The Williamsburg City Council will discuss a new round of goals for the city during its fall retreat Saturday.
During the daylong session, council members will discuss ideas for goals and initiatives to improve the quality of life in the City of Williamsburg.
The discussion is part of the city’s biennial Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes process, which develops strategic objectives for the city for the next two years. The process includes dialogues between council members, city staff and the public.
The 2015-2016 GIO process kicked off in June with a joint work session with the City Council, Williamsburg Planning Commission, Economic Development Authority and representatives from the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg Hotel Motel Association and the College of William & Mary.
The event was the first of its kind for the city, and focused on creating a more vibrant economy in Williamsburg. Each organization delivered a presentation, and small groups of attendees exchanged ideas of how to “expand, contract or modify” the city’s role in economic vitality.
Those group discussions developed several recurring themes. They included distinguishing the city from James City County and York County, redeveloping the college, existing hotels and business corridors, creating new conference venues, and attracting new sports tournaments and arts events.
Other themes that came up included attracting new businesses, streamlining the process for obtaining a special use permit, developing affordable housing for young professionals, and exploring the possibility of a higher-density and more walkable downtown area.
Saturday’s retreat will serve as a brainstorming session between council members and city staff. The ideas that emerge from that session will again be discussed at the council’s work session Monday.
Members of the public are also invited to comment on the process. The Sept. 11 regular meeting of the City Council will have a period for public comment, and a community workshop on the GIOs will be held that evening at 7 p.m. The city is also preparing to launch an online system for collecting public input on the GIO process.
At their Oct. 9 regular meeting, council members will review a draft of the GIOs and receive input from the chairs and vice-chairs of the Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority. City Council’s Nov. 10 work session will be a final review of the draft GIOs.
The October and November meetings will also have opportunities for public comment.
The final version of the 2015-2016 GIOs is scheduled to be adopted at City Council’s Nov. 13 meeting.
The review of the 2013-2014 GIOs found that 60 of 64 strategic objectives had been completed or were on track for completion. The 2013-2014 version specified eight goal areas for city improvement: character of the city, economic vitality, transportation, public safety, human services and education, recreation and culture, environmental sustainability and citizen engagement and city governance.
Related Coverage:
