Community input requested for West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood Plan

As the City of Hickory and the West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood Association continue work to update the West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood Plan, the community is invited to participate in a Zoom meeting to discuss the plan’s progress on Thursday, October 8, at 6 p.m.

Meeting attendees should log on to the Zoom meeting link at the appropriate time, or call 929-205-6099 and use meeting ID: 885 3493 1315 and passcode: 409859.

This will be the second Zoom meeting since the West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood Plan revision was launched in the early summer.

In mid-summer, the neighborhood association worked with the City of Hickory Planning Department to roll out a community-wide survey of the neighborhood, which is an initial step in revising the 20-year-old plan.

The goal of the survey was to achieve a 20 percent response rate. Thanks to outstanding participation by the community, the City exceeded that goal with a response rate of approximately 25 percent.

The main purpose of the October 8 Zoom meeting will be to perform a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. SWOT is a strategic planning technique used to assist the West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood Association in identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the neighborhood and the city at large.

Other items covered during the Zoom meeting will include a discussion of east/west pedestrian connectivity within the neighborhood.

A packet will be forwarded to over 500 local property owners by the end of this week. The packet will include a meeting agenda, a copy of the final survey results, and City brochures about community development and economic development funding programs.

For more information about the West Hickory/Westmont Neighborhood and/or the neighborhood planning process, please contact Senior Planner Ross Zelenske at 828-323-7422 or via email at rzelenske@hickorync.gov.