06-30-08 Joint Meeting/Special Called Meeting of La Porte City Council and Main Street Advisory Committee

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........................................................................................... (7o~~unuv flsion Chapter 2 ?? Where has La Porte been in the past? ?? Where are we heading in the future? ?? Where do we want to be in the Year 2020 and beyond? ?? How do we achieve our preferred future? Where has La Porte been in the past? - The answer to this question lies in the review of historical trends and collection of existing conditions and characteristics of the community. Reviewing historic population figures and examining socioeconomic characteristics such as race and sex composition, household composition, age and gender, education, income and employment provides a profile of the community in the past and present. Another aspect of determining where the community has been in the past is through identification of issues that are confronting the community. These issues provide a great deal of insight regarding citizens' attitudes and values across a broad range of issues and topics. Determination of community assets and challenges also proviie a pulse of the community pertaining to the perceptions and priorities of the citizenry. Where are we heading in the future? - Once the past has been closely evaluated, development of possible futures is a matter of projecting the future population based upon historical trends and relative assumptions about the present and future. The result is a picture of the community reasonably assuming the continuation of current trends. Where do we want to be in the Year 2020 and beyond? - This step in the visioning process entails selection of a preferred future. As stated by William Jennings Bryan, "Destiny should be a matter of choice rather than a matter of chance. Planning the preferred future is a deliberate, organized, and continuous process of determ.ini1g community needs and setting goals and objectives for attaining them. It is the process by which the community can move from today's reality to tomorrow's possibilities by seizing its opportunities. The community vision bridges the gap between where we are and where we want to go and enables the community to choose to act -- rather than waiting to be acted upon. In its simplest terms, planning the preferred future is deciding, in advance, what to do, how and where to do it, and who is to do it. How do we achieve our preferred future? - Herein lies the challenge. A community's plans for the future are of no value if there is not a mechanism to set the plan in motion. It is important to realize that the La Porte Comprehensive Plan Update is by no means an end to itself, but rather a beginning to implement the desired goals, objectives and policies of the City. The plan is a process-oriented statement of the City's development goals, a graphic portrayal of the strategic view of its physical development over the next twenty-year period, and an implementation guide providing direction and coordination of private development and public infrastructure investments. A commitment to implementation is, therefore, necessary to ensure that the policies and guidelines established through the comprehensive planning process are upheld and ultimately implemented. The planning process is not complete upon adoption of the plan, rather it is the beginning of implementation. The essence of the Comprehensive Plan is an inplementation program that includes specific program recommendations and actions addressing each of the plan elements. The products of the implementation program include an action plan with accountability of the agency responsible for Page 2-2 .........................................................................~a~orte (7o~l'rehensivej>~n lTl'~te