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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Congratulations to all the Chester County municipalities and organizations that were recipients of the Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) and Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) grants! C2P2 grants are administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and are for projects that will create new recreational opportunities, conserve natural resources, and help revitalize local communities. MTF grants are administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and are for projects that encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the commonwealth.

Grant awards were announced in November and given to the following Chester County recipients: Continue Reading →

The Chester County Planning Commission (CCPC) held its final Landscapes3 event of 2019 titled “Trails, Trains & Traffic” at the West Whiteland Township Building on Wednesday December 4th.  The evening event featured an open house format and slide presentation delivered by the CCPC’s Environment & Infrastructure division staff. The event was attended by 77 people including local residents and members of partner agencies. These included representatives from SEPTA, PennDOT, the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) and the Greater Valley Forge TMA.

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Congratulations to the Phoenixville Region, Honey Brook Township, and West Brandywine Township on their new Vision Partnership Program (VPP) awards! The Phoenixville Region will be updating their comprehensive plan to cover West Pikeland Township, which has made the decision to join the Region. With the inclusion of West Pikeland, the Region is now planning across a significant portion of northeastern Chester County, including five townships and the Borough of Phoenixville.

Honey Brook Township and West Brandywine Township were awarded a VPP grant to develop a feasibility study for the Icedale Trail. The trail corridor would roughly parallel Route 322, connecting residential areas and recreation options, focusing on Icedale Lake and Icedale Meadows Park. Both projects are anticipated to kick-off in early 2020. Congratulations to these eight municipalities on their planning project awards!

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Polly Chalfant, a dedicated designer of many Planning Commission publications for over two decades, has retired from her county position. Polly celebrated her last day at the office on December 6. A native of Chester County, Polly instilled her love of the area into all her projects. The Planning Commission is very fortunate to have had her on staff and she will be missed. Continue Reading →