The Town of Sellersburg is a fast-growing bedroom community in close proximity to Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group initiated the process of drafting the new comprehensive plan and unified development ordinance in order to prepare for and manage that growth in 2020. Even though the planning process began alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, our team was able to pivot to virtual outreach and socially-distanced engagement strategies. As a result, we were able to continue the planning process and gather a large virtual audience for a variety of safe engagement opportunities.

The comprehensive plan organized the vision, goals, strategies and implementation actions into three guiding principles; Sellersburg’s Strong Foundation (Land Use, Transportation, Utilities & Services), Sellersburg’s Sense of Community (Community Facilities, Parks and Recreation, Economic Development), and Sellersburg’s Pride and Legacy (Neighborhoods and Housing, Identity and Placemaking). These guiding principles makeup the major components and priorities of the plan which aim at improving infrastructure and services, establishing an identity and sense of place, as well as develop/redevelop areas such as a new Town Center, downtown, and gateways/I-65 interchanges.

In order to help bring the community’s vision for transformative development to reality, TSWDG was tasked with creating a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would replace the existing zoning and subdivision ordinances that were patched together over the decades. This UDO not only fixed many functional and administrative issues for the town staff and developers, it also created dynamic new districts for downtown, a new town center, and a gateway district. Following the drafting of these new zoning districts, TSWDG integrated the zoning map into a GIS database that was more user-friendly for both staff, developers, and the public. TSWDG also drafted new Rules and Procedures, applications, and fee schedule for both the Plan Commission and BZA.

The 2040 Sellersburg Comprehensive Plan was awarded the Outstanding Comprehensive Plan in 2021 from the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.