Summit County presents results of community visioning outreach; targets gaps before phase 3

County officials and consultants on Wednesday updated the Summit County Council on the 'Our Summit' Community Visioning Project, summarizing findings from the first two engagement phases and outlining next steps in a multi‑stage public process. Project leads said phase 1 (January–mid‑April) collected 4,810 questionnaire responses and used mailers to about 23,000 households and paid social advertising to reach roughly 64,361 impressions; phase 2 targeted underrepresented groups and increased responses among Hispanic/Latino residents and North/South Summit areas.

The presentation, led by Derek and Maddie with consultant Sophie Frankenberg on Zoom, mapped where responses came from and highlighted recurring themes: residents prioritized conservation of open space, rural character and recreation, and identified housing options and transportation connections as key areas for change. Presenters said younger demographics and certain communities remain underrepresented and described targeted outreach at local events (Latino Arts Fest, Oakley Rodeo) and plans to collect more intercept surveys at the Summit County Fair this weekend.

Why it matters: County officials said the visioning effort will inform potential updates to general plans, development code changes, small area plans and transportation planning; the draft vision statements generated from phase 1–2 feedback will be tested with the public in phase 3 before officials consider concrete implementation steps. Council members suggested additional outreach ideas, including events with food to increase participation and more detailed polling on what residents mean by 'recreation' or 'affordable housing,' and asked for demographic and city‑level response rates to help target future outreach.

Presenters said phase 3 will include additional intercept surveys, a possible second mailer with council cover language in English and Spanish, and a 'roadshow' of public presentations and a traveling exhibit at the Ledges Center this fall. They also offered to return with proposed next steps and scenario planning materials that would examine tradeoffs such as where higher‑density housing might be located to preserve rural areas. The project team invited council feedback on questions that remain unanswered and on topics the public should discuss during phase 3.

The council did not take formal action; staff said they will return with further materials and proposed next steps for council direction.