DARKE COUNTY — A partnership has formed with the Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture’s City and Regional Planning Program and the Darke County Commissioners Office to update the Darke County Land Use Plan. The plan was last updated in October 2001.
A new Land Use plan means that the community can better adapt to pressing issues like industry development, residential use, and infrastructure improvements.
The group is now seeking public comment on the project. The plan will involve multiple levels of public comment and will allow for greater investment and innovation within Darke County. These will include:
– Shorthand surveys being handed out at public events
– Online Surveys soliciting feedback from neighborhoods and communities
– Focus-group meetings with residents, community leaders, organizers and businesses
To get involved in the future of Darke County, readers are encouraged to go to go.osu.edu/darkelanduse and follow Darke County on Facebook and Instagram.
“It’s a huge and impactful project” Chad D. Gibson, AICP Associated Faculty said via email.
The Knowlton team is made up of six graduate level students in City and Regional Planning along with Mr. Gibson, and his experience as the Community Development Director for the city of Upper Arlington.
“While our team may be small, our variety of experience from fields like planning development, community engagement and landscape planning give us the advantage necessary to create a plan best suited to this community” Stephan Ho said.
Previous Knowlton City and Regional Planning projects have given local government fully implementable plans, allowing commissioners greater autonomy and freedom in their work towards building a better county. One such project was the Fayette County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which allowed the county to remain in compliance with state law and provided the county with better tools to mitigate hazardous or disastrous situations.
Photo assets can be found at: knowlton.osu.edu and https://www.instagram.com/knowltonosu/
About the Knowlton School’s City and Regional Planning Program:
City and Regional Planning at Knowlton provides expansive knowledge of the field and detailed understanding in specific focus areas grounded in practice. Students go outside the classroom for award-winning studios that engage local and regional clients, addressing existing challenges in transportation, sustainability, international development, and regional equity. Internships with local public, private, and non-profits provide year-round opportunities to see classroom ideas in action.
International opportunities in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, and beyond enrich the degree experience with new and innovative perspectives.
The City and Regional Planning section is home to 18 full-time faculty as well as affiliated and associated faculty from diverse backgrounds in planning scholarship and planning practice. Affiliated faculty, lecturers, and guest speakers complement the teaching competencies of full-time faculty and add perspectives from planning practice and related specialties.
From: https://knowlton.osu.edu/city-and-regional-planning/master-city-and-regional-planning
About the Darke County Commissioners office:
County commissioners make up the general administrative body for county government… [T]hey can perform those duties which are specifically authorized by the General Assembly and no more. They are the county government taxing, budgeting, appropriating, and purchasing authority. They hold title to county property. Individual commissioners have no power to act independently. All formal and official actions must be taken by the board of county commissioners acting as a body by majority or unanimous vote.
Commissioners also have a myriad of other responsibilities including hearing and ruling on annexations, approving drainage improvements through the petition ditch process, establishing water and sewer districts and making improvements, and providing for solid waste disposal.
