Communities are constantly interacting with and responding to changing factors that relate to quality of life at the local level. Sometimes these changing factors are focused around local shifts, while others are derived from regional and national trends. Population demographics will shift, the economy will respond to new markets, technologies will improve, and preferences will change for services and housing. These changes will inevitably influence current and proposed uses of land, capital, and property. As we look into the future, we can choose to merely react to change or anticipate and direct the changes that occur. When engaging in a comprehensive planning process, the community is both responding to changes that have occurred and planning for change that the community would like to occur in the future.
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of a comprehensive development plan is to articulate the broader vision and establish guiding principles and policies for future growth and development of an entire community. Indiana Code states that "it should promote the public health, safety, morals, convenience, order or the general welfare and for the sake of efficiency and economic in the process of development." It does not focus on the needs and desires of one property owner, business or neighborhood. Comprehensive development plans are intended to be broad in nature.
This provides community leaders with the flexibility to implement the community-wide vision, goals and objectives while responding to changing community conditions that are likely to occur over the life of the plan.
STANDARDS
The State of Indiana has developed specific requirements and minimum content for a comprehensive development plan (I.C. 36-7-4-500 et seq.). The elements of a comprehensive development plan, at a minimum, should include:
• A statement of objectives for future development of the jurisdiction;
• A statement of policy for the land use development of the jurisdiction;
• A statement of policy for the development of public ways, public spaces, public lands, public structures, and public utilities.
A comprehensive development plan may also include a multitude of additional topics, community issues and strategies, such as surveys/studies of current conditions, maps/graphics, reports, and recommendations.
This comprehensive development plan was based on community input, existing land uses, development trends, suitability of land uses, economic feasibility, natural land features, and the requirements of I.C. 36-7, as amended, which empowers cities and towns to plan:
• That highway systems and street systems be carefully planned
• That new communities grow only with adequate public way, utility, health, educational, and recreational facilities
• That the needs of agriculture, industry, and business be recognized in future growth
• That residential areas provide healthful surroundings for family life
• That the growth of the community is commensurate with and promotive of the efficient and economical use of public funds" (IC 36-7-4-201)
The comprehensive development plan does, at a minimum, under Indiana planning law (IC 36-7-4-502) include:
• A summary of goals and objectives for the future development of the Town of New Palestine;
• A summary of policy for development keyed to these goals and objectives for community facilities and the public/private infrastructure; and
• The land use goals and objectives illustrated on the Future Land Use Plan map in order to better understand the spatial representation and interactions.
As a rule, a comprehensive development plan should be revisited every year to check the progress of goals and objectives that have been developed. Every five years a comprehensive development plan should be updated for informational content and to review the goals and objectives that were developed. The idea is to check that the objectives are being met and to then add new objectives and remove completed ones from the Action Plan.
Overall, this 2016 comprehensive development plan update will help guide the Town of New Palestine begin a new era and control the impact of pending urban sprawl. The town wants to retain the conveniences of a modern society, while at the same time retaining the values of the smaller rural community it once was.
THE PLANNING PROCESS
The New Palestine Comprehensive Development Plan was initiated by the Town of New Palestine Town Council with the intent of serving as the community's guide for future development over the next 20 years.
Throughout the development of the plan there were many opportunities for the public to provide feedback through public meetings, an advisory committee, key person interviews and adoption hearings. The information and ideas gathered from these public input opportunities were used to establish recommendations and concepts included in this plan.
LOCATION
Like many communities throughout Indiana, the Town of New Palestine has always been a small community where all the people know one another by name. It has been a rural way of life, not impacted by urban uses. The values are those of a rural community - neighborliness, the opportunity to walk to various community facilities, and tree-lined streets.
Regional Setting
New Palestine is located in Hancock County in the central part of Indiana. It lies due east of Indianapolis/Marion County and one of the "donut" counties of the Indianapolis MSA.
New Palestine's location in central Indiana provides residential, commercial and industrial opportunities because of its regional setting. It is situated within the American Manufacturing and the Great Lakes Economic Regions. It is also recognized as being part of the American Corn Belt Region, a significant agricultural area in the United States. However, agriculture is rapidly declining within the planning area due to urban encroachment.
