State Road 1 Corridor Plan Community Workshop Set for Jan. 31

The workshop will be held at the East Central Performing Arts Center.

State Road 1 near the I-74 interchange. Photo provided.

(St. Leon, Ind.) - Dearborn and Franklin counties are hosting a community workshop as part of a planning process to examine the State Road 1 Corridor. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the East Central High School Performing Arts Center, 1 Trojan Place, St. Leon, IN 47012.

In conjunction with the Southeast Indiana READI regional economic development initiative, Dearborn and Franklin counties have recently begun a planning process for the area surrounding the Interstate 74 and State Road 1 (SR 1) interchange, as well as further north and south along SR 1. The plan will explore development potential, infrastructure investments, preservation priorities, and other community desires. The goal is to identify housing and economic development opportunities in alignment with the community’s vision for the future.

To ensure study recommendations preserve existing community assets and can be used as a tool to help attract desired investment, we invite all interested citizens to attend the community workshop and take part in discussions and decisions that will help shape the future of this important area for both counties. Participants will help to identify community assets, issues, and opportunities and establish the vision that will guide plan recommendations. The meeting format is informal; you are invited to review materials and participate in exercises at your leisure.

One Dearborn, Inc. Executive Director Mike Perleberg encourages residents to participate in this process. He stated, “The State Road 1 corridor plan is important because it will help us understand growth potential, the nature of development the community might like to see, and necessary infrastructure projects to support both existing and new investment.”

The workshop, facilitated by consultants from HWC Engineering, will be an interactive and open dialogue with fellow citizens and community leaders. Results from the workshop will serve as a continuing guide for local officials, staff, and the consultant team as they proceed with development of the plan. A project website has been created to share project information as it is developed and currently links to an online input survey. The website address is www.sr1corridorplan.com. For more information about this project, please contact Mike Perleberg, Executive Director of One Dearborn, Inc., at mperleberg@1dearborn.org or 812.537.4010 x7233 or John Palmer, President of the Franklin County Economic Development Commission, at jpalmerfcedc@gmail.com or 765.647.5340.