Decatur County Comprehensive Plan
The Decatur County Comprehensive Plan is a long-range planning effort designed to guide growth, development, and community investment over the next 10–15 years. HWC was selected to run the comprehensive planning process in October 2025 as the county won an OCRA grant to compete a new comprehensive plan. The plan establishes a shared vision for the county’s future by analyzing current demographic, housing, and economic conditions, engaging residents and stakeholders, and identifying key needs and opportunities across topics such as land use, housing, transportation, economic development, and natural resources. Through a structured process that includes public input, data analysis, and collaboration with a steering committee, the plan will produce clear goals, policies, and actionable strategies. Ultimately, it will serve as a decision-making framework for local leaders, helping to coordinate investments, inform zoning and land use decisions, and ensure that future growth aligns with the community’s priorities and values. The draft plan is expected to be released in summer of 2026.
Decatur County aims to get ahead of new emerging industries.
We asked public workshop attendees to rank their level of comfort with the following emerging industries: utility scale solar facilities, battery energy storage systems (BESS), data centers, and Small nuclear reactors (SMRs). We found that Decatur County residents remain cautious toward emerging technologies, with Data Centers, solar facilities, and battery storage (BESS) all facing significant pushback over resource drain, rising utility costs, and the industrialization of rural farmland. While Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are particularly polarizing, split between safety concerns and carbon-free potential, a meaningful segment of the community remains neutral or supportive of energy diversification and property rights. Across the board, there is a clear demand for strict siting standards and better public education to ensure these projects pay their way without compromising the county's agricultural character. By incorporating these hot-topic but important issues into the county’s new comprehensive plan, the county aims to get ahead by ensuring the plan has the public input and backing to amend ordinances relating to emerging industries.
meaningful public engagement is at the center of the decatur county comprehenisve plan.
Public workshop attendees provided valuable input on where they wanted to see the following land uses within the next 10-20 year. There was a special focus on the I-74 interchange area, with infrastructure improvements coming to the interchange soon.
Attendees overwhelmingly wished to see the preservation of agriculture and farmland, while advocating for more commercial, residential, and industrial growth in and around existing cities and towns, along the interstate corridor, and busy roads.
Attendees wish to see interests balanced, as they value agricultural and cultural preservation while understanding the need for residential, commercial, and industrial growth to bring new tax revenue, jobs, and people to the county.
Decatur County residents expressed a strong preference for a diverse land-use mix, specifically prioritizing agriculture, single-family residential, and neighborhood commercial developments. There is a clear emphasis on lifecycle housing, specifically, starter homes to retain young residents and senior living options to facilitate downsizing, which would naturally free up existing single-family homes for growing families.