Part #1: Summary of Public Engagement

Click through the tabs below to view the feedback gathered from Community Planning Week. Once finished, scroll further down the page to view the online activities.

Strengths are existing aspects of the community that residents believe are going well. Recurring themes from Community Planning Week included:

• Strong Sense of Community: Deep sense of pride and connection within the community, a warm and welcoming atmosphere, committed community members, collective pride in local assets and events.
• Arts and Culture: Cultural and artistic amenities, cultural vibrancy within the community.
• Downtown and Gathering Spaces: Downtown square and other gather spots serve as important hubs for social interaction and community events.
• Education and Collaboration: Collaboration between city, educational institutions, and nonprofits.
• Affordable Housing: Highlighted multiple times as critical strength.
• Strategic Location and Accessibility: Proximity to interstates and major cities, well-established infrastructure.
• Parks and Recreation: Parks, trails, recreational spaces, with ongoing upgrades and expansions.

Weaknesses are issues within the existing community identified by residents during Community Planning Week. Recurring themes included:

• Blight and Decay: Blighted properties, decaying infrastructure, unappealing streetscape around downtown and major corridors, high-cost to rehabilitate old properties.
• Housing Challenges: Lack of diverse and entry-level housing options, long wait times for housing, difficulty closing deals for new housing projects.
• Public Infrastructure: Street network, poor street maintenance, CATS (inadequate signage, limited routes, long commutes).
• Public Services and Governance: Limited resources, elimination of key positions, insufficient public outreach efforts and transparency, misalignment between zoning code and the comprehensive plan.
• Perception and Public Safety: Negative perception of public schools compared to nearby cities, unsafe parks, homelessness, inadequate social services.

Participants of Community Planning Week were asked to describe what they wanted Anderson to be like in 20 years. Recurring themes included:

• Housing: Increase affordable housing, address homelessness, encourage mixed-use developments.
• Downtown: A vibrant and lively downtown with a variety of activities, businesses, and cultural events that feels safe and welcoming.
• Parks and Recreation: Expand parks, enhance trails, develop riverfront areas, preserve natural spaces.
• Arts and Entertainment: Enhance historic and cultural sites, support arts districts, offer more inclusive arts and entertainment options.
• Community and Family Activities: Need for more family-friendly activities and inclusive programming.
• Economic Development and Business: Support small businesses, attract diverse industries, increase retail and dining options.
• Education: Improve public schools, expand educational opportunities, support school partnerships with community organizations.

Opportunities are things that can contribute to the success of the comprehensive plan in the future. Recurring themes from Community Planning Week included:

• Arts, Culture, Tourism: Develop Anderson as arts destination, expand tourism, revitalize White River and Mounds Lake for recreation and tourism.
• Redevelopment and Revitalization: Revitalize vacant lots, historic buildings, westside, and underutilized properties, particularly in downtown and along corridors, improve gateways into city, modernize parks, expand trails and green spaces.
• Housing Development: Convert vacant properties into attainable housing, new homes on available land, incentivizing homeownership.
• Downtown: Create a vibrant downtown, with a focus on walkability, social activities, boutique hotels, small businesses.
• Infrastructure Improvements: Expanding transportation options, improving street network, invest in fiber network and water systems.
• Leadership and Governance: Strong leadership, better collaboration with city departments, more inclusive approach that reflects city’s diversity.

Barriers are obstacles in the future that may stand in the way of achieving the vision of the comprehensive plan. Recurring themes from Community Planning Week included:

• Economic and Financial Challenges: High poverty rates, low-paying jobs, challenges securing grants and investments.
• Aging and Decaying Infrastructure: Old buildings and vacant properties in disrepair, high costs for renovation, outdated infrastructure.
• Housing Issues: Old housing stock, unsafe conditions, out-of-state investors neglecting properties.
• Transportation and Accessibility: Auto-oriented development, lack of sidewalks, one-way roads, poor pedestrian and bike facilities.
• Cultural and Social Barriers: Resident apathy, high number of retirees, reluctance to change, perceived lack of diversity and inclusion within leadership.

Part #2A: Results of Public Engagement

In this part of the online Open House, you can review the draft vision statement created with the community's feedback during Community Planning Week. Please set aside at least 10 to 15 minutes to complete this activity.

A vision statement should reflect the shared values of a community and how city development should occur over the next 20 years. It should be bold but realistic, aspirational but achievable, and resolute but flexible enough to accommodate changing dynamics over the 20-year timeframe.

Part #2B: Results of Public Engagement (Activity #3)

In this part of the online open house, you can review the first draft goals for each of the seven Planning Principles. Like the first activity (Review of the Draft Vision Statement), you can say whether you agree, agree but want to change the wording, or disagree with the goal. You may choose to complete one, a few, or all activities for each planning principle. Please set aside at least 10 to 15 minutes for every activity you decide to complete.

Planning Principles break down the vision statement into categories that express the core values of the Anderson community. These principles aid in the organization of the plan's goals.

Goals are what the community wants to achieve. It should reflect and help achieve the vision statement. Goals are not the same as action steps (which will come later in this 9-month planning process). Action steps are how the community can achieve the goals.

Part 3: Next Steps and How to Stay Engaged

Stay Engaged throughout the Planning Process!

Disclaimer: There was a fourth activity at in-person meetings that asked people to prioritize different areas of the city for new or re-development. A similar version of the activity will remain available until September 13, 2024 on the landing page for AdvanceAnderson.com (here) under the "Get Involved!" tab.