The new Comprehensive Plan, Indianapolis Insight, will offer a new strategy in dealing with areas that have special environmental qualities.

In the current Comprehensive Plan, developed in 1990-93, a primary land use category called Urban Conservation designates areas of environmental concern. Most of the areas delineated as urban conservation are indexed, meaning they are given another land use designation that is to be thought of as less appropriate but still acceptable. A few areas are not indexed; these are areas in floodways. Floodways may not be developed under state code.

Two concerns developed over the Urban Conservation category. The first concern is that it is one category trying to do two things. The second concern is that the name “Urban Conservation” tends to make people think that the area is meant to be a Nature Preserve under the care of a government agency or conservation organization.

To help alleviate these concerns the Urban Conservation category is not being used in the update of the Comprehensive Plan. It has been replaced by two new categories: a primary category called Floodway and secondary category called Environmentally Sensitive. The new Floodway category was described in the February 2003 issue of Common Ground.

Environmentally Sensitive is a secondary land use category which means that it designates areas where some characteristic of the site has a modifying effect on the primary land use, so that the two uses (both primary and secondary) should be considered together in making land use decisions for the site.

The Environmentally Sensitive land use category classifies land possessing the following special environmental characteristics: steep slopes, high-quality woodlands, wetlands, wellfields, and floodplains. These characteristics require careful attention with regard to development proposals.

Upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Planning meetings are: 

Warren Township Planning Area
Monday, October 6, 7:00 p.m.
Raymond Park Middle School 8575 E. Raymond Street.

Washington Township Planning Area
Monday, October 20, 7:00 p.m.
Holliday Park Nature Center 6363 Spring Mill Road.

Warren Township Planning Area
Monday, October 27, 7:00 p.m.
Warren Township Government Center 501 N. Post Road.

Washington Township Planning Area
Monday, November 10, 7:00 p.m.
Holliday Park Nature Center 6363 Spring Mill Road.

Meetings are open to all Marion County citizens who wish to be involved.   For more information or to be placed on the Indianapolis Insight mailing list, call 327-5155 or visit our website at. 

www.indygov.org/indianapolisinsight