Project Updates - Summer 2025

Community Engagement Highlights

Over the past few months, York's Comprehensive Plan Update team has been actively gathering input from residents, stakeholders, and community leaders to shape the future of the city. Here’s a brief overview of recent engagement activities:

September Engagement:

In September, the planning team connected with York residents, students, and stakeholders through a mix of in-person and online engagement opportunities. Together these activities provided a rich picture of the community’s priorities and ideas for the future.

High School Student Session (September 10)

The planning team met with 52 York High School students at the York Council Chamber to hear directly from younger residents about the future of their community. Students split into small groups to discuss parks and recreation, transportation, community image, and housing and neighborhoods. Their input revealed concerns about trail maintenance, sidewalk conditions, and limited entertainment options, while also highlighting opportunities such as dog parks, trail lighting, and more diverse housing options.

Corteva Employee Session (September 10)

During the lunchtime session at Corteva, employees shared their priorities for York’s future growth and quality of life. Participants emphasized attracting and retaining local businesses, improving parks and housing quality, and increasing walk/bike connections. This conversation provided valuable insight from a major local employer’s workforce and reinforced themes that also emerged in public workshops.

York University Student Session (September 10)

The planning team met with York University students to understand how young adults experience the community. Students noted challenges such as sidewalk gaps, unmarked intersections, limited late-night dining, and the need for better connectivity to the interstate. They also praised York’s welcoming feel and expressed interest in more downtown greenspace, refreshed recreation areas, and safer, slower traffic along Delaware Avenue.

Library Foundation Board Meeting (September 10)

The Library Foundation Board meeting focused on the Green Space Connector with the Kilgore Library expansion and how library services and community amenities align with York’s long-term goals. Board members discussed ways to integrate public spaces and library programming to strengthen downtown vitality and access to community resources.

Design Workshop – Kilgore Library (September 10, 5:00–7:00 p.m.)

The first design workshop invited residents to co-create York’s future growth concepts with RDG’s team. Cary Thomsen, RDG’s landscape architect, sketched ideas in real time covering the downtown entrance green space, the Green Space Connector with the Kilgore Library expansion, and potential streetscape improvements along 11th Street and Lincoln Avenue as well as 6th and Grant Avenue. Participants also discussed converting one-way streets to two-way streets to improve flow, safety, and downtown access.

Design Workshop – York Council Chamber (September 11, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.)

The second workshop continued and deepened the conversation from the previous evening. Participants provided feedback on how green space, downtown connectivity, and street design can support York’s economic vitality and community identity. This session further refined ideas for the Green Space Connector, downtown streetscapes, and potential two-way street conversions, again guided visually by Cary Thomsen, RDG’s landscape architect.

Community Survey (Closed September 15)

The community survey closed with 443 responses, providing a broad view of residents’ priorities across four focus areas: York’s greatest assets, the community’s top five priorities, community image and identity, and public and community services. These findings complement the in-person engagement and are being incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan goals and strategies.

Monthly Polls

To complement in-person engagement, the planning team launched a series of monthly polls. Each poll focused on a different topic and invited quick input from residents:

• June: Parks and Recreation Areas
• July: Transportation
• August: Housing
• September: Land Use and Environment (still open - Click on this link to take the poll)

These polls help keep the conversation going and capture ideas from community members who can’t attend in-person sessions.

Accessing the Full Summary

A full Summary of Community Input (including detailed notes from each session) and the Community Survey + Monthly Poll Results are available in the project’s document library for download and review.

Listening Sessions (June 11-12)
On June 11–12, the planning team hosted a series of small listening sessions with key community groups, including real estate, property managers, young professionals, public sector employees, small business owners, boards and commissions, education leaders and teachers, social service providers, youth sports representatives, and major employers. These conversations helped the team better understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing York. A summary of common themes is available in the document library.

Community Roundtable (June 12)
On June 12, the planning team invited York residents to a public session at City Hall. The discussion focused on shared priorities such as housing, land use, community image, transportation, and parks and recreation. The insights gathered will help guide the plan’s principles and recommendations. Notes from this session can be found in the “Wall Ideas from Public Session” file in the document library.

Steering Committee Updates
Recent Steering Committee presentations — including project updates and engagement outcomes — are also available in the website’s document library.

Project Kickoff - Spring 2025

The planning process is officially underway! We held our first Steering Committee meeting on May 29th. Thanks for everyone who joined us to help launch this effort. You can download the presentation from the website document library. We'll continue sharing updates here as the plan moves forward. Stay tuned!

What planning efforts have shaped York so far?

Understanding where we are today starts with recognizing the work that’s already been done. Over the years, the City of York has developed several plans to guide its growth and priorities. Explore and download those plans below to see how past efforts are informing the path forward.