The Johnson County Commissioners and the Johnson County Planning Commission desired to adopt a comprehensive land use plan for Johnson County.  The County includes the incorporated communities of Buffalo and Kaycee, as well as some 4,174 square miles of rural agricultural and residential properties within the unincorporated area of Johnson County.

PPC initially established a countywide land use database for the unincorporated area of Johnson County, as well as the City of Buffalo and the Town of Kaycee.  The database was linked to other available digital files to establish a geographical information system (GIS) for Johnson County.  Available land use information from the County Assessor's Office was input into the land use database, which contains information for some 7,500 land parcels.

Through application of the new GIS and related land use database, PPC was able to determine the location of residential, commercial, industrial, public facilities, community facilities and undeveloped properties within Johnson County.  Discussions with municipal and county officials, real estate brokers, as well as commercial and industrial investors enabled PPC to determine potential areas for land use expansion.

PPC interviewed representatives from the regional coal bed methane and power generation and transmission industries, as well as other larger employers, to gain insights concerning future economic growth that could influence future employment for residents in Johnson County.  This information was used by PPC to model and forecast anticipated employment generation and resident population for the 2003-2013 period.

The preceding analyses provided the basis of an overall evaluation of potential land use demands for the next ten years.   This assessment quantified anticipated land use demands, evaluated land use issues, as well as identified potential land use expansion areas for agriculture, housing, commercial development, industrial development, community facilities, public facilities, as well as recreation and conservation areas. 

Various types of other spatial information related to natural resources, the Bozeman Trail and related historical sites, environmental characteristics, transportation networks were integrated into the new GIS for Johnson County.  The correlation of selected spatial data was used, in part, to determine a set of five different land use combinations and a recommended land use pattern for Johnson County.

 PPC also developed recommendations concerning future land use management in Johnson County.  This analysis considered various options for future land use management by Johnson County.  These options considered potential approaches for requiring building permits and building code enforcement, zoning, as well as planning tools, e.g., GIS, available to support future land use management.  The land use management analysis also evaluated working relationships with various State and federal agencies, which administer lands within Johnson County, and recommended processes for future coordination of natural resource and land management issues.

The Johnson County Commissioners adopted its Comprehensive Land Use Plan in April 2005.