Residents are invited to attend a special Thursday, May 13 workshop at the Oxford Public Library to help chart the course of Oxford Township’s future development.
The township Planning Commission is soliciting public input as it works to update the township’s Master Plan.
‘It’s an opportunity for residents to come out and speak their minds, share their opinions and thoughts,? said township Planner Don Wortman.
The Master Plan, which is the guiding document for land use decisions in the township, has not been updated since it was originally adopted in November 1995.
Communities are encouraged to re-examine their master plans every five years, Wortman said.
Alot has changed in the township since the Master Plan was adopted, he noted.
A 78 percent increase in population was experienced in the township between 1990 and 2000 while land uses have changed to encompass the Waterstone development and new development along the Lapeer Road corridor and the fringes of the village, according to Wortman.
Such changes necessitate an update of the Master Plan, which Wortman described as the ‘blueprint for future growth and development? in the township, ‘a road map so to speak.?
‘The Master Plan charts the course of future development and helps manage growth in the township,? he said. ‘It offers long-range guidance to the planning commission in zoning decisions.?
Wortman emphasized that this is only an update of the plan, not a wholesale overhaul.
‘We’re not reinventing the wheel,? he said.
But in order to make the update truly reflective of the community, Wortman said citizen input is needed to ‘validate the plan.? Hence, the workshop.
‘We would be remiss if there was no opportunity for citizens to have input on the Master Plan,? he said.
At the workshop, participants will be asked to break-up into smaller groups of between 5 and 15 members to examine such issues as general land use, preferred areas for growth, infrastructure, traffic, community image, residential land use density, commercial and industrial development, public utility availability, agriculture and open space, and natural/environmental resources.
After one-hour, these small groups will report their findings to the larger group.
The results will be included in Master Plan as an appendix, Wortman said.
‘Everything will be carefully noted and incorporated with the document,? he said.
Because the workshop will be ‘informal,? Wortman is hoping for a ‘lively discussion,? in which participants feel free to express their ideas and opinions.
The workshop will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the Oxford Public Library (530 Pontiac St., just outside the village).
For more information call Sue Ariss, administrative assistant to the planning commission, at (248) 628-9787.