HUTTO – The city’s comprehensive plan, also known as Hutto SOAR 2040, is one step closer to completion after a public comment event held at the Downtown Christmas Fair. The community-input portion of the plan kicked off in spring 2020 and has included various methods for soliciting public comment along the way.
Freese & Nichols, a research consultant firm, set up a website where members of the community can comment on the plan and make suggestions.
“The drafts of the plan are all available on the website for the public to view and comment
on,” said Freese & Nichols representative Caitlin Admire. “We’ll release the full plan for public comment at the end of the month, and then present the plan and the comments to the city for discussion,” she said.
Opinions on the plan were varied among those who viewed it at the city’s Downtown Christmas Fair on Dec. 10.
“I’m glad but also sad,” said Matthew Fasthorse, a Hutto resident. “I just don’t want to lose the small-town atmosphere.”
Many people were concerned about increasing the traffic congestion in town. One suggestion was to build a loop around the city and encourage people not to drive through Hutto.
Patti Smith, a real estate developer who owns property in Hutto, was hopeful that the plan would create an easier path for larger development opportunities.
“They have companies come in and have interest and I’ve heard the industries end up going to other cities,” she said. “I’m hoping things are going to change.”
The long-range plan incorporates over a year of data collection and analysis, according to city resources. Public surveys, focus groups, roundtable discussions and public input at city events were part of the data considered. A panel of Hutto residents serves on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Group to help steer the process.
Historical preservation and authenticity, the economy, housing, transportation, connectivity, infrastructure and nature within the city limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction are all taken into account. “The plan is not expanding the ETJ,” Admire said. “We’re just planning for the best land use within the footprint.”
The draft will go to the Hutto Planning and Zoning commission in January and the City Council in February, according to the city’s website. The plans are available at https://freese.mysocialpinpoint. com/huttosoar2040/ downtownplan.
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