Public sees final version of Perrysburg's overall plan

Mike Liebenthal, at left, the co-chairman of the steering committee for the comprehensive plan, discusses the Commodore Building with his wife Julie and Denny Barrett at the open house at Fort Meigs State Park last week.

The end is in sight for the process of updating Perrysburg's comprehensive plan.

The plan revision process, known as People Planning Perrysburg, or more simply P3, began more than a year ago. Last week, the final plan was unveiled at a public open house at Fort Meigs State Park.

It was an opportunity for the public to comment on the plan's 10 chapters, each of which has a goal and strategies.

"This is the public's final opportunity to comment on the plan," explained Aaron Domini, a planning consultant hired by the city.

The written public suggestions will be considered at the next meeting of the P3 steering committee, which must approve the plan.

After that, the final draft goes to the planning commission for approval, then to city council for adoption sometime this year.

The plan is a blueprint for development that deals with an extensive range of topics:

•Land use.

•Housing.

•Economic development.

•Infrastructure.

•Mobility.

•Community services.•Historic and cultural resources.

•Urban form.

The new plan differs from the current one in being "more action-oriented," Mr. Domini explained. "It sets specific time frames to get things done. The dates have to be decided yet."

Rob Black, a steering committee member from Perrysburg Township, noted that the new plan places more emphasis on economic development.

The economic goal of the city, according to the plan, is "a sustainable local economy supported by local businesses, encouraging and retaining new quality businesses, a vital downtown, clean high-tech industry, and green technologies."

The plan's economic objectives include attracting new businesses and diversifying the economic base, adding jobs, enhancing the downtown as the center of the city, and providing amenities to attract higher-income professional residents.

The plan outlines a lot of strategies for achieving these ends, including using tax incentives to attract and retain businesses, infrastructure improvements that will lead to employment-generating land use, continued revitalization and historic preservation efforts downtown, development of riverfront housing for affluent residents, preserving the high quality of the Perrysburg schools, and expansion of recreational amenities such as parks and trails.

The plan seeks development while "preserving Perrysburg's small-town character which residents have grown to love and which gives the area its distinctive identity," the introduction states.

The steering committee has held five meetings so far, and benefited from a variety of suggestions, Mr. Black said.

"The public feedback has been very effective," he said.