What is the Edinburgh Comprehensive Plan?

The Edinburgh Comprehensive Plan is a strategic planning effort between town leadership and staff, non-profits, local businesses, emergency services, utility providers, and the broader community to guide future growth, development, and preservation in the Town of Edinburgh over the next decade. This project is a response to opportunities and changes that have occurred since the town’s last comprehensive plan update in 2011.

This plan will include, but is not limited to, land use, government and fiscal capacity, public facilities and services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, parks and recreation, broadband access, historic and archaeological resources, and hazard mitigation. A variety of existing conditions research and analysis will help lay the foundation for a set of planning goals and action strategies that will be utilized by Edinburgh and other community leaders for decision-making. However, the Edinburgh Comprehensive Plan is not solely meant for elected officials and town staff but is also intended to be a document referenced and supported by the entire community.

Over the course of the project, there will be times when people living, working, or even visiting Edinburgh will be asked to provide input to assist in the development of the plan. This input assists local leaders in identifying challenges, while also helping establish a foundation of community support for successful plan implementation. Online surveys, stakeholder meetings, and public workshops are all part of the plan’s engagement and outreach process.

Planning & Project FAQs

  • Planning is essential in order for a community to define their collective vision for the future. Planning reviews and evaluates existing conditions, establishes a collective vision, and establishes clear goals and objectives for achieving that vision.

  • A comprehensive plan is an official policy document. Plans are used by elected officials and community leaders to create a long-term vision for the community, and to inform land use, infrastructure, and other community development decisions.

  • The comprehensive plan will cover topics such as land use, government capacity, public facilities and services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, parks and recreation, broadband access, historic and archaeological resources, and hazard mitigation.

  • The plan will look out 10-20 years. However, there can also be strategies within the plan that can be implemented immediately after adoption.

  • Yes, it is governed by Indiana Code 36-7-4. The plan must contain a statement of objectives on future development, a statement of policy for land use development, and a statement of policy for the development of public ways, public places, public lands, public structure, and public utilities. The statute also provides a community the option of including more components in the plan to address unique local concerns.

  • Yes. The comprehensive plan is a policy document that may influence zoning changes, but it is not legally binding. It is enforced through the adoption or amendment of local development ordinances (such as zoning and subdivision ordinances).

  • Yes. Even if a community is not growing, it still needs to manage the changes that happen over time. Without a clear plan, change is managed with piecemeal decisions that are not always in the community’s long-term best interests.