Category: News and Updates
Second Round of Vision Partnership Program Grants Opens
We are pleased to announce the second round of 2017 Vision Partnership Program (VPP) planning grants opened July 5. Through VPP, Chester County municipalities are eligible for funds to assist their communities with comprehensive planning, ordinance updates, and other studies.
The 2017 VPP Grant Manual and application materials are available online. Pre-application meetings are strongly encouraged, and can be scheduled by contacting Planning Services Director Susan Elks at selks@chesco.org. The deadline to apply is Aug. 30, 2017. Continue Reading →
Chester County Commissioners Establish Landscapes3 Steering Committee
The Chester County Board of Commissioners announced this week the next step in the Landscapes3 process — the creation of a steering committee to guide the development of the new county comprehensive plan.
The steering committee will be co-chaired by three Chester County leaders representing key sectors of the county’s drive to balance growth and preservation: Chris Alonzo, president of Pietro Industries and chair of the Chester County Agricultural Development Council; Matthew Hammond, P.E., executive vice president of Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. and chair of the Chester County Planning Commission; and Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands and a member of the Chester County Planning Commission. Continue Reading →
Commercial Landscapes Series Released
The Planning Commission debuted its recently completed Commercial Landscapes series at an event featuring experts who shared ways for municipalities, developers, and consultants to better position themselves for economic development success. The series includes four reports that discuss how current trends are affecting office parks, retail, brownfield, and train station areas throughout the county and provides recommendations for the continued health of our commercial landscapes. Continue Reading →
Final Call to Participate in Landscapes3 Public Survey
Have we heard from you?
We have heard from over 5,000 people through our Landscapes3 public survey, helping guide the future of Chester County, but we are looking for even more participation. If you haven’t already, please share your priorities and preferences for Chester County’s future in the survey, and spread the word to friends, family, and co-workers by clicking here.
FEMA to Discuss New Floodplain Maps at Open House
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated the Chester County Flood Insurance Rate Maps to revise floodplain boundaries for the Octoraro, Brandywine, Red Clay and White Clay Creek watersheds. These changes to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps are final and go into effect Sept. 29, 2017.
Stop by the FEMA Open House and FEMA staff will show property owners the revised floodplain boundary mapping, explain what it means and answer questions. This event will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. July 20 in Room 171 of the Chester County Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester. Continue Reading →
Planning Commission to conduct its monthly meeting
The Chester County Planning Commission will conduct its monthly meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11. The meeting will take place in the Planning Commission offices of Suite 270, Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester, Pa. The public is invited to attend and there will be an opportunity for public comment during the meeting.
Take our Survey!
The Chester County Planning Commission has some exciting news to share as it continues to advance development of Landscapes3, the next comprehensive plan for the county, with the help of partners, stakeholders, and the public. As part of this process, the agency released a public survey today to gather additional input about the plan from county residents and anyone interested in the future of Chester County.
“Public input is critical for making Landscapes3 the best plan possible,” said Chester County Planning Commission Executive Director Brian O’Leary. “Your input will help determine the vision and priorities for the county.”
The survey seeks to gather feedback on several issues, including growth, open space and environment, sense of place, modern infrastructure, transportation, the economy, healthy lifestyles, and housing options. It will be available to the public for about a month. Click here to participate in the survey.
Heritage Preservation Coordinator Discusses Her Role, Town Tours
Karen Marshall landed the position she had long admired as heritage preservation coordinator for Chester County while–as the saying goes–she was busy making other plans.
Karen’s passion for preservation and historic districts became her profession later in life after working as a marketing consultant for TV stations throughout the country. Even while she was a marketer, she still gravitated toward the historic districts in different states and did some work for cultural and historical organizations. For instance, she was a performance coordinator for the President’s Office at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and she was also a marketing consultant for historic and cultural sites in Baltimore, Maryland.
But Chester County was her favorite place by far. She had been attending Chester County Day, an annual house tour organized by the Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital that features historic homes and gardens, for years before moving here. Continue Reading →
Planning Commission Shares Highlights of Landscapes3 Topical Surveys
Public engagement for Landscapes3 has occurred in a variety of ways in recent months — stakeholder meetings, topic specific surveys, presentations to more than 20 groups, and outreach at community events (check our calendar for where we’ll be next) — and we will be launching our public survey on May 15. The public survey is an interactive, highly visual survey that asks about priorities and preferences for the future of Chester County. As we get ready for that survey, here’s a look back at the logistical details on our topic specific surveys from 2016: Continue Reading →
Local Officials Receive Statewide Awards
Chester County Planning Commission Executive Director Brian O’Leary and officials from two local townships received awards from Governor Tom Wolf for their dedication to strengthening communities and providing assistance to residents.
“It’s a great honor receiving this award along with the other honorees, and it’s wonderful to see the state acknowledge the work done by so many people at the local level to improve our communities,” Brian said.
Brian, along with East Goshen and Kennett townships, were among 10 government officials and 11 communities from across Pennsylvania that received awards in Harrisburg on April 12 as part of the 21st Annual Governor’s Awards for Local Government Excellence. Continue Reading →