Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0083-1471
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2004-04-01T05:00Z

1
Allen
County
Urban
Area
Growth
Allen
County
is
the
largest
county
in
Indiana
with
approximately
660
square
miles
of
land.
The
2000
urbanized
area
comprises
approximately
210
square
miles,
less
than
one
third
of
the
available
land
in
Allen
County.
The
urbanized
area
is
not
anticipated
to
expand
into
DeKalb
County
until
sometime
after
the
year
2030.
A
substantial
amount
of
agriculturally
zoned
land
still
exists
within
Allen
County
between
the
current
urban
area
and
DeKalb
County.

The
Allen
County
Plan
Commission
and
Allen
County
Commissioners
are
the
primary
decisionmakers
that
control
the
conversion
of
agricultural
land
uses
to
residential
and
commercial
urban
development.
The
planning
policies
and
philosophies
applied
to
land
use
decisions
in
Allen
County
were
designed
to
ensure
orderly
and
contiguous
urban
growth.
The
Allen
County
Comprehensive
Plan
includes
provisions
that
support
contiguous
growth,
prohibits
uncontrolled
sprawl,
and
preserves
prime
agricultural
land.

The
Allen
County
Comprehensive
Plan
includes
goals
and
policies
that
strive
to
minimize
urban
sprawl
and
promote
orderly,
balanced
and
efficient
urban
development.
As
the
policies
are
implemented,
they
establish
an
urban
area
that
exhibits
contiguous
and
homogeneous
growth.
The
goals
and
policies
are
expressed
in
the
following
statements.

To
encourage
residential
growth
in
close
proximity
to
work,
recreation,
and
shopping.

To
encourage
residential
development
in
areas
where
the
full
range
of
community
facilities
(
sewer,
water,
fire,
schools,
etc.)
presently
exist
or
will
be
provided
in
conjunction
with
the
proposed
development.

To
encourage
a
community
development
pattern
which
enhances
the
neighborhood
environment.

To
insure
that
all
developments
have
proper
facilities
and
utilities
in
order
to
maintain
safe
and
sanitary
conditions.

To
encourage
the
preservation
of
prime
agricultural
areas
which
are
distinguished
by
high
crop
yields
and
large
contiguous
blocks
of
land.
2
To
encourage
quality
agricultural
production
by
protecting
agricultural
areas
from
incompatible
land
uses.

To
encourage
upgrading
and
utilization
of
existing
commercial
sites
before
re­
zoning
new
real
estate.

To
encourage
the
revitalization
of
the
Central
Business
District
as
the
major
activity
center
in
the
County
for
government,
finance,
offices,
cultural
activities,
and
regional
commerce.

The
implementation
of
these
policies
by
the
Allen
County
Plan
Commission
serve
to
concentrate
growth
within,
and
congruent
to,
the
urbanized
area
of
Allen
County.
The
requirement
by
the
Plan
Commission
that
subdivisions
and
commercial
developments
have
water
and
sanitary
sewer
utility
services
ensures
that
new
development
remains
contiguous
to
the
existing
urban
area.
The
implementation
of
the
Comprehensive
Plan
also
serves
to
preserve
agricultural
land
and
provides
a
special
agricultural
preservation
zoning
classification
for
that
purpose.
The
application
of
these
policies
has
created
a
well­
established
pattern
of
orderly
and
contiguous
urban
growth.
These
policies
will
continue
to
influence
the
shape
and
size
of
future
urban
development
in
Allen
County.

In
accordance
with
the
Comprehensive
Plan,
the
Transportation
Plan
also
incorporates
various
planning
assumptions
that
reflect
land
use
policies
and
historical
trends
regarding
urban
growth
and
development.
The
planning
assumptions
are
utilized
to
predict
how
the
urban
area
will
grow
and
change
over
time.
The
2025
Transportation
Plan
for
the
Fort
Wayne­
New
Haven­
Allen
County
Metropolitan
Area
was
developed
based
on
the
following
assumptions
for
urban
growth.

