Beaufort Harbor & Waterways Public Survey

Comprehensive Plan Focus Groups

Image of a focus group

What is a Focus Group?

Focus Groups are generally used to gather people's opinions, ideas, and beliefs on a certain topic or product. While surveys or questionnaires can be useful, they can not capture what a person is thinking or feeling. This is where a focus group will come into play.

 

Focus Groups 

The Comprehensive Planning project started with a conversation with community focus groups - residents, business owners, economic development agencies, land development professionals, decision makers, local leaders, and others.  

This was an opportunity to gain insight, observations, thoughts, perspective, and concerns related to land use and development in the town and the current Land Use Plan.  The discussions primarily centered around what these groups perceive as opportunities and challenges facing the town in the future and wins and losses in recent years related to land use regulation and development. 

Through discussions with Town Planning staff and the consultant, four Focus Groups were created: Economic Development & Business Community, Community Leaders & Developers, the Planning Board, and Environmental & Resiliency Professionals.  Members of the groups were selected based on their professional expertise and community reach.   Focus Group Roster

  1. The Economic Development/Business Community Focus Group consists of representatives from Carteret County Economic Development, the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Association, Carteret Community College, and the Tourism Development Authority.   Minutes from Dec. 08, 2020 Meeting

  1. The Community Leaders & Developers Group includes religious leaders, developers, and individuals well-known in the community.   Minutes from Dec. 08, 2020 Meeting

  1. The Planning Board Focus Group included several Planning Board members familiar with development patterns and challenges in Beaufort’s planning jurisdiction.   Minutes from Dec. 08, 2020 Meeting

  1. The Environmental & Resiliency Professionals Focus Group was formed in order to gain insight on environmental issues in the community.  This group includes representatives from the NC Department of Environmental Quality, NC Department of Public Safety, Duke Marine Lab and UNC.   Minutes from Dec. 08, 2020 Meeting

     5.  Focus Group 5 is an additional focus group that was created in April 2021 in response to citizen concerns of unheard voices within the community.  The group is comprised solely of residents of Beaufort

Focus Group Meetings were conducted on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 and April 1, 2021.
 

 

 

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