Knox County’s year-long process to update its Comprehensive Plan, known as Together Knox, is nearing completion as the public feedback and approval process moves forward.
The next steps include two public hearings hosted by the Knox County Regional Planning Commission to solicit public feedback.
The first meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the Knox County Service Center Commissioner’s Chapel in Mount Vernon. The second meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Knox County Memorial Theater in Mount Vernon.
Following these hearings, the Mount Vernon City Council will hold a series of meetings to review the comprehensive plan. The plan will be read at three city council meetings, with the first likely scheduled for the council’s regular meeting on Feb. 24.
The Knox County Commissioners must also approve the plan. According to comments made at the commissioners' Jan. 9 meeting, the approval process will include two public hearings, likely one in the evening and one during the day.
The process will be completed when both the city and county approve the updated plan. The city will likely approve it last to ensure that any changes made by the county are incorporated into the city’s version.
“The plan will remain in draft form until the County Commission and City Council adopt it,” said Jeff Gottke, president of the Knox County Area Development Foundation and project lead for Together Knox. “Comments received during the review process will be considered and may lead to changes in the adopted plan.”
Gottke explained that the process is structured this way because “county planning in Ohio is a little complex. It is multi-jurisdictional, so we want to make the process clear and incremental.”
While changes to the plan may be made based on feedback from the public, townships, and the city and county, Gottke emphasized, “It’s important to note that regardless of whether the draft is changed or not, all public comments and any feedback the organizations provide will be included as an appendix to the final version.”
