City to Seek Comprehensive Plan Update Requests for Proposals
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw is working to update its comprehensive plan to address the current growth and development issues facing the city. Warsaw Plan Commission Monday night agreed for the city to seek proposals from qualified consulting firms to complete a comprehensive plan update. Jeremy Skinner, city planner, said comprehensive plan proposals are due Friday. He also said the city expects to select three firms to interview. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, Skinner, Assistant City Planner Tim Dombrosky and one plan commission member will conduct the interviews. Thallemer said when he served on the plan commission in 1995, the city had an updated comprehensive plan. “I always felt as a plan commission member the plan was a way to guide in decision making when people were asking for changes and trying to settle in certain areas in the community,” Thallemer said. He said he is pleased the city is moving toward updating the plan. “We are not just looking at retail and commercial, we are looking at where we want neighborhoods, residential and industrial growth,” Thallemer said. Skinner said the comprehensive plan is one of the most important things a plan commission does. “The plan sets out how a community grows and addresses issues a community may face as it grows,” Skinner said. He said there will be community participation in the plan. The city’s last comprehensive plan was completed in 1998. Commission member Jim Gast said he agreed the plan needs to be updated. “It’s like a battle plan, it’s only good when the first bullet is fired,” Gast said. Skinner said a plan typically is good for 15 to 20 years and should be reviewed every five years to make sure goals and objectives have been accomplished and address new issues, objectives and goals. Commission member Jeff Grose said updating the plan is a good thing. “It’s a snapshot of where we’ve been, and where we are today, and where we need to go in the future,” Grose said. Warsaw allocated $50,000 to fund the comprehensive plan update in 2013. The city will be looking for a consulting firm with the capabilities to start the comprehensive plan update in early spring 2013 with the completion and adoption of the plan by March 1, 2014. The city anticipates to select a consulting firm by May 1.
