Alton Stakeholders Share Input at Comprehensive Plan Meeting
Community members, business owners and elected officials came together on Oct. 16, 2025, to share their perspectives on Alton's priorities.
ALTON - Community members, business owners and elected officials came together to talk about Alton’s comprehensive plan.
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On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, at The Old Bakery Beer Company, attendees were invited to share their perspectives on Alton’s priorities. Andi Campbell, Alton’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development, explained that the comprehensive plan will guide the city’s decisions for the next 20 years.
“It’s kind of a guidebook for us for decision-making,” Campbell said. “At the end of this, we’ll have a comprehensive plan basically that should help guide council members, help guide city staff, help guide officials about budgeting priorities on what’s important to our community. We’re not unlimited in the amount of resources we have. So where can we pack the most punch as we think about allocation of city resources?”
During the open house-style workshop on Oct. 15, 2025, community members were invited to share what they love about Alton and what they want to see improve. Many attendees came out with specific issues in mind.
Lisa Wolff, who owns a home in Middletown, wanted to share her opinion as the comprehensive plan is developed. She came to the workshop to find out more.
“I just wanted to find out what the movement is for the growth of Alton, and I wanted to make sure my voice was heard,” Wolff said.
For business owner C.J. Moore, the main priority was housing and zoning. Moore, a business advisor, hopes to bring his work to Alton. He is interested in restoring old houses and building multifamily housing.
“I grew up in Alton, I was born and raised in Alton, so I’m actually bringing my business back home and looking to buy some dilapidated properties, renovate them, or just completely demolish them and then rebuild. I just think we need more of that,” he explained. “There are just too many homes that I just ride around and I see that could use a lot of work, or those just need a little bit of love and care, and then it’d be someone’s dream home.”
Walkability was another major priority for many attendees. Mads St. Clair was interested in promoting the city’s walkability and also raised questions about the city’s plans for local businesses versus bigger corporations. St. Clair emphasized an interest in building up Alton’s culture and involving younger people in the decision-making process.
“If you’re young, you should get involved in politics. I wish I was seeing more people my age. I wish I was seeing more weirdos here,” St. Clair said. “I don’t want to see our town get eaten alive by just a bunch of corporations. I don’t want it to feel like a theme park. Sometimes I go to other towns around here and I drive in and I feel like it’s a theme park. There’s no culture from the people who live there. I don’t want to say that I’m unwelcoming to things coming outside of the area, but I don't believe that big businesses necessarily have our best interests at heart.”
Campbell noted that the Oct. 15 workshop was only one step in developing the comprehensive plan. Starting this past summer, they have been listening to stakeholder feedback and creating an Existing Conditions Report. She emphasized that this information-gathering is the “initial phase” of the plan.
Melissa Durie shared that she has been involved in several meetings as part of developing Alton’s comprehensive plan, and she wants to see action.
“I just want to make sure that our input, that something actually comes from it,” she said. “I feel like we participated in several of these things, but have not seen an outcome.”
Ian Durie echoed his wife, adding that it’s important to him to be a part of the process.
“You can’t complain about what happens if you don’t come down and put in your two cents,” he said.
If you missed the Oct. 15 meeting, you still have an opportunity to share your thoughts. You can complete this survey and visit the official City of Alton Comprehensive Plan webpage for more information about the development of the comprehensive plan.
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