We are announcing a partnership between the Ohio State University Knowlton School of
Architecture’s City and Regional Planning Program and the Darke County Commissioners Office to
update the Darke County Land Use Plan. The plan was last updated in October of 2001.
A new Land Use plan means that the community can better adapt to pressing issues like industry
development, residential use, and infrastructure improvements.
The group is now seeking public comment on the project. The plan will involve multiple levels of public
comment and will allow for greater investment and innovation within Darke County. These will include:
- Shorthand surveys being handed out at public events
- Online Surveys soliciting feedback from neighborhoods and communities
- Focus-group meetings with residents, community leaders, organizers and businesses
To get involved in the future of Darke County, readers are encouraged to go to go.osu.edu/darkelanduse
and follow Darke County on Facebook and Instagram
“It’s a huge and impactful project” Chad D. Gibson, AICP Associated Faculty said via email.
The Knowlton team is made up of six graduate level students in City and Regional Planning along with
Mr. Gibson, and his experience as the Community Development Director for the city of Upper Arlington.
“While our team may be small, our variety of experience from fields like planning development,
community engagement and landscape planning give us the advantage necessary to create a plan best
suited to this community” Stephan Ho said.
Previous Knowlton City and Regional Planning projects have given local government fully implementable
plans, allowing commissioners greater autonomy and freedom in their work towards building a better
county. One such project was the Fayette County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which allowed the county to
remain in compliance with state law and provided the county with better tools to mitigate hazardous or
disastrous situations.
Photo assets can be found at: knowlton.osu.edu and https://www.instagram.com/knowltonosu/
About the Knowlton School’s City and Regional Planning Program:
City and Regional Planning at Knowlton provides expansive knowledge of the field and detailed
understanding in specific focus areas grounded in practice. Students go outside the classroom for
award-winning studios that engage local and regional clients, addressing existing challenges in
transportation, sustainability, international development, and regional equity. Internships with local
public, private, and non-profits provide year-round opportunities to see classroom ideas in action.
International opportunities in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, and beyond enrich the degree
experience with new and innovative perspectives.
The City and Regional Planning section is home to 18 full-time faculty as well as affiliated and associated
faculty from diverse backgrounds in planning scholarship and planning practice. Affiliated faculty,
lecturers, and guest speakers complement the teaching competencies of full-time faculty and add
perspectives from planning practice and related specialties.
From: https://knowlton.osu.edu/city-and-regional-planning/master-city-and-regional-planning
About the Darke County Commissioners office:
County commissioners make up the general administrative body for county government… [T]hey can
perform those duties which are specifically authorized by the General Assembly and no more. They are
the county government taxing, budgeting, appropriating, and purchasing authority. They hold title to
county property. Individual commissioners have no power to act independently. All formal and official
actions must be taken by the board of county commissioners acting as a body by majority or unanimous
vote.
Commissioners also have a myriad of other responsibilities including hearing and ruling on annexations,
approving drainage improvements through the petition ditch process, establishing water and sewer
districts and making improvements, and providing for solid waste disposal.
From: https://www.mydarkecounty.com/countyoffices