The Allen County comprehensive plan is getting a revision, and several stakeholders gathered on Facebook Live Monday to share more about the goals and respond to community feedback.
The All-In Allen plan was originally introduced in 2007, but officials around the county have committed to updating the plan to better reflect the community’s contemporary needs. While the revisions were expected to take place throughout early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic halted much of the planning, postponing public meetings and seeking community feedback online.
Monday’s meeting was mostly informative, outlining the purpose of the comprehensive plan as focusing on land use, housing, transportation, parks and more for Fort Wayne and Allen County.
Fort Wayne Democratic City Council member Michelle Chambers says from her perspective, the plan should place an emphasis on housing opportunities by updating the regional “housing stock.”
“We want to be the affordable city; we want those entry-level teachers, firemen, police officers, public service to be able to purchase a home. But we also need to make sure we have affordable housing; when investors and corporations are looking at our city, they’re looking at how many homeowners do you have versus renters.”
She says she and 6th District Fort Wayne councilwoman Sharon Tucker are focused on exploring opportunities for more “market-rate housing” on the Fort Wayne’s southeast side, in an effort to bolster economic development.
Residents watching through the live stream shared this sentiment, driving most of the 15 minutes’ worth of audience questions around housing concerns.
A survey is still available on the All-In Allen website, seeking feedback from residents on what the revisions of the comprehensive plan should prioritize.