It’s becoming routine – our Planning + Economic Group winning big at the Hoosier Planning Awards. For 2019, the team is receiving two awards in the Outstanding Comprehensive Plan category. We’ve now won 10 awards in four years! Congrats to our entire planning team who continually create planning documents that drive results for our communities. The award ceremony will take place in May, but read on for a few details about our wins.

The City of New Castle Comprehensive Plan received a first-place award. Our professional planners faced a daunting task – they had to create a plan on an aggressive schedule of three months. Not only that, New Castle leaders had not completed a formalized plan update in 54 years! Our team rose to the task and created a final product that defined and reinforced the community’s overall vision, values, and policy objectives through a series of goals and strategies addressing multiple quality-of-life elements. Our plan also contained an innovative component – ten critical path strategies that identified specific action steps, responsible parties, and resources for the City to use to accomplish numerous future initiatives.

The Henry County Comprehensive Plan received an honorable mention award. This plan detailed a community-driven vision for all incorporated and unincorporated land under the jurisdiction of the Henry County Planning Commission. The new plan applies to 10 small Henry County towns and all unincorporated Henry County land.  The plan will help create opportunities for private investment and enhance quality of life while simultaneously protecting natural resources and prime agricultural lands that county residents value.