Hoover officials to present draft of new comprehensive plan on Oct. 4

After nearly a year of public meetings, research and discussions, officials with the city of Hoover this week are ready to present a draft version of a new comprehensive plan for the city.

A public presentation has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday night in the William J. Billingsley Council Chambers at the Hoover Municipal Center.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato has said the plan will help serve as a guide for how the city wants to grow and develop over the next 20 years.

The process started about a year ago with several “Future Hoover” meetings held in October and November in various parts of the city. Then in January and February of this year, additional meetings were held to build upon the discussions from last fall.

Also, the KPS consulting firm conducted a survey about what’s right and what’s wrong with the city and what should be done to improve the quality of life, garnering 1,150 responses. See some of the results of that survey here.

City staff and KPS also conducted research about the city’s population, demographics, geography, city services, transportation routes, business sector and various amenities in the city.

They took all the research and feedback from the community and developed a first draft that was shared with an advisory committee made up of Hoover residents, business leaders and other stakeholders.

That committee included U.S. Steel Executive Billy Silver, Signature Homes President Jonathan Belcher, Greystone resident Mary Sue Ludwig, Riverchase Galleria General Manager Mike White, Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy, Gonzalez, Strength & Associates partner Mark Gonzalez, Hoover Historical Society President Arnold Singer, Monte D’Oro resident Nadine Maalouf, Bluff Park Village owner Ken Hardin, Eden ridge resident Joann Rome and Bluff Park resident Georgia Pearson.

After numerous meetings over the past six months, the draft plan was tweaked to get it ready for Thursday’s public presentation.

After Thursday’s meeting, the draft will be posted at futurehoover.com, and a public hearing will be scheduled for early November to get additional public feedback. The plan then will be submitted to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council for approval.