In July, city manager Kathy Sexton introduced Vision Derby 2040 to the community. The Vision Derby 2040 process will create a road map to guide our future land use, transportation, housing, parks, streets and other public infrastructure. It will consider the challenges and opportunities we can expect to face over the next 20 years. Our goals are to continue to be a community of choice and to retain our “small town” culture of patriotism, community pride, and neighbors helping neighbors.

Vision Derby 2040 is the public’s plan and the future of our community hinges on input from residents. The City invites you to participate in a series of Design Studios, which will be facilitated by city staff and urban planners from RDG Planning & Design. RDG will share preliminary concepts and gather ideas and feedback. The concepts will be updated and refined throughout the series of design studios, so residents are encouraged to stop by one or more and watch the progress. It is imperative that those interested in Derby’s future offer ideas on what Derby should do to grow businesses, retain residents, and attract new residents for the next 20 years.

The Design Studios will be held at The Venue at Madison Avenue Central Park, 512 E. Madison Ave. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept 11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4 to 6 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you aren’t able to attend the Design Studios, you can still provide valuable input by taking the project survey at www.VisionDerby.com. You can also join an email list to be notified of upcoming public meetings and project developments. Paper copies of the survey are also available at Derby City Hall and the Derby Welcome Center.

I hope you will join us in creating a vison for the future of Derby. Your opinions and ideas are critical for us to create a future that aligns with the vision of the community.  

Dan Squires
Director of Planning & Engineering

Published in the Derby Informer on Sept.4, 2019.