RICHMOND, Ind. – The city of Richmond is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, a long-term guide for community growth, development, and investment.
The plan, Richmond Rising, was created by the city in 2019 after a yearlong study. Now, city leaders are refreshing the plan to reflect on how the community has changed over the last six years.
“A comprehensive plan for a city is considered a guidebook of how the city wants to address issues, with a focus around land development,” said Richmond Mayor Ron Oler. “The reason we went through this is to understand current community conditions. If you can refresh it every five years or so, it’s a lot less work and you can tie in a lot of things that have changed since then.”
Oler said one of his first goals after taking office was to rebrand the city, a project that helped shape this new plan. The updated logo draws on Richmond’s historic identity, incorporating the old bridge and colors inspired by the city’s past.
“It harkens back to the old bridge, the importance of the Depot District and the overpass bridge. All the colors in the brand are historic in nature,” Oler said.
Updating the plan is also part of a legal requirement to qualify for certain state grants through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).
The 2025 update connects several other local and regional efforts, including the 2023 East Central Indiana Regional Development Plan, the 2023 Wayne County Foundation Gift VIII Plan, the 2024 Whitewater Gorge Activation Plan, the 2025 Cindy Citywide Branding Initiative, and the 2025 Community Benefit Implementation Plan.
The new comprehensive plan expands on Richmond Rising by introducing updated goals and redefining various development areas. It's organized around four key themes: Grow Richmond, Connect Richmond, Protect Richmond, and Celebrate Richmond.
Oler said the city has refined its future land use map, focusing on housing growth in the southeast corner of the city and expanding the Industrial Park in the northwest.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for housing out there and we’re working specifically on housing in that area,” he said.
The plan also adds two new goals focused on economic development and quality of life, emphasizing improvements to parks, housing, and public spaces. The city has consolidated resources by retiring some smaller parks to invest more heavily in what Oler called Richmond’s “flagship parks,” where most residents spend their time.
Work on the plan began in May with a steering committee of city employees, stakeholders, and community members. Over the past eight months, public input was gathered through meetings, before presenting a draft to the plan commission.
Oler said this update comes at a time when people’s habits and priorities have shifted, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to producing a vision statement that reflects that: "The City of Richmond is revitalizing, becoming a vibrant community where there are opportunities for education, entertainment, and employment."
He noted that residents are walking and biking more and spending more time in their neighborhoods.
“We’re connecting things in a way that people want to connect.”
Later this month, the council will review and vote on adopting the plan. Once approved, it will be published on the city’s website.
For Oler, this is a period of growth. When asked what excites him most, he said it is seeing construction cranes.
“Last year we had three construction cranes in Industrial Park. I have never seen three construction cranes in our Industrial Park, and now we have a construction crane right on Main Street,” Oler said. “We’re building for our present and building for our future.”
