DeKalb County plan commission hears DeKalb County 2040 draft; consultants set comment deadline Feb. 1

HWC Engineering presented the draft DeKalb County 2040 comprehensive plan at the DeKalb County Plan Commission meeting, outlining the process, public engagement and recommended actions to guide growth and infrastructure through 2040.

Rachel Christiansen, planning studio lead at HWC, described the four phases of the project—casting a vision, data collection, forming the plan and developing practical implementation steps—and said the plan will be used by elected leaders, staff, community organizations and property owners to guide zoning and long-term community investment. "Without a comprehensive plan, you cannot have zoning," Christiansen said, describing the plan's legal role under Indiana law.

Jennifer (Jen) Barclay, project manager with HWC, walked commissioners through the plan structure: an executive summary and public presentation chapter followed by chapters 4–10 covering core topics, a Corona-specific chapter and an implementation chapter. She said the consultants treated implementation as action-oriented with items that could range from one year to a 10-year timeline.

The consultants summarized engagement results: roughly 2,100 unique visits to the project website, about 600 online survey responses, 62 participants in focused topic meetings, 75 in-person workshop attendees and other online interactions. Those engagements surfaced consistent themes: protecting farmland and natural assets, preserving a small-town character and heritage (including agricultural roots and historic places), strengthening economic resilience and workforce pathways, and supporting parks and trails such as the Poke Wash Trail and options along Cedar Creek.

On land use, the draft recommends concentrating future growth around existing towns and municipalities to protect farmland and to consolidate some agricultural classifications on the future land-use map. The transportation chapter notes DeKalb County maintains roughly 700 miles of county roads and highlights widespread concern about road conditions; the plan recommends targeted investments that the county can maintain.

Barclay also noted housing recommendations to expand attainable housing options, reuse vacant or underutilized properties, and partner with municipalities to offer a variety of housing types. Economic recommendations emphasize workforce training, apprenticeship connections with local employers, and targeted recruitment of compatible businesses such as agritech and advanced manufacturing.

Regarding emerging infrastructure and technology issues, commissioners asked whether the plan provides guidance on new developments such as data centers or small modular reactors. Barclay said the infrastructure chapter includes language to address emerging technologies and recommended the commission consider ad hoc committees or mini-updates when specific technologies or projects warrant deeper review.

The consultants invited public feedback: written comments are requested to jbarclay@hwcengineering.com by Feb. 1, the Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on Feb. 18, and tentative adoption by the County Commissioners is scheduled for March 2. "We will wait and have the audience do questions downstairs so we're not bombarding us up here," Christiansen added, pointing to display boards and comment cards set up in the rotunda.

The Plan Commission did not take a formal action on the plan at this meeting; the presentation served as the public presentation and first review ahead of the Feb. 18 hearing.