PERU – The town’s comprehensive planning committee will hold a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Rockemeka Grange Hall on Center Street. It will be the first chance for residents to see proposed goals and strategies for the town’s comprehensive plan.

The forum represents the second stage of a three-stage process for adopting a plan based largely on a townwide survey done last year. It is expected that the final stage, a town vote, will take place at the March town meeting. If passed, the plan will ultimately help town leaders to make decisions that will shape the size and character of Peru.

Up for discussion on Thursday are a number of traditionally touchy issues, including a long-term capital spending plan and the appropriateness of townwide zoning constraints on new commercial and personal development.

The public will be asked Thursday for input on several land-use issues that have presented special problems for the board, including ATV use, a moratorium on acquiring new roads, and the public acquisition of high-value land parcels. Residents who attend the forum will have a chance to see Peru’s future land use map depicting areas of the town deemed more suitable for development, and those that may need more protection or oversight.

Several selectmen are expected to join committee members to get as much firsthand input as possible. Once the forum is over, the committee will spend the next several months using the information they gathered to form a final version of the plan for the March meeting.