Comprehensive plans are aptly-named, since they help direct nearly everything city governments oversee, budget and work towards, and are usually based on 20-year projections. Like chapters in a book, plans are divided into specific topic areas, including land-use, housing, transportation, recreation, public services and other needs, establishing goals and policies for each topic area. While comprehensive plans do help guide future regulatory decision-making, they aren't regulatory instruments. Instead, City regulations and "zoning" documents exist as separate documents, updated individually through public process and Council action. Cheney's new plan will be based on the existing plan first adopted in 1997, but since a lot has changed since then, there'll be a lot of new content as well. Once adopted, the new comp plan will help steer staff work and Council decisions well into the future.

Consultants charged with aiding the process will work to engage a large volunteer base and the entire community in crafting Choices for Cheney, including maintaining a project website, facilitating open houses and workshops, and distributing questionnaires and other process documents. Like any plan, the work will begin by confirming Cheney's existing broad-brush "vision" for itself, and moving quickly to articulate what things the City needs to preserve - or improve - as time goes by. With community input as a guide, goals and policies will be crafted that help achieve Cheney's objectives. But plans aren't intended to get adopted by Council and remain static. Citizens and government must work together, actively using the plan for guidance. Then, as goals are achieved - or as conditions, challenges or new opportunities arise - the plan must evolve, too.

This project page is here to keep folks informed, and will be updated often with news, documents, exercises and more, all filed under the corresponding tabs at the top of this page. Information on meetings and workshops will be posted under the “Events” tab - including details on future meetings or summaries of meetings you might've missed. Folks that provide an e-mail address using the link at right will receive periodic updates on the plan. Have comments on anything posted here? Many items allow for on-line comments - just look for the “Comments” link at the bottom of entries and add your thoughts electronically.

For more on Choices for Cheney 2030, see the site FAQ section, or get in touch with staff or consultant Studio Cascade via e-mail or phone. Contact information is available here, or as listed below: