About

What is Plan Pendleton?

Plan Pendleton is a collaborative planning effort between the Town of Pendleton and HWC Engineering. Town leadership, staff, non-profits, local businesses, emergency services, utility providers, and the broader community are all encouraged to participate. The goal of this combined effort is to develop an updated Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Revitalization Plan to guide future growth, development, and preservation in Pendleton over the next decade. This project is a response to growth and change that has occurred since the town’s last comprehensive plan in 2018, and the last downtown revitalization plan in 2015.

Existing conditions research and analysis, along with feedback collected through public participation, will lay the foundation for planning goals and recommendations.

The project team will conduct background research on community demographics, land use, environmental conditions, the transportation network, and infrastructure systems. The team will also review previous plans to see which goals the community has successfully achieved, and which need special attention.

Over the course of the project, people living, working, or even visiting Pendleton will be asked to provide input to assist in the development of these plans. This input will allow the project team and community leaders to identify challenges, which also establishing a foundation of community support for successful plan implementation. Online surveys, stakeholder meetings, and public workshops are all part of the anticipated engagement and outreach process.

Planning & Project FAQs

  • Planning is essential in order for a community to define their collective vision for the future. Planning reviews and evaluates existing conditions, establishes a collective vision, and establishes clear goals and objectives for achieving that vision.

  • A comprehensive plan is an official policy document. Plans are used by elected officials and community leaders to create a long-term vision for the community, and to inform land use, infrastructure, and other community development decisions.

  • The comprehensive plan will cover topics such as land use, parks and recreation, design and placemaking, transportation, housing and neighborhoods, communication, economic development, historic preservation, arts and culture, and community infrastructure and services.

  • Yes, it is governed by Indiana Code 36-7-4. The plan must contain a statement of objectives on future development, a statement of policy for land use development, and a statement of policy for the development of public ways, public places, public lands, public structures, and public utilities. The statute also provides a community the option of including more components in the plan to address unique local concerns.

  • Yes. The comprehensive plan is a policy document that may influence zoning changes, but it is not legally binding. It is enforced through the adoption or amendment of local development ordinances (such as unified development ordinances).

  • Yes. Even if a community is not growing, it still needs to manage the changes that happen over time. Without a clear plan, change is managed with piecemeal decisions that are not always in the community’s long-term best interests.

  • Downtown revitalization plans are guiding documents that provide a shared vision for the future of the downtown. These plans serve as advisory tools for town leaders and staff, local organizations (such as Main Street organizations, chambers of commerce, art groups, etc.), anchor institutions, and community members.

  • Both plans will look out 10-20 years into the future. That said, some strategies within the plans can be implemented immediately after adoption.