Union residents will get their first in-person look at the city's proposed Town Plan Update on July 27, when Mayor Larry Solomon and all four city commissioners host an open house at the city building, 1843 Bristow Drive.

The session runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The Town Plan is Union's long-term land-use guide, dictating where homes, businesses, offices, and mixed-use projects can go and at what density. Originally adopted in 2000, the plan is due for its latest overhaul as the city's population has surged from roughly 2,800 residents that year to nearly 8,000 in 2024. The updated plan projects Union's population will exceed 10,000, according to figures presented at the May 5 commission meeting by Kevin Costello, executive director of the Boone County Planning Commission.

Costello, who helped create the original plan, has been leading the update process. Among the key proposed changes: removing outdated language, aligning with the newly adopted 2045 Boone County Comprehensive Plan, and recognizing Union Town Square as a community centerpiece. The update also revises residential density categories to a range of four to eight units per acre, focuses on the Old Union Road small business district, identifies six undeveloped properties for future development, recommends improved wayfinding signage, and requires developers to meet with city and county officials before moving forward on projects.

The plan raises the maximum height for building-mounted signs from 24 inches to 36 inches to accommodate multi-tenant buildings.

Solomon has made density enforcement a priority. "One of the things that we talked about specifically was making sure that we strongly enforce those density requirements, because that better manages growth," he said at the May 5 commission meeting, when the update was first presented publicly.

The open house follows a request from Union resident Joni Persinger, who addressed the commission on May 5 and asked for an in-person workshop so neighbors could see the proposed changes and interact directly with officials. The Boone County Planning Commission also ran a public online survey on the draft plan through June 30.

Commissioners John Mefford, Doug Bine, George Eldridge, and Kim Tuyn are all listed on the July 27 agenda alongside Solomon.

Existing zoning districts, including Urban Commercial, Union Neighborhood Office, and Union Business Town Center, will remain under the updated plan with only minor adjustments to permitted uses.

After the open house, the next steps include a formal public hearing before the Boone County Planning Commission, followed by a recommendation to Boone County Fiscal Court. No date for that hearing has been announced.