After months of collecting community input and continuous collaboration, the comprehensive plan for the Town of North Judson was adopted when town council members met Monday night.
It was noted early on in the process that the Town’s last master plan dated back to the late 1950s so officials mentioned that they were long overdue for a new plan that accurately recognized how far the Town has come since then and reflected plans for the future.
As a reminder, to cover the cost of the $44,000 Comprehensive Plan project, officials applied for a $39,600 Community Development Block Grant that requires a local match of $4,400.
The Town worked with the firm HWC Engineering on this project as well as grant administrators at KIRPC.
Some of the general goals identified in the plan include encouraging the development of housing in addition to business and industry in and around North Judson.
Some place making goals were included as well such as expanding connectivity between the Erie Trail and local destinations and completing beautification projects downtown and at the Town gateways to support downtown revitalization and tourism development.
When it comes to public facilities and services, the goal of improving speed and reliability of broadband services was listed.
In the economic development category the goals are to attract new and retain existing businesses to the downtown area, to support Starke County Economic Development in attracting employers to the local industrial sites and to develop services and economies around being a ‘Trail Town’ serving the national trails that pass through North Judson.
Those goals were expanded upon in associated chapters.