The
persons
per
dwelling
unit
ratio
will
continue
to
drop
and
will
stabilize
at
approximately
2.35
for
the
Metropolitan
Planning
Area.

Prime
agricultural
land
will
be
preserved
and
development
will
take
place
in
areas
with
suitable
soil
types.
The
majority
of
all
development
will
occur
in
the
urbanized
area
or
immediately
adjacent
to
the
urban
area.

Downtown
Fort
Wayne
revitalization
efforts
will
continue
to
retain
and
attract
business
to
the
central
city.
Residential
development
and
re­
development
will
be
encouraged
in
specific
areas
of
the
central
business
district
and
central
city.
These
efforts
will
help
minimize
urban
expansion.
3
The
urbanized
area
will
continue
to
be
the
focal
point
for
residential,
commercial
and
industrial
growth.
It
is
anticipated
that
the
urban
area
population
will
continue
to
grow
at
a
higher
rate
than
the
surrounding
rural
portions
of
Allen
County.

In
addition
to
the
land
use
policies
administered
in
Allen
County
that
control
urban
development,

environmental
and
cultural
issues
exist
that
serve
to
curb
urban
development
in
the
northern
portion
of
Allen
County.
Cedar
Creek
is
a
designated
scenic
waterway
that
runs
diagonally
(
northwest
to
southeast)
through
the
northern
portion
of
Allen
County
in
Perry
and
Cedar
Creek
Townships.
Two
environmental
groups,
the
Isaac
Walton
League
and
Acres
Incorporated,
hold
large
tracts
of
land
and
actively
oppose
urban
development
in
the
area
surrounding
Cedar
Creek.
This
environmentally
sensitive
area
serves
as
a
buffer,
containing
urban
development
to
areas
south
of
the
waterway.
It
will
be
difficult
to
provide
fresh
water
and
sanitary
sewer
utilities
to
the
area
north
of
the
creek,
keeping
housing
densities
relatively
low.
The
area
north
of
the
Cedar
Creek
will
remain
predominantly
agricultural
with
some
sporadic
large
estate­
type
residential
development.

In
the
northeastern
portion
of
Allen
County
there
is
an
extensive
population
of
Amish
farms.
The
Amish
families
hold
a
significant
amount
of
acreage
including
some
fairly
large
tracts
of
land.
The
Amish
have
successfully
clustered
their
farmland
together
to
form
a
cohesive
community.
The
land
is
primarily
used
for
agricultural
purposes
but
occasionally
supports
a
small
business.
The
Amish
held
property
tends
to
convert
to
urban
land
uses
at
a
slower
rate
than
other
agricultural
land.
The
presence
of
Amish
farmland
has
a
tendency
to
constrain
the
urban
growth
in
northeast
Allen
County.

The
urban
development
pattern
in
Allen
County
has
shifted
over
the
years
beginning
within
the
City
of
Fort
Wayne
and
on
adjacent
land
southeast
of
the
City.
Over
time,
growth
shifted
to
the
areas
northeast
and
southwest
of
Fort
Wayne,
again
expanding
in
a
fairly
contiguous
manner.
Growth
expanded
to
the
north
for
several
years
when
a
water/
sewer
utility
situation
invoked
a
moratorium
on
development
in
southwestern
Allen
County.
Utility
improvements
were
made
and
the
moratorium
was
lifted.
Development
has
resumed
in
the
west­
southwest
and
has
also
begun
shifting
into
the
northwestern
portion
of
Allen
County.
A
substantial
amount
of
vacant
land
is
available
in
the
area
northwest
of
Fort
Wayne
and
appears
to
be
the
area
most
attractive
for
new
urban
growth.
4
The
combination
of
land
use
policies,
environmentally
sensitive
areas,
agricultural
land
preservation
and
recent
trends
for
new
growth
in
northwest
Allen
County
will
serve
to
contain
the
amount
of
urban
development.
These
constraints
will
limit
urban
growth
in
the
extreme
northern
portions
of
Allen
County
and
inhibit
the
urban
area
expansion
into
DeKalb
County.