Warsaw Plan Commission Monday continued to review the comprehensive plan. The commission met for two hours prior to its regularly scheduled meeting to review the updated plan. The commission previously met in February to go over the plan, and will meet again Monday at 4:30 p.m. at city hall to continue to discuss the plan. The plan has not been updated since 1998. Bradley Johnson, Ground Rules, a Zionsville company the city hired to update the plan, presented a rough draft to the commission. The purpose of the plan is to assist the city in managing community growth, fostering effective and safe transportation, stimulating economic growth, nurturing environmental quality and inspiring community character. During Monday’s meeting the commission reviewed the “fostering effective and safe transportation” portion of the plan. Objectives are to require vehicular and pedestrian linkages between adjacent residential developments, work with isolated residential developments to get connected to the citywide system of sidewalks and trails and assure adequate clear vision at street intersections and driveway cuts. Other objectives are to seek input from the community and refine the bike and pedestrian plan, construct a bridge over or underpass under the Norfolk Southern railroad line to enhance circulation, safety and emergency response times. Objectives reviewed were studying the opportunity to work with Winona Lake to design and construct a roundabout at the intersection of Winona Avenue and Argonne Road and work to connect the south side of Warsaw to the south side of Winona Lake. Priorities are to commit funding each year for sidewalk, bike lanes and trail system expansion and considering roundabouts at intersections that are unsafe. Planning for additional frontage road segments along U.S. 30 to enable commercial and industrial growth and to provide safer and enhanced connectivity to major intersection are a part of the plan. Other possible areas the commission identified for frontage roads are Winona Avenue and Anchorage Road. The plan also addresses stimulating economic growth. Objectives are to inventory and keep an up-to-date listing of industrial properties, establish and promoting shovel-ready sites available for business and industrial growth and increase efforts to attract new businesses and residents and consider residential tax incentives and public-private development partnerships. The plan also states it is important to maintain strong partnerships with Kosciusko County, local colleges and universities and non-profit agencies to coordinate the use of each organization’s limited resources. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said this objective is important to have a unified economic strategy. The plan addresses nurturing environmental quality and requires private development to stay clear of wetlands, floodplains and land designated as conservation, encourages incentives for conservation and preservation of environmentally sensitive areas and maintains a citywide storm water management and erosion control ordinance.
