The primary purpose of Cultivating Community: A Plan for Union County’s Future is to chart a course that can be used by the County and municipalities; their partners in the public, private, and non-profit/institutional sectors; and by citizens in making decisions that affect the County’s future. While not technically a legal document dictating how a community is to be developed, a comprehensive plan outlines a vision and how it is to be realized via planning policy, capital investment, and regulatory tools.

The plan establishes countywide and multi-municipal vision statements, a framework for future growth and preservation, goals and strategies, and actions to achieve this vision. The vision, framework, goals, and strategies were developed with input from residents, local stake holders, and municipal leaders.

Union County completed its previous Comprehensive Plan (Vision 21) in 1996. While agriculture and woodlands remain the predominant land uses, new patterns of growth and development, increased mobility, and regional economic changes have affected the County over the last decade. In this context, the Comprehensive Plan provides a guide to assist decision-makers, including municipal leaders, with managing future growth, promoting sustainable economic development, and preserving farmland, forestland, and other key natural resources.