Consultant presents Vision 2035 draft; commissioners press for metrics and next steps

Cheryl Trent of Raftelis presented the Vision 2035 draft to the Delray Beach City Commission, describing the document as a living strategic framework rather than a prescriptive checklist. Trent summarized the proposed vision statement — "Delray Beach, the village by the sea, a thriving community with a charming downtown and vibrant neighborhoods that celebrates heritage, values sustainability, and creates an inviting quality of life" — and highlighted five key focus areas: economic development, education, environment, historic preservation and strategic development.

Trent told the commission the report (roughly 72 pages) consolidated citizen input from steering committees and a large community meeting and recommended using visuals captured during the process to keep the plan alive in public discussions. "Delray Beach is clearly an incredibly special community," she said, and recommended the commission use the framework to prioritize projects and align budget decisions.

Commissioners welcomed the community engagement but pressed for concrete implementation steps, measurable performance metrics and a clear method to translate the long‑range vision into near‑term priorities. One commissioner cited other municipalities that hold quarterly follow‑ups and urged the manager to integrate the plan into the budget process; Raftelis acknowledged implementation and metrics are the commission and manager's work and recommended using the manager's operations and budget processes to operationalize goals.

The commission approved a motion to schedule a facilitated goal‑setting workshop on May 8 at Vintage Gym (Old School Square) to use the Vision 2035 framework in advance of the fiscal‑year budget process. Commissioners and staff agreed Raftelis could help facilitate that session.