Many thanks to those who were able to join us at the first public meeting of 2018 for Landscapes3! We appreciate the level of interest in Chester County’s next comprehensive plan. Meeting attendees asked great questions and explored eight stations focused on different aspects of the plan. These ideas will be considered as the plan is developed.
Six of the stations focused on the plan’s goal areas – Preserve, Protect, Appreciate, Live, Prosper, and Connect. The goal areas reflect the core themes brought forth during the development of Landscapes3. Planning Commission staff was available at each station to address comments or questions. An additional station provided the draft map for review and comment, in both hard copy format and the interactive format. The last station provided attendees the opportunity to consider what amenities they wanted the plan to support (such as active recreation parks or pedestrian amenities), and where in the landscapes those amenities belong.
Chester County Commissioners’ Vice Chair Kathi Cozzone opened the evening’s formal presentation, and then Planning Commission Executive Director Brian O’Leary provided an overview of the process to date and details on the draft goals, objectives, and map. Attendees’ questions ranged from how the map was developed to where energy grid resilience would be addressed within the plan.
There are more opportunities to voice your opinions. The next Landscapes3 public meeting will be held on April 10 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the New Garden Township Building at 299 Starr Road, Landenberg, Pa. The public and municipalities who were unable to attend the March 6 meeting are invited to attend on April 10, or the meetings to follow on May 1 and 16.
At each of the meetings we will be taking input on how well the goals and objectives reflect the broad, long-term desired outcomes (goals) and the more specific targets (objectives), as well as thoughts on actions to implement the goals and objectives. We will also be taking feedback on the draft map, which identifies growth and rural resource areas. The draft Landscapes3 map has retained the same categories as the Landscapes2 map, but has been updated to reflect existing and planned development and preservation in our communities. The public and municipal officials invited to review the map in light of local development and preservation patterns and plans.
Detailed recommendations (also referred to as actions) will be developed over the spring of 2018 and available for public review at a later date.
In addition to attending upcoming public meetings, comments may be provided online.