Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive Plan
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This year (2026), Florence Township is updating its Comprehensive Land Use Plan, last revised in 2013. The plan helps guide growth, development, public investments and long-term community priorities. The township is revisiting the plan to reflect current needs and prepare for the future. In a serious of four well-attended three-hour workshops over the summer, township officials sought input from residents, property owners, farmers, business owners and others with a stake in Florence Township. The public feedback received will help identify the most important issues facing the community today and shape goals for the years ahead.
Project leader Jim Ahrens and volunteers are incorporating the results of the workshops into the plan, an extensive research and rewriting task. The goal is to take the new plan to the Planning Commission in November and the Town Board in December. After all approvals are received, the revised plan will be posted here. (If you'd like to read previous plans, scroll down to them.) Then the real work will begin -- action plans based on the plan. We hope many of you will sign on to help us with those goals once we get there.
The following topics were covered in the workshops:
- Land Use: Where should housing and business development occur? What land should be preserved for agriculture, recreation, or open space?
- Natural Resources: Which sensitive areas, wildlife habitats, wetlands, shoreland, blufflands, or other natural resources should be protected?
- Parks & Open Space: How can public outdoor spaces be improved?
- Community Heritage: How can historic sites, landscapes, and buildings be preserved?
- Transportation: What improvements are needed along Highway 61 and throughout the Township?
- Economic Development: How can Florence Township support existing businesses and encourage appropriate new opportunities?
Results of the workshops are available in the sections below.
August 22, 2026 Workshop Results
Hello Everyone,
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our fourth and final Comprehensive Land Use Plan Workshop on August 22nd. Your participation, ideas, and thoughtful feedback throughout this journey will help shape the future of our community, and we truly appreciate the time and energy you have invested in this process.
In the folder below is the agenda and meeting minutes, once again graciously prepared by Pam Miller. A special thank you to Pam for her outstanding work and dedication throughout this entire process.
I have also included below an image showing the results of our dot-voting exercise on the actions identified to support our various goals and objectives. These actions were generated during Workshop #3.
Each attendee was given 12 dots to allocate across all eight Focus Domains (also included below). We then highlighted the actions that received six or more votes. These prioritized actions will be our focus moving forward.
Next Steps:
1. Update the Comprehensive Land Use Plan document by October
- We are seeking 3-5 committed volunteers to help review the document.
2. Present the plan to the Planning Commission by November
3. Present the plan to the Township Board by year-end
- Upon Board approval, we will begin implementing strategies to achieve the goals and objectives outlined in the plan.
Overall,45 individuals attended one or more workshops, andnearly 60 people registered to receive email updatesthroughout the process.
I want to personally thank everyone who participated for your enthusiasm, engagement, and willingness to share your voice. I will continue to use this distribution list to keep you informed of our progress and next steps.
Lastly, if you are interested in helping review the final document, please let me know.
Again, thank you for your participation and support.
Sincerely,
-Jim
July 25, 2026 Workshop Results
Hello Everyone,
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the third Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update meeting on July 25th. Your participation, ideas, and thoughtful feedback continue to shape the future of our community, and we truly appreciate the time and energy you've invested in this process.
In the folder below are the meeting minutes, once again graciously prepared by Pam Miller. A big thank you to Pam for her outstanding work and continued support!
I'm putting the finishing touches on the agenda for our final meeting on August 22nd and will share it with everyone soon. This meeting will be all about turning great ideas into action as we prioritize our key initiatives through dot voting and develop a clear action plan for moving forward.
This is where all of our hard work comes together, so you won't want to miss it!
Let's finish strong and make this final workshop our best one yet. Together, we can create a plan that reflects our community's vision and sets the stage for a bright future.
Thank you again for your enthusiasm, participation, and continued commitment throughout this process. I look forward to seeing everyone on August 22nd
- Jim
June 20, 2026 Workshop Results
Hello Everyone,
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Comprehensive Land Use Plan update meeting on June 20th. I truly appreciate your continued involvement and commitment to this important process. Please know that your voice matters, and I can promise you that every perspective is being heard. I was especially pleased to see representation from approximately five family farms at the meeting.
In the folder below are the meeting minutes, once again graciously prepared by Pam Miller. Thank you, Pam, for taking the time to document our discussion and share these notes with everyone. They are greatly appreciated!
Also included below is the meeting agenda, along with photos of the boards created during our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) dot-voting exercise.
Once I finalize the agenda for our July 25 meeting, I will send it out to everyone. We will begin that session with a recap of the key takeaways from our June 20th meeting.
Let's keep the momentum going as we work toward finalizing our goals and priorities and, ultimately, taking meaningful actions to achieve them. To help prepare meaningful conversations around implementation strategies, below I have included the 8 Current Domain Implementation Strategies from our 2013 Comp Plan.
Thank you again for your participation and continued support. I look forward to seeing everyone on July 25th.
-Jim
May 30, 2026 Workshop Results
Hello Everyone,
Thank you to all who participated in our Comprehensive Land Use Plan update process on May 30th.
In the folder below you can find the meeting minutes, graciously provided by Pam Miller. Thank you, Pam, for taking the time to prepare and share them.
Also included below is the agenda, information outlining why the Comprehensive Land Use Plan is important, along with pics of the actual boards created during our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) exercise.
We are still seeking volunteers to update Chapters 2 and 3 to reflect our current status as of 2026. If you are willing to assist with either chapter, please let me know.
Finally, Deb Lee Carson has volunteered to gather SWOT information from the farming community. Thank you, Deb, for taking on this important task.
Once I have the agenda finalized for June 20th, I will share that. Know that I will start out our June 20th session with a recap from May 30th.
Thank you all for your continued involvement and commitment to this process. Your voice counts.
- Jim Ahrens
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