What is a Strategic Plan?

The Village Strategic Plans seek to envision the future of growth, development, and quality of life for the Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown, and Gambier communities. Rooted in community aspirations and implementable goals, each Strategic Plan provides an honest evaluation of present and future needs. The planning process brings together community experts – including residents, workers, and community organizations – to establish long-term, multi-faceted goals around several topics. The strategic planning process allows for a dynamic conversation around the issues that matter most to the future of the individual community, but generally involves the following subject areas:

• Land Use & Zoning
• Economic Development
• Community Character
• Historic Preservation
• Mobility & Infrastructure
• Quality of Life and Place

Though initiated at a county-level, the Plan is asset-based and community-driven to ensure its success in addressing the specific strengths, opportunities, and challenges for each Village. Upon completion, the Plans will provide immediate action steps on policy, projects, and programs, and will ultimately serve as road-maps to help direct decision making in the Villages of Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown, and Gambier for years to come.

What is the process for creating a Plan?

Ingredients

Creating a successful plan is much like baking a cake. It requires a careful balance of art and science; as well as the proper resources to develop a grand vision into a reality.

Multiple ingredients are carefully crafted into the production of a strategic plan. Extensive data on the local community is reviewed through the framework of regional trends and national best practices in planning and development. The local existing conditions are then guided by community-led visioning which is informed by ongoing and comprehensive public engagement. In summary, the following ingredients are used to develop the Plan recommendations:

• Existing conditions for Knox County and each individual Village
• Regional/National trends and best practices in planning & development
• The desired future of the Village as informed by public engagement

Outcomes

The planning process provides extensive opportunities to consider and debate how the community would like to grow, adapt, and deliver its local brand of services and identity. These conversations culminate in the production of the plan document which includes a few key elements:

• Existing Conditions Analysis
• Future Land Use Map
• Long-term Goal Statements on growth, development, and the quality of life
• Action Recommendations to deliver on the long-term goal statements

How does a community use a plan?

Strategic plans are legally-adopted documents used to guide decision-making in a community. Local officials should consult the strategic plan when making determinations about policies, projects, and programs; particularly as it relates to zoning, land use, and development. The plan provides a one-stop shop for understanding local conditions and demographics, as well as long-term, inclusive objectives.

The plan should be treated as a living document which is reviewed and updated on a regular basis so that it most accurately reflects the dynamic views, aspirations, and needs of the community.

Who is involved?

At its core, the comprehensive plan framework is built from the pillars of authentic public engagement and community-wide participation. This includes you! Plan objectives and implementable action steps are derived through conversations involving:

• residents,
• businesses,
• institutions,
• neighborhood and civic groups,
• employees, and
• local officials.

The process is guided by the stewardship of a steering committee comprised of community leaders with local expertise and a passion for the future of Knox County. The steering committee collaborates with a planning team of Village employees and hired consultants to facilitate public engagement and ensure final recommendations properly reflect input gathered during the planning process.

How can I get involved?

Your thoughts and feedback are vital to the long-term success of the strategic plan. There will be several opportunities to get involved both in-person and online throughout the process. Visit the Get Involved page of this website for more information.

What is the schedule?

The Knox County Village Strategic Plans will be completed during an eight-month planning process divided among five phases. Each phase includes distinct tasks and meetings as well as ongoing actions throughout the process. The phases are as follows:

• Preparation
• Strategic Analysis
• Public Engagement
• Ideate & Design
• Finalize

For more information on upcoming events, you can visit the links above for each individual village.