MANSFIELD — Richland County is seeking a $50,000 state grant to help fund a comprehensive land use study that also involves Mansfield and Shelby.
County commissioners on Tuesday approved the grant request through the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture during a meeting with Richland County Regional Planning Executive Director Jotika Shetty.
The Land Use Planning Grant Program provides financial and technical assistance to county governments to develop, update, or implement a comprehensive land use plan, according to the department’s website.
The funds will go toward the $200,000 study approved by commissioners, Mansfield City Council and the city of Shelby in 2025.
If the state grant is approved, it could allow a portion of the local dollars to be returned to the three entities, the amount proportionate to its contribution to the study, officials said.
Mansfield lawmakers approved spending $100,000 toward the effort, which includes the hiring of a consultant to help develop the plan. Shelby and Richland County each agreed to pay $50,000 toward the study.
Grant applications are due with ODA by Feb. 27. Applicants will be notified by March 31 and projects must be complete by May 31, 2027.
Richland County Regional Planning in December signed a consulting contract with American Structurepoint to develop the study, which Shetty has characterized in the past as a “unique opportunity to look at the area from a regional standpoint.”
(Below is a PDF with the consulting contract signed in December between the Richland County Planning Commission and American Structurepoint.)
According to the agreement, the company will follow a three-part plan in developing the study — educate (analyze existing conditions), explore (alternatives development) and empower (final plan).
During the development of the study, American Structurepoint plans community input and involvement, including public officials, stakeholders and members of the community.
The contract says the county’s existing comprehensive plan was adopted in 2009 and is no longer widely used. It says neither Mansfield nor Shelby have such plans.
The city of Ontario and the village of Lexington have recently done such studies on their own.
“It is intended that a joint new plan that reflects the realities of a changing population, shifting development patterns, and new environmental and economic challenges will address current issues and plan for the future,” the contract states.
“Seeking to align urban infill development and encouraged planned growth in the cities with farmland preservation in the townships, the (plan) should be built around a smart growth and rural preservation framework that’s strategic, equitable and sustainable across the whole region,” the contract said.
In November, when the joint plan was announced, Shetty said the comprehensive plan is more than a land use document and will be developed over a 12- to 15-month timeframe.
“It’s really a guiding document that speaks to a region’s desire for its future growth and development. It not only acts as a visionary tool because it talks to the community’s overarching vision for the community, but also the goals as it relates to infrastructure, housing, economic development and quality of life,” Shetty said.
“Land is limited, right? We’re not creating more land. What is the best impactful way that we can make decisions for that land?” she said.
more coverage of the comprehensive land use project
