What’s next, Xenia? Xenia seeking input for its future as it builds its neXtPlan

Xenians once again have an opportunity to shape the future of their community. A new online survey gives Xenians the opportunity to build their community’s “neXtPlan.”

Nearly 10 years ago, Xenia citizens helped the City of Xenia adopt X-Plan, an award-winning Comprehensive Plan that has guided our community. Many of X-Plan's recommendations were implemented and followed. Now, it's time to update that plan, which will be known as neXtPlan. 

neXtPlan involves three phases: Xplore, Xchange, and Xecute:

• Xplore (now until early 2023): Conduct a community survey and analyze data to assess community needs.
• Xchange (winter through summer 2023): Invite Xenians to community workshops, focus groups and stakeholder group meetings to work on goals and objectives to meet community needs
• Xecute (fall 2023 and early 2024): Build neXtPlan by developing implementation strategies to accomplish the community goals/objectives, adopt the plan and get to work.

To help the Xenia community Xplore its needs, Xenians can take a series of mini-surveys on the City’s neXtPlan website nextplan.xeniacity.com. Surveys were created with the help of a diverse citizens group called “neXTeam,” which will help City staff oversee the process. Survey responses will be analyzed and will shape the development of neXtPlan. The survey was broken into mini-surveys in order to give busy citizens the flexibility to take all of them consecutively or individually at different times, as their schedules permit. The surveys are the first of what will be many opportunities to participate in neXtPlan.

neXtPlan is being developed with the help of a grant from the Dayton Foundation through the Del Mar Healthcare Fund, for the Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Project. Xenia is one of a handful of communities that has been selected to receive grant funds to help plan for the
challenges and opportunities brought by an aging population. Xenia recently became a member of the AARP's Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. Being an Age-Friendly Community means making Xenia livable for residents of all ages, from cradle through
retirement. The grant will help to reimburse fees for consultants and other related expenses involved in public outreach and development of neXtPlan.