Dubuque Metropolitan Area Transportation Study & Regional Planning Affiliation 8

Input Needed for Jackson County Comprehensive Plan

Input needed on Draft Shared Vision and Draft Chapters for Jackson County Comprehensive Plan

Everyone is invited to share their comments about the draft shared vision and draft chapters for the Jackson County Comprehensive Plan.

Working with Jackson County, East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) is developing a comprehensive plan for the county. A comprehensive plan presents a shared vision for the future, with long-range community goals. It is a policy guide for future services, public improvements, growth and development.

Why plan? If you’re headed into the future without a plan, a guide, or a road map, you could end up somewhere you don’t want to be. The shared vision statement for Jackson County declares what the community hopes to achieve and where the community wants to be in the future:

Jackson County is an engaging community, enthusiastically creating opportunity, supporting growth, and enhancing quality of life for all who live, work, and visit.

This community vision helps local governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals to make strategic decisions, aligning their efforts with the following broad goals and future priorities that will enable Jackson County to reach the destination described in the shared vision statement.

Broad Goals and Future Priorities

  1. Rural quality of life and safe communities that compete well with larger cities
  2. Recreational opportunities, historic sites, natural resources, unique amenities, and river access points
  3. Business retention, expansion, and recruitment
  4. Available, trained workforce of professionals, skilled trades, and labor in general
  5. Locally owned and operated shops and restaurants engaged in their communities
  6. Quality, affordable, and accessible housing options and pathways, especially for underserved populations
  7. Affordable childcare available countywide
  8. Strong volunteerism

Comprehensive Plan Chapters

The Comprehensive Plan is organized into chapters, beginning with Chapter 1. Introduction.

Chapter 2. Jackson County Snapshot describes current community characteristics.

Chapter 3. Public Participation reviews community outreach efforts and outcomes. This chapter provides results of the community survey.

Chapters 4 through 13 are an overview of existing conditions and trends; local, state, and federal programs; issues and opportunities; and goals and objectives for these key planning elements:

Chapter 4. Community Facilities and Services

Chapter 5. Infrastructure and Utilities

Chapter 6. Transportation

Chapter 7. Economic Development

Chapter 8. Housing

Chapter 9. Agriculture and Natural Resources

Chapter 10. Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources

Chapter 11. Hazard Mitigation

Chapter 12. Land Use

Chapter 13.  Intergovernmental Collaboration

Chapter 14. Implementation brings together the goals and objectives of Chapters 4 through 13 into a strategy for the future.

Comments and questions about the draft shared vision and draft chapters can be submitted through the Your Ideas link on the plan website https://eciatrans.org/jackson_county_comprehensive_plan.php

Information about the Jackson County Comprehensive Plan is available through the ECIA Facebook page.

Comments and questions also can be emailed to ECIA Senior Planner Laura Carstens at lcarstens@ecia.org.