Comprehensive Plan

Plan Purpose

This plan covers a wide range of areas including land use, natural resources, public facilities, housing, and community character.  Each area received recommendations based on an analysis of existing conditions and a review of the community vision as determined through the public input process.

As a historic community with a long history, Winterset has an established character and strong sense of place.  While the community has slowly gained population over time, the expanding of the Des Moines metro and an emergence of work from home or hybrid positions has set up Winterset for possible faster population and employment growth.  These conditions create new opportunities for Winterset as well as create new challenges. This plan is designed to help Winterset manage future growth in way that both preserves its long-held character and embraces new ideas.

How to Use the Plan

The Winterset Comprehensive Plan lays out a vision for how to manage growth through 2050 and beyond. The plan is meant to represent a community vision for Winterset over the next 20 to 30 years. However, it is not meant to be a static document that sits on a shelf until 2040 or 2050. The Plan should be regularly referenced, reviewed, and updated when necessary to keep the document relevant.

Annually, the City should review the implementation plan to assess the City’s progress and remove completed tasks. This process can identify areas needing improvement or highlight plan sections that need updating. Every five years, a full review of the Comprehensive Plan should be done to identify larger modifications that may be needed due to growth or changing circumstances.

Thank you to Confluence for assisting the City of Winterset with our Comprehensive Plan.

Winterset Comprehensive Plan (PDF)