Whitestown Planning and Zoning Services, Whitestown, INTo be successful, planning activities will reflect the vision of the community, entity, or organization involved. When working with our municipal clients in particular, GRW helps our clients focus on two key areas:
1. Comprehensive Plans (The Guides):
Comprehensive plans are long-term, aspirational documents that guide community decisions for decades, though updates should be performed every 5-10 years. They often include “mini plans,” like these:
- Downtown revitalization plans
- Neighborhood plans
- Park plans
- Thoroughfare plans
- Bicycle and pedestrian plans
2. Ordinances (The Laws):
A well-written comprehensive plan results in local laws known as ordinances. Ordinances 1) govern everything in a community, including land use, and 2) should be reviewed annually to ensure constitutionality, but a thorough review and update should be done at least once every 5 years.
GRW’s planners pride themselves in their ability to leave you with a legally and technically sound, up-to-date ordinance in line with your comprehensive plan’s vision. We currently specialize in the following specific ordinance areas:
- Zoning Ordinance
- Subdivision Control Ordinance
- Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) – which combines your zoning and subdivision control ordinance into a modern, streamlined document.
OTHER WAYS GRW CAN HELP
- Community Planning Services – Let us do the planning for you. From permit application reviews to running monthly meetings, we’ve got you covered for as long as you need us.
- Planning Training – This can be a big help to your Plan Commission and BZA members. We can come to your community to train you in person. And we'll keep you up to date about outside training opportunities as well.
- Historic Preservation Services – If you are interested in creating a local historic district, have endangered historic buildings, or want to incorporate preservation-friendly elements into your zoning ordinance, GRW can help.
- Utility and Street Standards/Ordinances – GRW’s engineers allow us to skillfully weave technical specifications in with language and documents that local staff, contractors, and residents will be able to understand. For example, water lines, sewer lines, electric service, gas lines and other infrastructure and utilities allow a community to function safely and efficiently. Their locations are a key part of the planning activities.
- Basic Documentation - Our services can include document reformatting, meeting minutes, Code of Ordinances updates, map creation, public facility inventories and maintenance plans, redistricting, property legal descriptions, etc. Our in-house resources include web-based technology, GIS, aerial photography and 3d visualization.
GRW's blend of staff and services results in plans which offer both guidance for short-term decision making and a vision for the long-term future.
