Representatives of Allen County presented the current status and direction of the All-In Allen comprehensive planning project at the Grand Wayne Center Wednesday evening.
The original 2007 document is in the process of being revised to reflect Allen County’s contemporary needs. It serves as a blueprint to guide land use, housing, transportation, parks and more for Fort Wayne and the surrounding communities of Allen County.
Dozens gathered in the Calhoun Ballroom, where the plan’s current areas of focus were presented at different stations with speakers explaining the details.
One of the project leads, Brandon Nolin, also offered a presentation to outline the status of the project. He highlighted equity, community health and sustainability as the three “themes” of the current All-In planning, with seven “chapters” attached to them.
Nolin also touched on an area of focus that had not been widely discussed prior to Wednesday’s meeting: land use. He says Allen County needs to be ready for greater population growth in the future.
“We’ve got a population projection of about 49,000 folks we’re trying to accommodate by 2040, along with that, that means about 19,000 houses," Nolin said. "When you take into consideration land use and how much a household consumes, the range is anywhere between 10,000 and 3,000 acres.”
He added that officials are past the halfway point, and once community feedback is gathered on Wednesday’s presentations, the group will begin setting goals for achieving those themes.
