Planners have asked Denton residents to preview a new draft vision statement for the city’s future, and we urge them to accept the invitation.
Today brings the last community forum planned for resident feedback on how Denton should grow, and it will be held in two locations: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Denton Community Market, 317 W. Mulberry St., and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Denton Civic Center as part of Public Safety Day.
Denton leaders agreed a couple of years ago to update the city’s comprehensive plan, which was drafted in 1999, saying a revision was needed to help deal with ongoing growth.
The city retained a team of consultants to help with the updates and citywide sessions to collect public input were organized. The goal, officials said, was to capture in a vision statement what Denton residents have identified as the city’s strengths and opportunities and to lay the foundation for future growth strategies.
Residents are invited to preview the draft plan while enjoying food trucks and music. The draft plan also can be read or downloaded from www.dentonplan2030.com.
But we hope that a lot of you will choose to drop by today’s preview, which will be the final installment of an event that city leaders dubbed “Community Forum 3: Celebrate Denton!” Preview sessions were also held Thursday and Friday.
Officials said the sessions were planned not only to share the results of the effort that produced Denton Plan 2030, but also to thank participants for their time, input and support.
We agree that Denton residents deserve a pat on the back for helping produce the comprehensive plan update, but more important, we believe that becoming familiar with information and recommendations included in the plan should be required homework for anyone with an interest in the city’s future.
There are no guarantees that any of the ideas included in the plan will ever come to fruition, but we’re betting that some of them will, and it’s good to know that a lot of the ideas came from the public.
It always seems like it’s a lot tougher than it should be to get people to participate in projects like Denton Plan 2030, and that’s too bad. You’d think that just about every taxpayer in town would seize any opportunity made available to help city leaders determine their hometown’s future path.
After all, who has more to gain from Denton’s continued growth and prosperity than the folks who pay the bills?
In our view, the best way to help preserve Denton’s unique character and take advantage of its future promise is to get involved and stay involved. Instead of sitting at home complaining that no one cares about efforts like this one, why not drop by the Community Market or Civic Center today and take a look at the draft?
At the very least, you can try out one of those food trucks, hear a few tunes and enjoy the first promise of fall temperatures.
And who knows? You might just find something in the plan to get excited about.
Denton has a lot of promise — do your part to make sure that we live up to it.
