CITY OF BRENHAM UPDATING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, LAUNCHING PUBLIC SURVEY
city council after its proclamation on Thursday
recognizing the month of October as Community
Planning Month. The proclamation also recognized the
city's receipt of the Richard R. Lillie Planning Excellence
Recognition Program Award, acknowledging
municipalities that demonstrate outstanding commitment
to professional planning practices.
The City of Brenham is recognizing October as Community Planning Month by highlighting the community’s progress and inviting residents to help shape the city’s priorities.
The city’s Development Services Department is conducting a review of the priorities established as part of the 2019 comprehensive plan, “Historic Past, Bold Future: Plan 2040”. It is also launching a public survey, “Your City – Your Voice”, inviting community members to identify strategic action items that should be the city’s main focus for the next five to ten years.
Development Services Director Stephanie Doland announced the survey during Thursday’s city council meeting, saying it will be a valuable opportunity to collaborate with the public and see how points of emphasis for the city may have changed since the initial adoption of the comprehensive plan.
According to a city press release, the comprehensive plan identified 105 strategic action priority items to guide decisions related to housing, economic development, infrastructure, parks, transportation and quality of life. Staff members are assessing each action item as Achieved, Ongoing, Not Started or Off-Track, and so far, 58 percent of those priorities are achieved or in-progress.
The release also made note of several milestones since adoption of the comprehensive plan. Approximately 989 new single-family homes have been permitted since January 2020, and 186 new commercial permits have been issued from 2020 to present. Brenham’s population grew from 17,178 in 2020 to 19,957 in 2025.
In addition to the online survey, the Development Services Department will host an informational booth during the November and December First Friday Market events in downtown Brenham. Visitors can explore informational graphics showing the city’s progress, share feedback through an interactive community poster, speak with city staff, and complete the survey in person using available tablets.
The link to the survey can be found here. More information on the comprehensive plan is available at www.cityofbrenham.org/planning.
