The city’s first public workshop is at the Newark Municipal Building Wednesday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Planning Commission intends to have the final document adopted by early 2027.
The city uses the Comp Plan as a long-range blueprint for the city’s future, including goals for the city in housing, sustainability and economic development.
Newark’s senior planner Michael Fortner said he and his colleagues will be looking for residents’ opinions over the next year.
“The success of a plan depends on how well it reflects the community's voice and values…” Fortner said. “It's really a key time to participate in this process and be heard. And so, yes, as planners, we want to kind of guide the process and create something that reflects what the Newark residents and stakeholders want to see.”
Fortner said Newark residents have always prioritized sustainability and reducing the city’s environmental footprint. The plan will also cover parks and open space, transportation, housing and infrastructure.
Fortner added he expects to see feedback on making the city more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians and providing more affordable housing.
Newark City Council recently discussed addressing homelessness by potentially opening a tiny home village like Georgetown’s pallet village, but specific plans like the village likely won’t make it into the Comp Plan.
“Blueprints are broad ranging goals, so it might identify this issue of homelessness and providing more housing for people that are undergoing homelessness… and then the next step would be to dig into that further,” Fortner said.
And Fortner said that might look like including a goal to revise zoning codes to better accommodate a tiny home development.
“We expect a lot of feedback on how can we provide more affordable housing, and housing for not just for students and more wealthier people, but also different income classes, different income levels, people with special needs housing,” Fortner said.
Newark will host several workshops in the next year, including a virtual session in December. Updates can be found at the city’s website.
