If You Have a Vision of Rochester, Now is the Time to Share It

If you're living in Rochester and plan to stick around for awhile, you won't want to miss Thursday night's meeting of the minds.

It's officially called a , and it's the start of work on Rochester's next Master Plan, which will guide city policies and priorities for the next decade.

If you care about what the city of Rochester is going to look like five to 10 years from now, you are encouraged to come to the session, City Manager Jaymes Vettraino said.

It starts at 6:30 p.m. and will wrap up by 9 p.m. at the ; light refreshments will be served.

"The first session will help define our priorities; future sessions will refine those priorities," Vettraino said.

Here's how the session will work:

• The workshop will start with an introduction by McKenna Associates, the city's planning firm.
• Participants will be invited to break into groups of about 10 people.
• Groups will answer broad questions that will guide them into developing priorities for the master plan.

Subsequent planning sessions will follow in the upcoming months.

City leaders consider public input critical to the success of the city's master planning process. The last Master Plan was adopted in June 2000; it included 10 specific areas of focus — from the Paint Creek walkway through Rochester to the north Main Street corridor. (You can download and read the 174-page current master plan on the city's website.)

All are welcome to attend the Thursday night session; no RSVP is necessary.

Do you have ideas for improving Rochester? Share them in a comment attached to this story. Read about one resident's visions for the city in Do you agree with his thoughts?