Help the Town of Hillsborough define its character as part of the town's process in rewriting its development ordinance.

Hillsborough will host a civic discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 22 to determine the specific parts of the town's built environment that contribute to what is Hillsborough.

"Choosing Character: A Civic Discussion to Establish the Physical Components That Contribute to Our Quality of Small-Town Life" will take place at the Orange County Senior Center. Feedback gathered from the session will serve as the primary guide to the development ordinance's rewrite.

Those with a particular area of interest or a general interest in the future development of Hillsborough should attend.

"By identifying these items, we can ensure that future developments include these critical components, while still allowing design flexibility for other items," Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth stated.

Attendees will be asked questions about their development likes and dislikes and will be able to record their answers on keypads, which will give the town immediate polling results. Small table discussions also will take place. The goal is to determine the big picture concerns for the development ordinance rewrite.

In addition to the civic discussion, the town will schedule focus group discussions on the ordinance rewrite as well as opportunities for the public to review and comment on the rewrite's draft language. Another public forum will be scheduled before the document is sent to the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners for formal consideration. A draft of the revised development ordinance is expected to be completed in the spring.

Participants will be asked to register at the civic discussion "Choosing Character." They may choose to pre-register by contacting the planning director by phone at 732-1270 Ext. 86 or by e-mail at margaret.hauth@hillsboroughnc.org. The town will have 150 keypads available for polling. Written versions of the questions also will be available if registration numbers show additional interest.

For more information on the discussion or development ordinance rewrite, contact Hauth.

The Orange County Senior Center is located adjacent to the Triangle SportsPlex at 103 Meadowlands Drive, off U.S. 70-A.