In the News

OPINION from the e-Truth, Elkhart, IN, 6.20.04

Truth Editorial
Planning must start now

More than 130 people -- government officials, business leaders and interested residents -- sat through Tuesday's day-long session on the future of land use in Elkhart County.
The consensus seemed to be that Elkhart County needs a new comprehensive plan and many believe the 3-acre exemption should be eliminated as a means to curtail sprawl.
What happens now is the real question.

Developing a new comprehensive plan is no small undertaking and it means making some tough decisions the group barely scratched the surface of Tuesday. But it's a conversation that needs to begin happening immediately. And it's a conversation that must include all segments of Elkhart County and, most importantly, residents.

"Our mission is to determine where do we want to be in 2024. Our mission is to develop a vision ... to guide growth. Land use is never easy because you're messing with people's property," said county administrator Tom Byers. "Land use is not for the faint of heart; it's perhaps one of the most complex issues we face."

One of the overriding themes of former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, the keynote speaker, was that time is of the essence. Sprawl has environmental, transportation, health and social impacts, but by the time residents become aware of it, the damage is already occurring. It can be improved, though.

"Time is not on our side. There must be a sense of urgency," said Glendening, a proponent of smart growth which emphasizes enhancement of existing communities, preservation of open space and mixed-use planning.

To many residents, it probably doesn't seem like Elkhart County has a sprawl problem. There are still many farms scattered throughout the county providing what looks to be plenty of open space.

The fact of the matter is, more 3-acre (or larger) single-site residential developments and massive subdivisions are gobbling up the landscape, overloading rural school systems, draining tax dollars by stretching services and putting pressure on our transportation system. And the impact of septic systems on the environment is something we're just beginning to see.

Elkhart County must grow, but it's time to manage that growth better than what we've done in the past. That was the other theme of Tuesday's discussions -- we can and must do better. While sprawl and its effects are issues all over the country, it is possible for Elkhart County to determine its own destiny by coming up with unique solutions, whether that's development incentives, purchase of agricultural development rights, restricting development to certain areas or requiring rezoning of any agricultural land for development.

The most disappointing thing about the meeting was who wasn't there. Some of the very people who will be asked to make the tough decisions in a countywide comprehensive plan didn't show up.

There wasn't a lot of general public participation and there were only a handful of farmers present. The only county commissioner to attend was Phil Neff, who didn't seek re-election this year. However, three of the four people running for the two county commissioner seats in November participated. The commissioners make the final decisions on land-use issues.

There also were several members of the Elkhart County Plan Commission, which -- by state law -- must begin the comprehensive plan process.

With the exception of Mayor Dave Miller, who attended the entire session, there was weak participation by Elkhart officials. Goshen and the smaller towns had some representation.

The cities and towns must be involved in the county's overall comprehensive plan when it is updated.

Right now, transportation improvements -- C.R. 17 south of C.R. 18, as well as the discussion of Goshen's south peripheral road -- are prompting a new look at land-use concerns in those areas. Those are good places to start, but the only way a new plan is going to work is if it has broad representation from Elkhart county residents, business owners and officials and if it includes a vision for the entire county.
Let's get the process started in planning Elkhart County's future.