Published: December 15, 2008 03:35 pm      

Lizton updating its comprehensive plan

LIZTON — — While the population here has remained relatively stable, urban growth from the east still threatens.

“There are already developers snooping around the area,” said Dan Lake, a senior planner for Kieser Consulting in Indianapolis who’s advising the town.

And that is precisely why having a comprehensive plan is so important. Creating one involves community leaders and members of the community coming together to ensure future growth isn’t slapdash.

Work has commenced on updating Lizton’s comprehensive plan. Soliciting public opinion is key to its effectiveness. A public meeting Wednesday night, however, attracted only members from town boards.

Lake chalks that up to a strong response received from a survey that he issued to each household. Lake said he got 42 percent of the surveys back. Normally, 10 to 15 percent is considered good.

“A lot of times when you have a good turnout on a survey, citizens don’t bother coming to a public meeting because they feel like they’ve already said what they want to say,” Lake said.

Still, he hopes a second public meeting scheduled for sometime early next year garners more interest.

“This type of plan is always driven by the public,” Lake said.

It comes at a time of great change for Lizton, and really all of Hendricks County. Rapid expansion on the east end is spreading west. Lake, who also works with Clayton, says that town is talking annexation, thanks largely to the effects of the new Indianapolis International Airport.

The big change on the horizon for Lizton is the town connecting to Indianapolis’ water system. Currently residents there use well water. But to drill one now requires going deeper than 200 feet. Plus, the water has a high iron content.

Lake is helping Lizton apply for a grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help fund the multi-million dollar project. If approved, Lizton would still be required to cover at least 25 percent of the cost.

If approved, groundbreaking could begin next August or September. Officials would have up to 18 months to complete construction.

Such public works would inevitably make Lizton more attractive for economic development. Indeed, the community’s location along State Road 39 puts it on the edge of the urban ring Hendricks County anticipates in its own comprehensive plan. The area west of S.R. 39 in the county is expected to be preserved as rural.

But comprehensive planning isn’t always about expansion.

“A lot of times it’s more about enhancing the quality of life you already have rather than just growth,” Lake said. “Economic development doesn’t always equate to prosperity.”



wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com