Politically, the regional setting includes representation on a national level within the 6th U.S. Congressional House District currently represented by Congressman Luke Messer. On the State level, the planning area is represented by State Senator Michael Crider (District 28) and by State Representative Robert Cherry (District 53). The Hancock County Commissioner representing the residents in New Palestine is Brad Armstrong.
STUDY AREA
Town of New Palestine
The town of New Palestine is located in Sugar Creek Township in southern Hancock County, approximately sixteen miles from downtown Indianapolis. New Palestine has a land area of approximately 704 acres and has a (2010 US Census) population of 2,055 residents.
The primary study area consists of land within the town limits. During this study, areas outside of the town limits (mainly Sugar Creek Township) were also considered in the planning of land use, transportation issues and overall growth and development issues.
PAST PLANNING
The initial New Palestine comprehensive plan was completed in 1976. Since that plan was completed, Indiana law regarding the content of comprehensive plans changed and it no longer meeting the needs of the community. So, in 1999, the Town updated the '76 plan. This updating was necessary since the Town had lost its extra-territorial jurisdiction when Hancock County created an Area Plan Commission.
Area growth has prompted many area communities to revise or update their plans in recent years. Hancock County adopted a new plan in 2012 and the City of Greenfield in 2015. This surrounding planning activity set the stage for the New Palestine planning effort.
PLAN ORGANIZATION
The New Palestine Comprehensive Development Plan is one document with many distinct sections. While these sections cover different aspects of the community, they all are related.
This document will contain written text, maps, illustrations, tables, and whatever else is needed to clearly describe the community and its conditions and goals. The plan should be easy to read and easy to update so that local employees, officials, and citizens can all use it comfortably.
The first part of the plan is the Introduction, which explains the Why's and How's of this Plan. It shows the planning area and period; the purpose for planning; previous planning efforts; how the plan was developed and the context of the plan; and how to use the plan.
The Public Input section of the plan will discuss the public participation process. Public participation is what drives the Plan and where all of the Goals and Objectives are formulated. This section describes what methods were used to obtain information and how the community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats should be described and evaluated.
The Community Profile section describes the historical aspects of the Town as well as the physical characteristics and the Town's demographic statistics.
Next are a number of different areas that need to be addressed. This is where the plan becomes comprehensive. Population and demography, land use, traffic circulation and transportation, parks and open space (natural resources), housing, utilities and services, community facilities, economic development, historical preservation, and other elements are all areas that may be covered in the plan. The goals and objectives for the overall plan, as well as for each of these specific areas of study, will be included at the end of each of these sections.
Section 4: Community Environment
This chapter depicts the quality of life issues of the community and the community facilities. It looks at such items as population statistics, social characteristics and the existing community facilities.
Section 5: Economic Environment
This chapter looks at the economic statistics and the commercial, industrial and downtown issues of the community.
Section 6: Land Use
This chapter looks at the existing land use conditions and provides a written summary of the Future Land Use Plan, as well as providing the maps for the plan.
Section 7: Transportation
This chapter provides a written summary of the Transportation Plan.
Section 8: Action Plan
The last chapter contains the implementation focus, Action Plans and conclusions which are essential to keeping the Comprehensive Development Plan current and up-to-date by responding to changing trends and socioeconomic conditions.
How to Use This Document
The New Palestine Comprehensive Development Plan can serve as a valuable public management tool if used on a regular basis. This Plan can best be described as a community guidebook. It will help guide the Plan Commission in its decision making process. However, it addresses many other community issues as well. When reviewing development plans, making budgets or setting priorities, this document should be used to help make decisions. Because of its emphasis on public participation this Plan gives city leaders knowledge of what the community wants and needs.
PLANNING PERIOD
Even though the planning process is a continuing responsibility of the Plan Commission and the Town Council, it is necessary to identify the planning period which this Plan covers. Traditionally, the planning period is divided into both a short- and a long-range planning period. For the purposes of this Plan update, the short-range planning period would be the five-year period from 2016 through 2020. The long-range period would extend the time an additional fifteen years into the future to 2035.
It should be emphasized that this Comprehensive Development Plan, in addition to other ordinances designed to implement the Plan, should be reviewed annually and revised as needed after five years.
FRAMEWORK
The framework of the plan serves as a foundation of the planning process which is used in creating this plan - guided by four key questions. The questions are as follows:
"Planning for what?"
"Where are we now?"
"Where are we going?"
"Where would we like to go?"
"How do we get there?"