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What is the Comprehensive Plan?
A comprehensive plan is an officially adopted public document that establishes policies aimed at guiding the growth and development of the community for the next 25 years. The plan contains many coordinated and consistent elements including issues and opportunities, agricultural, natural & cultural resources, transportation, utilities & community facilities, housing, economic development, land use, and implementation.

The purpose of the plan is to guide decisions concerning the physical development of the community. It is a statement of how the Town should develop over the next 25 years and what can be done to increase the likelihood of that happening. The plan will be used to guide the location, development and maintenance of the many facilities and services provided by the Town, and will be used by decision makers when reviewing development cases.

In preparing a comprehensive plan a diverse set of tools are used. Planners examine population, land use and development trends, and gather input from citizens, community leaders, and citizen groups. This is used to create a diverse set of recommendations to address the problems that can arise from the interplay of people and place.
Current Comprehensive Plan

On September 6, 2005, the Town of Rockland adopted its original Comprehensive Plan. It was designed to help the Town guide short-range and long-range growth and development. The Plan provides recommendations in the areas of land use, transportation, economic development, parks and open space, historical and cultural resources, housing, community facilities, agricultural and natural resources, utilities, and intergovernmental cooperation.

Per Sec. 66.1001(2), Wis. Stats., a Comprehensive Plan is required to be updated no less than once every 10 years. 

The Town Board adopted Ordinance 2015-5 adopting the 2015 Comprehensive Plan Update on August 3, 2015.

In April 2024, work began to again update the Comprehensive Plan.  The Planning Commission conducted a Rockland Community Survey inquiring about the subject matter of the Comprehensive Plan.  Public meetings were held, along with the assistance of the Rockland Planning Commission, a professional mapper, and a statistician, and began the process of updating the Rockland Comprehensive Plan.  After over a year of review and recommended revisions, a draft update of the Comprehensive Plan was presented at three Open Houses - August 14, September 11, and October 9th.  Residents were invited to attend and provide comments on the draft update.  A Public Hearing was held on Thursday, November 6, 2025.  The minutes from these meetings can be accessed below.   A published notice of the adoption will occur shortly.   To view the current plan, please click on the link below.

Following Sec. 66.1001(2), Wis. Stats. stating a Comprehensive Plan must be updated every 10 years, the Town of Rockland's Comprehensive Plan is currently being updated. Linked below are the first three chapters in draft form that are available for public review. Please note these chapters will be out of order, and that drafts of the remaining chapters will be posted when they are ready for public viewing.

Three review dates were held for the public to provide feedback on August 14, September 11 and October 9. These review sessions were held for community members to learn more about future plans for the Town of Rockland and to provide input regarding the updates being made to the Comprehensive Plan.   Now that all 9 chapters have been principally approved, editing will occur to make the document read well.  The community is invited to continue to review the chapters here on the website or at the Town Hall.  The Public Hearing to approve the updated Comprehensive Plan will be on November 6, 2025 at 6:00pm.

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