What is the Plan?

The Land Use Plan is one element of the Comprehensive Plan for Indianapolis and Marion County.  The plan is required by state statute as a basis for zoning and must include objectives and policies for future land use development.  It is a policy document, not law, designed to promote the orderly development and redevelopment of the county.

What is the existing Plan?

Marion County’s current land use plan is made up of dozens of separate neighborhood, corridor, and township plans adopted between 1985 and 2016.  Currently, there is no standard format for these documents.  They cover different topics depending on the area studied, reach different conclusions, and have different ways of classifying land uses and presenting information. To view these, consult the Land Use and Specific Area elements of the Comprehensive Plan for Indianapolis and Marion County. In general, plans listed as Land Use elements will be updated by this planning process, while those listed as Specific Area plans will be retained.  Learn more about the planning geography.

Who uses the Plan?

The plan can be used as a guide for anyone wanting to make a decision about land and development: property owners, developers, neighbors, neighborhood organizations, grant writers, City zoning staff, City boards and commissions, school districts, utilities and City infrastructure planners.

How is the Plan implemented?

Users of the plan implement it in their own ways. The most visible method of implementation is when the plan is used to support or modify proposed development through zoning changes. The plan also has been implemented as its recommendations for policy, procedure and ordinance revisions are made.

How is this update different from past updates?

Plan 2020 seeks to create a unified, countywide land use plan that updates, incorporates, or replaces the dozens of existing planning documents. It will include performance indicators for land use types, providing more clarity about how different uses perform on transportation, economic, tax base, and environmental criteria. The updated plan will focus on keeping residents in and attracting residents to Marion County by planning for 21st century amenities and lifestyles. Particular focus will be paid to places in the county likely to see change, including transit corridors and cultural districts, and to integrate land use planning with transportation, economic development, Downtown, parks and recreations and strategic public investments.