The Comprehensive Plan was adopted October 20, 1997, by Resolution No. 97-10-1. The mission of the Comprehensive Plan is to establish a land use development pattern that will insure a healthy, safe and beneficial living environment for the citizens of Warsaw; to identify the future land use needs of the private sector and to reserve adequate land which is best suited for residential, commercial and industrial development.
The City of Warsaw faces many new challenges with the turn of the century. The decisions made now will effect life in the area well into the future. The Warsaw Planning Department, with support from the Warsaw Master Plan Advisory Task Force, initiated this update of the Warsaw Comprehensive Plan in order to maintain a proper balance in the use of its lands, encourage a high quality of development, and guide future development and land use.
The Comprehensive Plan is an official municipal policy guide which establishes goals and objectives to guide development in a coordinated manner. Its purpose is to provide "for the promotion of public health, safety, morals, convenience, order, or the general welfare and for the safe of efficiency and economy in the process of development" (Indiana Code 36-7-4-501). The plan can be viewed as a blueprint for the future that identifies trends in population and land use, and provides the legal foundation for zoning and subdivision control.
This document is the result of a detailed planning process. The planning process involved extensive research, public workshops, numerous discussions with Warsaw planning officials, and interaction with the citizens of Warsaw. Existing conditions were identified, relationships and trends were analyzed, and recommendations were made to help develop the policies that will guide future growth in Warsaw.
As in every city, there are large quantities of knowledge, experience, and other resources available within the citizen population. Comments and discussions at the public meetings were recorded and used to help form a basis for the recommendations made in the Comprehensive Plan. The intent of the public input process was to create community-based goals, objectives, and recommendations. The Comprehensive Plan embodies the spirit of public participation in the planning process, and the recommendations herein reflect this participation.
This plan reflects the current goals of Warsaw. As the City moves forward into the next century, the Comprehensive Plan will provide the framework upon which orderly growth can occur while maintaining the quality of life that makes Warsaw a unique place. Employment is steady, and land is being developed at a rate that matches these upward trends. The physical characteristics of the City and the surrounding area must sustain this new influx of people and development.
This plan analyzes the regional context, history, social characteristics, economic characteristics, existing land use, transportation patterns, public services and utilities, recreation, and natural systems to identify opportunities and constraints for future development. From this analysis, and through the public input process, goals and objectives have been formulated that serve as the basis for the Proposed Land Use Plan and the Transportation and Thoroughfare Plan.
The Land Use Plan was created by a careful inventory and analysis of existing patterns of development. Existing development (or lack thereof) reflects past economic, market, and environmental conditions. This pattern provides a point of reference from which to predict future development scenarios, based on recently identified trends and market changes. The Land Use Plan identifies areas suitable for new development; areas in which unique existing conditions will endure in relative harmony with new development.
The Transportation Plan then charts the infrastructure improvements necessary for development to occur where identified. These plans together serve as a guide for development. Transportation routes have played a key role in the development of Warsaw. Whether the routes opened up land for settlement, or provided a means of transporting goods, these routes have helped define the City as it exists today. Just as previous routes directed past development, it is important to formulate a well-thought out transportation and thoroughfare plan as part of the Comprehensive Plan, in order to help direct future growth in the City. It is the intent of the Transportation Plan to anticipate the future needs of this system. The overall goal is to make recommendations based on those needs to insure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.
The desired outcome of the planning process is that the City of Warsaw will continue to grow and prosper. This growth should be directed in a manner that protects the quality of life and character that the community currently enjoys. The Comprehensive Plan is the blueprint and policy guide that will help Warsaw meet the challenges of a growing society into the 21st Century.
To review a detailed copy of the Comprehensive Plan, please contact the Planning Department at 574-372-9550.