Jasper Comprehensive Plan Moves Forward

The Jasper Plan Commission convened on September 2, 2026, to hold a public recommendation hearing for the Jasper Comprehensive Plan and to discuss upcoming UDO updates and related housing reporting requirements.

The board also acknowledged the resignation of longtime member and secretary Gerry Miller and confirmed use of past secretary Dana for roll call.

The Commission held the public recommendation hearing for the Jasper Comprehensive Plan, presented by Becki Moorman. The plan reflects over a year of community engagement and is intended to guide Jasper’s growth and policy decisions for the next 10–20 years. Community input was gathered through surveys, stakeholder interviews, visioning sessions, task forces, workshops, discussion boards, public events, interactive mapping, a Future Summit, and an online story map.

Demographic and economic analyses informed recommendations. Key observations included an aging population and the need to attract and retain younger residents and remote workers, as Jasper has a strong employment base but faces workforce availability challenges. The community priorities were presented as five strategic pillars. These include:

1. Strengthening relationships to improve inclusion and pathways into community life for new, younger, and increasingly diverse residents.

2. Guiding growth to encourage quality, context-sensitive development that preserves Jasper’s character.

3. Improving connectivity to address physical connections (like trails and sidewalks) and regional partnerships, workforce transportation, and internal linkages.

4. Supporting economic vitality to align workforce development, housing, education, and business support to retain and attract talent.

5. Investing in quality of life to leverage parks, cultural assets, events, and gathering spaces as economic and community assets.

The Land Use Framework in the plan translates the strategic pillars into a future land use map intended as guidance, identifying appropriate areas for growth, redevelopment, preservation, neighborhood hubs, recreation destinations, and economic centers.

After concluding the presentation with no public comments, the public hearing was closed. The board unanimously voted to forward a favorable recommendation on the Jasper Comprehensive Plan to the City Council for consideration of adoption.

In the Unified Development Ordinance Amendments review, city attorney Renee Kabrick highlighted new Indiana legislative attention related to housing. The city must audit its UDO and submit a report on local actions addressing housing issues. The deadline for the report to be submitted is January 1, 2027. The Commission will review housing-related UDO items and open discussion in upcoming months to meet that statutory reporting requirement. Staff will circulate detailed UDO amendment suggestions from Ink Codes and internal meetings within the next one to two weeks for Commission review. At the October Plan Commission meeting, the board will discuss and refine UDO update proposals.

For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook.

- By Drew Hasselbring