(City-Times photo)

Community Development Director Michael Ostrowski takes notes on public suggestion regarding the future of Stevens Point’s 1st District.

Ostrowski, along with Kyle Kearns, the city’s economic development specialist, hosted Wednesday’s first public hearing on the Stevens Point comprehensive plan; a broad overview of the city’s future land use and model for growth in economic terms, sustainability, parking/roadway improvement and other areas.

The city will hold public meetings in each other 11 aldermanic districts to make attendance as easy as possible for areas residents.

About 30 residents attended the meeting and broke off into smaller groups to discuss their suggestions in a more informal setting. Ideas for the 1st District, which ranged from improved parking and maintaining the city’s green space to a desire for a more informed community and better intergovernmental cooperation, and also focused largely on improved rental housing for UWSP students.

The District 2 meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16.