About the Planning Process

Purpose

The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to guide the Town’s leadership, including the Town Council, Park and Recreation Board, and staff regarding the type, location, and intensity of development and redevelopment in the Town, as well as providing information to assist the Area Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and planning staff relating to key land use decisions.  The plan will contain goals and recommendations related to future land use, transportation improvements, quality of life initiatives, and economic development efforts; implementation policies; and project priorities.

The existing Five-Year Parks and Recreation Master Plan was completed in 2016, and needs to be updated for the Town to maintain eligibility for the IDNR Land and Water Conservation Fund grant program, along with other state grant funding opportunities. The Five-Year Master Plan will be created as a stand-alone document for submittal and approval by the IDNR. However, as parks and recreation amenities have a significant impact on quality of life for residents and tourists, the key findings, recommendations and implementation strategies will be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, the process will leverage stakeholder and resident engagement and input activities for both plans.

Process

The planning process will occur over a span of 9 months and, when complete, will create a shared vision for future growth and development, encompass meaningful and inclusive public engagement, identify and and engage key stakeholders, establish clear guidance with a user-friendly document and establish achievable implementation plans. The process will include four key phases of work, each of which have a variety of community engagement and outreach opportunities  

Phase 1: Discovery | Community Needs Assessment & Analysis |  8 Weeks

In the Discovery Phase, Abonmarche kicks off the project with the North Liberty Team, collects existing demographics, market and physical conditions data, analyzes that data, and begins to organize opportunities and issues to be addressed in the plan. During this phase of the project, working with staff, the community outreach and engagement process is developed and begins being implemented.

Phase 2: Visioning | Input Meetings and Vision Settings | 8 Weeks

Building upon the results of the Discovery Phase, the Visioning Phase will focus on affirming the community’s key values and confirming the Community’s vision for future as developed in the previous planning processes. Outcomes of this phase will set the basis for recommendations provided in the plan.

Phase 3: Framework | Plan Elements | 8 Weeks

The Framework Phase is when we will synthesize the technical analysis of the Discovery Phase with community input and results of the Visioning Phase into the plan elements and policy recommendations for:

• Land Use
• Housing
• Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Facilities including North Liberty Parks
• Economics and Businesses both current conditions and trends
• Environmental Conditions and areas of special interest
• Other areas defined by the Steering Committee
• Quality of Life

Phase 4: Action | Implementation, Draft &  Final Plan | 12 Weeks

During the Action Phase, we will develop the implementation strategies and the comprehensive plan. This will include the project process, outcomes, vision, plan elements and recommendations, and implementation plan.