HANCOCK – It’s been a while since the master plan for Hancock was updated, so the process to do so has begun, and on Sept. 12, the public will have an opportunity to express ideas and possible concerns about they would like to have in a master plan.

Hancock Mayor Lisa McKenzie said the last master plan was created in the 1970s. Communities are required to have master plans if they want to apply for various kinds of funding.

An open house regarding the Hancock master plan will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Copper Country Community Arts Center at 126 Quincy Street in Hancock. City officials and representatives of OHM Advisors will be at the open house. People can come in any time during the two-hour period.

Hancock also has a strategic plan, which is more specific than a master plan, McKenzie said.

“The strategic plan drives the master plan,” she said.

A master plan is a general guide for a community’s development for as long as 20 years into the future, McKenzie said. The strategic plan is updated every three to five years.

OHM Advisors in Hancock is guiding the master plan development, and in a press release OHM Senior Planner Heather Seyfarth wrote the city received a Sustainability & Resiliency grant of $19,300 from the Michigan Association to fund the creation of the master plan. Other funding sources are Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the United States Department of Commerce. Hancock is also providing $25,700 in matching funds for the project.

In the press release, Seyfarth wrote the potential goals for the master plan include to establish the downtown as a thriving, attractive community center, protect and celebrate the city’s natural features, expand the area’s economic opportunities, provide and maintain quality public services and infrastructure, and prepare for hazards and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

McKenzie said one of the concepts in the city’s strategic plan is increasing the city’s walkability and making it a bicycle-friendly place, and she expects that will be part of the master plan, as well as addressing the city’s parks.

It’s important for city officials to hear from residents about their visions for the city as the master plan is developed, McKenzie said.

“It’s a long-term planning tool,” she said.