The McLean County Regional Planning Commission is making good on a promise to the county board to get more public input on the draft of a regional land use plan.
The tentative plan received pushback from residents of the county at a recent Land Use Committee meeting. They were surprised by, and didn't like, some of the projected areas of growth for the Bloomington-Normal metro area that would eat into farmland.
Others criticized the process that had the draft prepared by Bloomington, Normal, and commission staff without first going to the public or outside stakeholders for input.
The commission is adding an extra month to gather public and stakeholder feedback on what’s now being called a first draft. The initial public comment period will now close Sept. 1.
“The McLean County Regional Planning Commission will also host several public outreach events to help guide the preparation of a revised second draft of the McLean County Strategic Land Use Plan,” said a commission news release.
The commission has indicated it will hold two open houses. The first will be from 5-7 p.m., Aug. 7, at the Bloomington Public Library Community Room. The second will be from 5-7 p.m., Aug. 13, at the McLean County Highway Department at 102 S. Towanda Barnes Rd., Bloomington. Both sessions will include presentations at 5 and 6 p.m.
After that, the commission will rework the draft and host another round of public input. The commission expects the final draft to be done in late October.
The city, town, and county governments will then consider and potentially adopt the final plan that would be used to shape revisions of comprehensive plans for each municipal government.
The draft document, public comment form, and additional information are available here.
Hard copies of the plan document, public comment form, and meeting schedule also will be available at the MCRPC office and at McLean County public libraries.
