Madison County, IN

Residential Architectural Standards

Madison County turned to HWC and Civic Blueprint to provide single-family residential architectural standards for its existing zoning ordinance. Through discussions with the County about the importance of streetscape diversity and quality architectural design, different approaches were presented to the County. Once the approach was confirmed, standards were drafted with many photos and graphics to clearly explain the County’s vision. The approved standards were formatted to integrate seamlessly into the County’s existing land use regulations.

Boone County, IN

Energy Overlay

Boone County has seen significant development interest in recent years, from major LEAP development to potential large-scale utility energy projects. Seeing this high development pressure and hearing rising concerns from its residents, the County leadership proactively enacted a temporary moratorium on large-scale renewable energy projects until standards could be enacted.

The County selected HWC Engineering to develop a set of custom zoning and development standards that would respect its rural farming heritage, protect its prime farmland and natural resources, and ensure that energy production is safe. The HWC team worked closely with the Steering Committee to create this set of standards on a very short turnaround. The standards include a custom-made map of Prime Agricultural Land and were designed to blend with the existing zoning ordinance. The community was strongly in favor of these new standards and referred to them as the “gold standard” for energy production and storage development during adoption meetings.

Putnam County, IN

Unified Development Ordinance

After rejecting a zoning overhaul a decade earlier, HWC Engineering was retained to help Putnam County replace its 1992 ordinances. HWC began the effort by creating a digital, parcel-based zoning map from a hand-drawn map that lacked parcel lines and was subsequently difficult to administer and enforce. After formal adoption of the existing zoning map, the work began to translate the goals and recommendations of its new Comprehensive Plan into development regulations while improving flexibility for the County’s communities. In recognition of this achievement, Putnam County received the 2024 Local Government Cooperation Award from the Association of Indiana Counties.