Southern Pines residents will have one more opportunity to comment on the town's proposed comprehensive long-range plan next week.

The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the plan during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Douglass Community Center on West Pennsylvania Avenue. The council could vote on the plan after the hearing.

"If anybody does have comments, I certainly hope they come to the meeting and share them with the council," said Councilman Chris Smithson.

The 219-page document is intended to be a guide to help town staff set goals and policies while providing elected and appointed officials with guidance on decision-making and in establishing regulations.

The current plan touches on the importance of West Southern Pines, the downtown area and Horse Country and maintaining their uniqueness. Also mentioned are the town's four areas of expected growth - Morganton Road, downtown, West Southern Pines and the Pine Needles area.

The town Planning Board held a public hearing on the plan last month and only two residents offered input on the document. Several members of the board expressed concern that so few residents showed up to speak.

Smithson said he wasn't surprised that few people spoke at that meeting, saying the plan development process has "gone well."

"I am very happy with the plan," Smithson said. "I think it affirms what is good about Southern Pines."

He said that he didn't expect a "lot of wholesale changes or debate" about the plan.

The plan, once approved, will replace a land development plan that was created in April 1988. That plan deals primarily with land-use and zoning. The new comprehensive long-range plan is more vision-oriented.

The process to create the plan began in July 2008 when the council voted to hire Studio Cascade, a Spokane, Wash.-based consulting firm.

In September 2008, the council appointed a 20-member advisory council to assist with creating the plan. That group represented a cross-section of the town. Its goal was to help guide the town's decisions on land use, transportation, economic development, public services and other issues.

The town made a concerted effort to seek input from residents on the plan. It held numerous workshops and other activities designed to gather information.

Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.