About the Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan Update
The 2010 Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan served as a blueprint for decision-making related to land use, zoning, public investment, and capital improvements. The 2025 Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan update builds upon the original vision, refining and expanding priorities to address today’s needs while continuing to honor Chesterton’s character.
The 2010 Comprehensive Plan addressed key areas such as Land Use Development, Public Ways and Transportation, Public Lands, Places, Structures and Utilities, Sustainable Development, and the Development of Art and Culture. This updated plan reaffirms those priorities while promoting balanced economic growth, preserving the town’s natural beauty and cultural heritage, and ensuring Chesterton remains a vibrant, sustainable community for generations.
Components of the Plan
The key components of the plan are listed below. This is a tentative list of topics that the plan intends to cover; these may evolve throughout the planning process.
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Land Use and Zoning
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Economic Development
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Housing
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Transportation
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Public Services and Facilities
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Natural and Cultural Resources
Community Engagement
The Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan Update is intended to reflect the priorities and aspirations of the people who live and work here; that is why strong community engagement is important during this planning process.
To ensure that all voices are heard, the project team is using a variety of outreach strategies, including:
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Stakeholder Sessions
Focused meetings with residents, business owners, and community leaders to better understand Chesterton’s current needs and future opportunities. -
Public Engagement Events
Open houses and participation in community events offer residents direct opportunities to meet the project team, ask questions, and share input. -
Community Survey
An online survey designed to gather feedback on what people value most about Chesterton—and where they see room for improvement. -
Steering Committee Meetings
A representative committee of community members meets regularly to help guide the planning process and ensure it reflects diverse perspectives. To find out how you can participate, visit the Get Involved page.
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Implementation of the Plan
The Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan Update will guide community growth and development over the next 10 to 20 years. The town should evaluate the plan regularly to guide progress toward successful implementation.
The plan will outline clear community goals along with actionable strategies to achieve them. Among these, specific strategies will be identified as Critical Path Strategies—high-priority actions that can be initiated soon after the plan’s adoption. These strategies will include detailed guidance on responsible parties, implementation steps, and timelines. The town can build momentum toward achieving long-term goals by focusing on early, impactful actions.
Critical Path Strategies will be among the final components drafted to ensure they are timely, relevant, and aligned with community priorities.
THE PROJECT TEAM
The Town of Chesterton has partnered with American Structurepoint to develop the Comprehensive Plan. American Structurepoint is a multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, and planning firm with clients across the country. The project team for the Town of Chesterton Comprehensive Plan works out of the Indianapolis headquarters and is listed below:
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MATT O'ROURKE
Planning + Economic Development Group Leader
Rachel Cardis
Senior Planner and Project Manager
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Patty Salgado
Planner