St. Paul Comprehensive Plan

The 2026 St. Paul Comprehensive Plan serves as a strategic, long-range playbook designed to guide the town’s evolution over the next 15 to 20 years. It provides leadership, municipal staff, and local boards with a consistent framework for making informed decisions regarding land use, infrastructure investment, and community programming. By synthesizing a detailed analysis of St. Paul’s unique tri-county socioeconomic profile with extensive public engagement, this plan establishes a unified vision that balances the preservation of the town’s historic character with a priority for utility improvements and thoughtful growth.

Developed through a collaborative process involving residents, business owners, and regional stakeholders, the plan outlines specific goals and actionable policies across 13 topics required by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). In 2025, the Town of St. Paul partnered with the Southeast Indiana Regional Planning Commission (SIRPC) to secure an OCRA planning grant. This program leverages Community Development Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to empower communities to invest in their own long-term improvement and sustainability.

A central pillar of this strategy is addressing the town’s infrastructure capacity, specifically, major upgrades to the wastewater system that are essential for unlocking future development. By synchronizing efforts across various municipal sectors, the plan ensures that every new initiative, from downtown façade renovations to potential growth near the I-74 interchange, remains in lockstep with the core values and priorities of the St. Paul community.