The county’s municipalities are on the front line of smart growth trying to preserve community character while responding to new development. The Planning Commission has a lot of resources to help, including eTools which cover a wide array of planning topics from natural resources to economic development. Each month we will highlight different eTools starting with Short-term Rentals, Breweries, and Mini-homes.
The Chester County Planning Commission recently appointed Nathan (Nate) Cline as the newest member of the Planning Commission’s board. A resident of East Goshen, Nate has been employed with Pennoni for over 19 years as a municipal engineer. At the January 8 Planning Commission meeting, board Chairman Keven Kerr noted that Nate brings different types of perspectives to the table.
Nate says, “As an East Goshen resident and former member of its Planning Commission, and a municipal engineer working with many municipalities within Chester County, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue the excellent work done by the County Planning Commission, and more importantly, the professional work product executed by the Planning Department staff.”
Learn more about Nate’s professional career and what he likes to do in his spare time. Continue Reading →
The Chester County Planning Commission was pleased to assist North Coventry Township and Franklin Township through the technical services side of the Vision Partnership Program (VPP) with two recent projects. The VPP provides grants to Chester County municipalities and multi-municipal groups seeking to improve planning programs while achieving consistency with and implementation of Landscapes3. In 2018 North Coventry was awarded a VPP technical services grant for a comprehensive plan update, while Franklin Township was provided a grant for assistance with a land use analysis. As with all technical service grants, planning commission staff acted as the consultant to the municipality.
In 2019, 65 of the county’s 73 municipalities endorsed Landscapes3, Chester County’s new comprehensive plan. By endorsing Landscapes3, these municipalities recognized the need to balance growth and preservation and address issues that transcend local boundaries.
View a map to see to see which municipalities have endorsed Landscapes3.
The first round of the Vision Partnership Program (VPP), Chester County’s municipal planning grant program, is now open. The deadline for applications is February 21, 2020 at 4 pm. Eligible projects include individual and multi-municipal comprehensive plans, as well as ordinances, official maps, and a variety of studies. Efforts such as village master plans, trail feasibility studies, revitalization plans, historic preservation planning, stewardship plans, transportation studies, and sustainability/resilience plans are eligible project types.
With the adoption of Landscapes3 in November 2018, the planning commission pivoted its work program to focus on implementing the county’s new comprehensive plan, which seeks to balance growth and preservation. During the year, 65 of the county’s 73 municipalities formally endorsed Landscapes3, and another two municipalities acknowledged the relevance of the plan. This great support shows the importance of Landscapes3 as a guiding document for the county and its many diverse communities. In 2020, the Planning Commission will continue to implement the goals, objectives, and recommendations in Landscapes3. We will also have events associated with each of the six goal areas; Preserve, Protect, Appreciate, Live, Work, and Connect.
PennDOT District 6-0 Assistant District Executive, Lou Belmonte, presented to the Chester County Planning Commission Board at the monthly meeting held on December 11th. Lou offered an overview of how District 6-0 functions within the overall statewide PennDOT system as well as how District 6-0 interacts with Chester County and Planning Commission staff.
Serving Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, District 6-0 is the busiest of the eleven PennDOT districts statewide. District 6-0 has averaged $536M in annual lettings (construction projects) between 2012 and 2016, while the next closest District 11-0 (Pittsburgh area) averaged less than $300M. District 6-0 is also the only district with a separate department dedicated to Traffic Operations which Lou manages.
