Annual report (1975)

              CITIZENS HELP PLAN
FORT WAYNE'S FUTURE
Comprehensive land use planning is perhaps one of the
least understood functions of the Department of
Comm tinity Development and Planning, yet it has a far
reaching impact on the community. It is an effort to
promote a rational pattern of future development and reuse
of land within the community. As the cost of necessary
public facilities increases and as land becomes a more
scarce commodity, the need to promote an efficient pattern
of development becomes crucial.
The Department of Community Development and
Planning is in the early stages of up dating the city master
plan. The final result of this process will be a land use
policies plan, which will guide the Plan Commission and
City government in future land use decisions.
The need for such a plan has been apparent for some
time. The current plan is fourteen years old and has little
relevancy to the problems and potentials facing Fort
Wayne today. It is difficult, if not impossible, to make land
use or zoning decisions based upon this plan.
Traditionally, preparing such a plan meant that staff
planners would identify problems, measure future
potentials and finally, prepare a plan to be reviewed by the
Plan Commission. This method often fails to utilize citizen
participation and allows staff planners' to write a plan that
reflects their own personal values. Thus, little or no
attention is paid to the values of the community. This
method of land use planning was considered totally
inappropriate by the Department of Community Develop­ment
& Planning and the Plan Commission.
A new approach was taken to this process. The Division
of Long Range Planning and Zoning sought out the values
of the community prior to the detailed planning process,
and a commitment was made to consider these values first
and foremost when preparing the plan.
To initiate this citizen participation process, a document
entitled Fort Wayne -- Framework for Development was
prepared. The document raised land use issues and
problems facing Fort Wayne now and in the future. Its
main purpose was to stimulate discussion within the
community and to provoke feedback to elected officials,
civic leaders, and Plan Commission members.
In order to inform citizens of this opportunity, 27 civic
groups were contacted by letter and telephone. The media
also covered the Framework extensively. A slide
presentation was made available for any interested groups.
These groups were requested to prepare statements on the
Framework for Development. The Mayor's Citizens
Advisory Council worked extensively on the document and
the council adopted an addendum which outlined their
position on land use planning.
A public meeting and a Plan Commission public hearing
were also held. Ten organizations presented formal
positions on the Framework at the public hearing. These
included: The Coalition for the Environment, The League
of Women Voters, The Izaak Walton League, The
Associated Building Contractors, The Fort Wayne Society
of Architects, The Downtown Fort Wayne Association,
The Chamber of Commerce, The Mayor's Citizens
Advisory Council, General Telephone Company, and The
Allen County Community Action Committee of the United
Auto Workers.
The Division of Long Range Planning and Zoning has
now completed this preliminary stage of land use planning.
The final outcome will be a result of the citizen input
received during the Framework for Development
discussions, making the land use policies plan truly
responsive to the needs of the community.
DRAFTERS BUSY IN 1975
The drafting section, located in the Division of Long
Range Planning and Zoning, provides a wide variety of
services to all divisions within this department as well as to
various additional city departments and other public
agencies. Ongoing efforts include the continuous updating
of official zoning map8 and the preparation of locational
maps for all petitions before the City Plan Commission and
Board of Zoning Appeals. In addition, graphic assistance
was provided on a number of major projections during
1975. Examples include the development of a series of
maps for several neighborhood associations, assistance in
preparation of the Anthony Corridor Study and the River
Greenway Plan, and completion of a land use map for the
entire urban area.
1975 also saw the establishment of a department-wide
information retrieval system which serves as a referral and
storage center for basic reference materials and completed
studies prepared both by the City and by other local
agencies.