Kosciusko County, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, K21 Health Foundation and local communities are joining forces to complete a one-of-a-kind update to the county’s 1996 comprehensive plan.
Over the course of the next year, residents, community leaders and community organizations are being asked to come together to discuss local challenges, identify unique community features and determine how Kosciusko County and the local communities can grow, evolve and improve.
A comprehensive plan is a guidance document for future growth and development that frequently focuses on the next 10 to 20 years, according to a news release from the KCCF. It serves as a roadmap for effective decision making in both private development projects and community initiatives for the public good. The key components of a comprehensive plan include a snapshot of current conditions, a vision for the future and recommendations of how to achieve the vision and goals outlined within the document.
FORWARD Kosciusko County will serve as the county’s comprehensive plan and will include detailed information and recommendations on local and countywide land use, government and fiscal capacity, public utilities, facilities and services, placemaking, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, parks and recreation, trails and downtown revitalization. The final plan is intended to inform decision making related to capital and non-capital improvements through the creation of a new Kosciusko County Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
In addition to the county comprehensive plan, the individual communities of Claypool, Etna Green, Leesburg, Mentone, Milford, North Webster, Pierceton, Silver Lake and Syracuse also will receive their own long-range planning document. This collaborative planning effort will allow these communities to leverage their unique assets and identify a strategic plan for growth, improvement and continued prosperity.
Information on the process, the project history and the project partners can be found at www.forwardkosciusko.com.
A critical part of the success of this planning process is the participation of property owners, residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the community. A comprehensive plan is, by its very nature, derived from the broader community. To ensure that the FORWARD Kosciusko County process takes into account the ideas, concerns and suggestions of the broader community, organizers are encouraging all residents of Kosciusko County to be a part of this one-of-a-kind process by completing a survey, attending a meeting or leaving ideas on the digital engagement website, the release states. Engagement activities can be found at www.forwardkosciusko.com/input.
FORWARD Kosciusko County is intended to encourage cooperation, collaboration and continued, shared investment amongst all implementation partners. The process, and final plan, is intended to “represent all of us and will be our tool to build a better future together,” the release states.
