First, the most straightforward approach is to conduct your own site visit alone. There is no need to take a guided tour of the neighborhood by a resident, or a guided tour of the property by the owner. Also, take a moment at your meeting to simply disclose for the record that you made a site visit. It only makes you look that much more prepared. In those cases where the size or features of the property, or the nature of the use makes it necessary to go onto the site, I suggest you have your staff make arrangements for a site visit.
Some communities organize group site visits for their commissions.
This can be helpful in that it ensures that everyone is seeing the same thing. However, this would typically be considered a public meeting that is subject to public notice. If your community is interested in this approach, I urge you to work with your legal counsel to structure it in a legally defensible manner. For example, if you travel to a site in a single vehicle, you should not be discussing the merits of the case with each other. While site visits are a critical part of your preparations, like all matters of government they must be handled with caution.