The Lake County Comprehensive Plan is a tool that will guide the future of the County’s unincorporated areas. To help determine the various goals and direction of the plan, an extensive set of public outreach activities, including two visioning workshops, were developed. As a result of these activities, a series of goals were developed among eight different categories: Land Use, Housing, Community Character, Economic Development, Parks/Open Space, Agriculture, Transportation, and Community Facilities.

Because of the agricultural nature of unincorporated Lake County (particularly in the south), the Plan strives to protect this character by preserving prime farmland and natural areas, while promoting sensible development in appropriate locations. The Plan includes multiple concepts for how these areas can develop while maintaining the sustainable principles of the Plan. Urban Fringe Areas are designated for areas likely to be incorporated by a municipality in the future, where new residential and mixed-use development could occur. Several Target Areas and Corridors provide for the development of Neighborhood Centers, mixed-uses, and business parks. Outside of these areas, the existing agricultural uses are planned to remain as the primary use. As part of the Transportation Plan, several new trail corridors are proposed to connect to trail systems to the north. This includes new blueway corridors along three southern waterways to protect these resources and provide additional open space.