The format of the meetings was an open house. Participants were welcome to arrive at any time and spend as much time as they wished perusing exhibits and speaking with planners and other citizens. Copies of the Community Values Component Draft were distributed at the sign-in table. Six displays were set up. Each display was staffed by a member of the Comprehensive Planning section of the Division of Planning. The displays were based on the sections of the Community Values Component. They were:
- The Planning Process
- Current Conditions
- Land Use
- Development Methods
- Supporting Issues
Next Steps (this display included a map of the pentads, the five areas that the County will be divided into for the purposes of developing the land use maps)
The staff received much positive feedback on the planning process thus far, the Community Values Component, the format of the Town Hall meetings and proposed planning areas.
Specific comments on the Community Values Component included the following:
- an objection was expressed about the recommendation promoting the construction of a third runway at the Indianapolis International Airport due to its impact on the tax base of Decatur Township and its impact on the future development of the Camby neighborhood,
- however, support was also expressed for the recommendation promoting the construction of a third runway at the Indianapolis International Airport because the airport, as a regional economic development amenity, benefits the whole community.
- the Plan needs to take definite positions on large-scale issues like the airport; however, it should incorporate flexibility to react to future changing circumstances.
- zoning ordinances should be written to mitigate impacts of land use instead of assuming all land uses in a certain category all have similar impacts or that the impacts remain the same as business types evolve. An example of the second situation is the modern gasoline service station, which has evolved from a few gas pumps and a service bay to many pumps, a convenience store and often a restaurant.
- a concern was expressed about the abandonment of the Urban Conservation recommendation in favor of the new Environmentally Sensitive secondary classification and if the new classification will protect significant areas of environmentally sensitive land,
- a concern was expressed about the placement of recommendations concerning aesthetic, light, noise and sign issues within the document. These recommendations are located in the development methods and supporting issue sections of the document,
- an objection was expressed to the recommendation to reduce the overall number of off premise signs, however support was expressed for not increasing the number of off premise signs,
- support was expressed for the new land use classifications, both for the addition of two new residential categories and the streamlining of the non-residential categories,
- support was expressed for the goal of preserving the integrity of neighborhoods in the development of transportation and infrastructure.
General comments on the Comprehensive Plan and the development of the city included the following:
- there is a need to find a dedicated source of funding for acquisition of parkland, such as a real estate transaction fee,
- there is a need to find ways to strengthen compliance with the Comprehensive Plan,
- there is a need for the Comprehensive Plan to have a "champion" within City government,
- some older shopping centers could be redeveloped with non-retail uses, such as housing,
- the plan needs to reduce sprawl and work with mass transit; transit is not currently convenient for many people.
- there is a need to improve central city schools for a variety of reasons including stabilization of neighborhoods,
- fire departments prefer 20 feet of space between buildings, particularly those with vinyl siding,
- there is a concern about follow-through on commitments made in the zoning and variance process and whether some form of performance bonding would be useful, particularly in regards to landscaping commitments
- there is an interest in knowing the "best practices" of other cities in regards to redeveloping their urban cores,
- there is a need to better enforce current off-premise sign regulations,
- there is a need to better integrate new schools into neighborhoods,
- there is a need for more high-tech industry,
- there is a need for newly developing areas to have convenient neighborhood shopping and services. New neighborhoods should be connected to each other and to schools and parks. Students should not have to ride buses at great distances.
Specific comments on the planning process included the following:
- there was an objection expressed to doing the Comprehensive Plan on a county-wide basis rather than on a township-by-township basis,
- however, there was also support expressed for doing the Comprehensive Plan on a comprehensive, county-wide basis,
- that the MDC be briefed on the plan at a special meeting dedicated to the Comprehensive Plan,
- that the Community Values Component be presented to the MDC at one hearing and acted upon at a subsequent hearing,
- that the final land use plan be prepared first as a website/interactive version, then a traditional paper document could be prepared to resemble the electronic version,
- that the implementation committees should be limited to one or two in number so that the same groups could stay together for continuity and draw upon people who have already been working on this project,
- there was a concern that although the neighborhood associations are receiving adequate notice of the planning meetings, they were not getting the word out to their members about the meetings,
- there was a concern that owners of large undeveloped parcels have not adequately been involved in the planning process.