By TogetherDM—
Muncie, IN – TogetherDM, a process to develop a new long-range plan for Delaware County and the City of Muncie, has been launched.
Coordinated by the Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission (DMMPC), the project will produce a new Delaware Muncie Comprehensive Plan as well as a Strategic Investment Plan for the City of Muncie. Both plans will be completed and presented for adoption by the County Commission and City Council by the end of 2021.
“These plans will help set the region’s direction for years to come and will influence how we make decisions about resources and policies on a daily basis,” said Marta Moody, Executive Director of the DMMPC. “This is a valuable opportunity for the community to identify its priorities and ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction.”
A website, togetherDM.org, has been launched to provide project information to the public and to serve as a platform for surveys and other forms of community engagement. The project’s first online survey is now available at the website through March 31 and seeks public input on Delaware Muncie’s most critical issues.
DMMPC has hired czbLLC and Ingalls Planning & Design to develop the plans in conjunction with an 18-member steering committee, which met for the first time in February. In addition to online surveys, open houses will be used to gather public input as will small group conversations convened by steering committee members. Depending on public precautions that are required at any given time during 2021, the project has been designed to accommodate virtual and in-person forms of engagement.
Graphic provided by TogetherDM
Peter Lombardi, the project’s manager for czbLLC, noted that it is rare for a county and city to work so closely together on long-range planning. “We hardly ever see a joint comprehensive plan like this, which speaks to a history of collaboration that already exists in the community,” he said. “Our team looks forward to engaging with the community on critical issues and ensuring that the plans provide direction on addressing those issues.”
The Delaware-Muncie Comprehensive Plan will replace the last County-City plan, which was adopted in 2000. The Strategic Investment Plan, meanwhile, will serve as the latest version of the Muncie Action Plan, a community-based planning effort that began in 2009.
Take the March survey: https://www.togetherdm.org/speak-up/march-survey
About the project
The Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission is partnering with czb and Ingalls Planning & Design to develop plans guided by community values and priorities. Please contact us at togetherdm@czb.org if you have questions, suggestions or perspectives you would like to share with our team.
