Gainesville City Commissioners, Consultants Work To Add Racial Equity In Comprehensive Plan Update
By Hannah Shelton
April 1, 2021
The Gainesville City Commission is seeking to cement racial equity considerations into city planning rules in a way it has never done before.
These rules will be revised through Imagine GNV, which the city describes as “an update to the…Comprehensive Plan that centers racial equity and the experiences and priorities of Black Gainesvillians and other historically-marginalized communities.” The city has hired New York-based consultants HR&A Advisors, Inc. to help complete the update.
Lydia Gaby and Eri Furusawa, two HR&A employees, delivered a virtual presentation on Wednesday to update commissioners on their current progress and future plans for Imagine GNV. They proposed goals, strategies and an eight-chapter outline that prioritizes racial equity in the new Comprehensive Plan. The city is paying HR&A $212,600 to assist with the plan changes.