Michael Reetz
Purdue Extension—Pulaski County
125 S. Riverside Dr., Rm. 120
Winamac, IN 46996-1528
(574) 946-3412, (574) 946-4224 fax

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan Task Force was formed to address the need for an overall land use plan for Starke County. This rural county had seen an increase in land development over the last fifteen years as people moved outward from the northwestern metropolitan areas. This increase was being guided by a plan and ordinances that provided little direction.

Purdue Extension locally made this a focus area in their plan of work. Working with local county officials, Purdue Extension helped encourage the formation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Task Force.

Under co-leadership of the Extension Educator and a private forester, 15-20 people attended monthly meetings over two years.

County officials appropriated $10,000 for a match grant with the Department of Commerce that was used to assist with the funding of the final product. The volunteer task force utilized resources from the Purdue Land Use Team, local media contacts, key county stakeholders, and local government officials to obtain input for the final plan.

The task force compiled the core components for the plan and then worked with the firm contracted by the county. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan that was adopted by the Starke County Officials resulted from Purdue Extension leading the volunteer efforts.

PowerPoint Presentation (PDF format, 1,595 kb)