During the next few months, a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Carroll County will be finalized. The plan will present a vision for Carroll County's future and a roadmap for its growth and development over the next twenty years.

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan will provide the framework for zoning, subdivision, and other ordinances that will govern actual land use; and, its goals and objectives will guide the decisions of the Area Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

This plan will replace the 1968 Carroll County Development Plan, which was last updated in 2001. The new Comprehensive Land Use Plan will depict current and future land use patterns in the county. It will address the changing landscape, infrastructure requirements, and economic development environment that will be introduced as the Hoosier Heartland Highway crosses the county. It will also reflect the changes mandated by new state and federal regulations. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan will cover all parts of the county under the jurisdiction of the Area Plan Commission including all incorporated towns and cities with the exception of Flora, which has its own planning commission.

Work on the new Comprehensive Plan has been underway since the spring of 2007 when Ground Rules, Inc., a Zionsville-based planning firm, was hired by the Commissioners at the recommendation of the Area Plan Commission. Several meetings were held in 2007 by the consulting firm to obtain public input from individuals and groups.

By virtue of a separate contract between the City of Delphi and Ground Rules, the Delphi Comprehensive Plan update has been part of this planning initiative. In early 2008, a steering committee appointed by the Area Plan Commission began reviewing drafts of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and maps.

The steering committee includes 15 members: Janet Ayres, Judy Berkshire, Dick Bradshaw, Pat Casserly, Sam Deiwert, Dan McCain, Elaine McCain, Stan Moore, Joe O'Donnell, Bret Rinehart, Miriam Robeson, Daryl Smith, Randy Strasser, Larry Trapp, and Anita Werling.

The draft of the Comprehensive Plan is now available for public review and comment. Four public meetings have been set, beginning tonight in Flora at the First Christian Church. Other meetings are as follows: July 29, Wabash & Erie Canal Center, Delphi; July 31, Burlington Community Park Building; and Aug. 6, Sportsman Inn, near Monticello. All meetings are at 7 p.m.

Copies of the plan can be found at the Area Plan Office in the Carroll County Courthouse at Delphi, at Burlington Community Library and at each of the public libraries in Delphi, Camden, Flora, and Yeoman, and online at www.carrollcountyin.gov/ and www.townofcam - den.org.

Comments can also be submitted in writing to Area Plan Director Kathy Mylet, or to any of the members of the steering committee through Aug. 15. After that date, the steering committee will review the comments, make modifications to the plan as needed, and then make the updated draft available online and at the same public locations for review.

Following this final public review, the Comprehensive Plan will be submitted to the Area Plan Commission for its deliberation. Once approved by the commission, the Comprehensive Plan will be presented to the Commissioners for adoption.

Submitted by Anita Werling, a member of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Steering Committee.

Participate in Carroll County's future

How: Attend one or more of four meetings to review and comment on the draft of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan

When: July 23 - Flora, First Christian Church; July 29 - Delphi, Wabash & Erie Canal Center; July 31 - Burlington, Community Park Building; and Aug. 6 - near Monticello, Sportsman Inn. Time: 7 p.m.