’s success. Various in-person workshops and online tools offered ways for the community to give input throughout the process. The first public events were held in-person September 23-25, 2019. A virtual Community Choice Workshop was held July 13 - August 3, 2020.

City Staff. City staff will support and help coordinate the work of all other groups and their local knowledge and expertise.

Elected officials. The mayor and council will monitor The Next 10 process and the resulting community vision, recognizing that success should be independent of the city’s elected leadership.

Consultants. Planning NEXT will facilitate the process and share their experience from working with other successful communities.

                                                                

RESOURCES

• 2009–2030 Comprehensive Plan
• 2014 Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Evaluation and Appraisal Report
• 2018 Existing Conditions Report
• 2019 Citizen Survey