OBEY CREEK COMPASS COMMITTEE PROVIDES FEEDBACK ON CONCEPTS, HOLDS A PUBLIC DISCUSSION, AND CONTINUES TO WORK THROUGH KEY IDEAS

On October 7^th, the Development Team presented three design concepts to the Obey Creek Compass Committee. That night and the following morning, Committee members gave feedback and asked questions of the various experts on the Technical Team, who were back in town for the work sessions. Equipped with the feedback, the Technical Team immediately got to work with developers to revise the designs. At the end of three days, the developers presented another iteration of the concept which reflected much of the feedback recieved. To review the design concept, go to the Obey Creek Compass Committee site.

 

On October 16^th, it was time for more public feedback! The Development Team provided information on the current concept, and then attendees, facilitated by Compass Committee members, engaged in discussion. They worked through several key questions about the project:

• What are you most excited about?
• What are you most concerned about?
• What 1-2 things do you wish you had more information about?
• What do you want to keep about the proposal?
• What do you wish was different?

Attendees of the public forum reported on key themes including enthusiasm over the preservation of open space, the potential of economic benefit and concern over traffic congestion, movement and mobility. To read more about the themes that emerged, click here.

 

Next, on October 19th, the Obey Creek Report Drafting Subcommittee got to work! Subcommittee members Aaron Nelson, Alan Rimer, and Jeanne Brown concluded that they will report on guiding principles, ways to accomplish the principles, criteria to compare, and  questions about information that is still needed.

The following week, on October 22^th the Committee was back together again. This time working first as a larger group then in small groups to examine the principles associated with physical development, development impacts, mobility, and connectivity. Several ideas emerged including a preference for a compact design and feel similar to Southern Village, the importance of pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, and the desire to balance green building practices with affordability. More information on this discussion is available here. Then, on October 29^th the Committee reconvened to further discuss the principles from the previous meeting and to note points of agreement, disagreement, and places where further discussion was needed.

On November 9^th, the full Committee met again. The Drafting Subcommittee reported on their work and the group discussed the use and traffic mobility sections of the report. At the end of the meeting, the decision was made to petition Council to extend their work deadline from the end of November to a January meeting in order to have two additional meetings and an extended public comment period.

The next meeting will be held on November 20th at the Public Library from 6:30-9:00pm. The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to public comment. The current version of the preliminary working draft can be found on the Obey Creek Compass Committee’s webpage.