SNOW HILL – County officials agreed this week to seek bids for a comprehensive plan update.
The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday approved bid documents related to a comprehensive plan update.
The county will now seek proposals from consultants interested in handling the project.
“The comprehensive plan update is currently being done because it is state mandated every ten years, however it is important to regularly reassess the plan to guide future growth and development in the county,” said Jennifer Keener, the county’s director of development review and permitting. “The goals, objectives and recommendations found in each chapter identify what the community envisions for Worcester County and the specific steps that can be taken to achieve those goals.”
In Maryland, comprehensive plans have to be reviewed every 10 years so that demographic, economic, growth, infrastructure, environmental and regulatory changes can be evaluated. Following the arrival of the latest Census data, Keener’s department this summer began the comprehensive plan update process.
The county worked with Wallace Montgomery to solicit public input with an online survey. Staff also attended community events throughout the county, including First Friday in Snow Hill and the Berlin Peach Festival to share information about the process.
Keener told the Worcester County Planning Commission that her department was pleased with the amount of public input received. She noted this week that there would be further opportunities for public input as the process progressed.
“As far as the role that the public and other stakeholders will have in the process, you may recall that we conducted robust public engagement efforts this past year, and achieved over 1,100 valid responses to the survey questions, as well as received numerous comments at various events throughout the county,” she said.
She said Wallace Montgomery was preparing a final report that would be presented to the planning commission at an upcoming meeting.
“It will identify the community’s priorities and provide potential policy recommendations that can be used as a starting point to develop updates to the plan,” she said. “We will continue to encourage feedback on the new plan as it is developed.”
