With the increase in the communities size there has been an increase in repeat requests; specifically about hiding the search bar. This has been shared around a bit, but this is a response on Reddit from one of the team's developers explaining why hiding most likely won't be an option for the foreseeable future (the new feature being mentioned is the subtle setting, not another new feature, this post is pretty old).

If on the browser version of G+ you can also search from the top of the page, most requests have been asked and answered so a search should find answers far faster than posting and waiting for replies.

Here is a a massive feature request post, which covers most if not all requests so far - https://plus.google.com/103475519422596572123/posts/9SgR13pdtGx