Eau Claire Seeking Members for Comprehensive Plan Committee

The City of Eau Claire is seeking community members to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee as it prepares for an update.

According to a press release, the City will begin the process of updating its comprehensive plan covering things like zoning codes, transportation services, utilities, and recreation facilities this Summer. The City’s current comprehensive plan was adopted in 2015 and has been updated twice since in 2022 and 2025.

The comprehensive plan is meant to guide local policy decisions for the next 20 years, and state regulations require it to be updated at least every 10 years. Previous updates to the plan have focused on growth through cost-effective compact development.

Housing development in particular has become a troublesome issue in Eau Claire. The City has seen a growing unhoused population over recent years with a vacancy rate below the state average and levels that would typically be considered healthy. With that low vacancy rate, the costly and time-consuming process of creating new housing units is one of the few tools the City has to fully tackle the affordable housing crisis.

City officials say the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee will be made up of two City Council members, two plan commissioners, and nearly a dozen community members. They anticipate the committee will hold 10 meetings between this August and the Fall of 2027.

Interested community members must submit their application by June 14th, and the committee will be officially established on July 14th. City officials are also encouraging residents who are not interested in serving on the committee to share their input during the process at various public engagement opportunities. More information on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee and the application are available on the City of Eau Claire website.