The first steps toward development of the Under-the-Hill and Over-the-Hill districts will begin next week when a Boston-based consulting firm visits Natchez.

Representatives from Christopher Chadbourne and Associates, which specializes in urban design and architectural planning, will arrive Monday evening for two full days of touring and interviews with city officials, landowners, businesspeople and tourism and preservation groups.

City officials hope the visit will lead to a complete study of the areas to serve as guidance for anticipated developments, including a possible hotel near the downtown convention center. The preliminary schedule lists several 45-minute interviews with a total of more than 50 people who will be affected or involved.

City Attorney&160;Walter Brown presented the schedule to the mayor and aldermen at Tuesday’s board meeting.

At that time, Ward 4 Alderman Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West voiced concerns about the lack of racial diversity in the list of scheduled interviews. &uot;Either we’re going to be all inclusive or we’re going to have problems,&uot; West said.

Brown said &uot;it’s nothing to do with black or white&uot; and asked West to submit the names of the people he would like to see included, which West has since done.

&uot;I’m not saying it was intentional, but we should all be concerned of the perception,&uot; West said Thursday.

&uot;It sends a mixed signal to outsiders looking in,&uot; he said.

Brown said the interviews are not public hearings and the Chadbourne group’s time here will be limited.

&uot;They are coming in on a very compact schedule,&uot; he said.

In the early 1990s, the same firm conducted a similar in-depth study resulting in a master plan for downtown development and guidelines for future gaming industries.

The firm was chosen a second time because of its focus on balancing economic development with historic preservation, several city officials said.

Next week’s visit will help the Chadbourne group get a &uot;better scope&uot; of the amount of work to be done,&160;Brown said.

The cost of the complete study, including next week’s visit, is expected to be between $60,000 and $70,000, Brown said.