Pittsburgh Review

Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that seven projects in seven Pennsylvania counties have been approved for work to be done on zoning and updating comprehensive plans.

The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) approved $220,000 for projects through the Municipal Assistance Program (MAP) to help local governments with updates and implementation of projects in community planning as well as shared services.

“It is important for communities to evolve as the needs of their residents change,” Wolf said in a Dec. 1 news release from his office. “The MAP funding awarded today is essential in helping communities pave the way for the future through the reevaluation of zoning and comprehensive plans.”

In Allegheny County, $15,000 will go to Mt. Lebanon for a comprehensive plan update. Most of the goals from the 2013 plan have been accomplished, so this project will involve creating a new 10-year plan with a focus on community goals, objectives and investment.

In Butler County, $15,000 is going to Slippery Rock Borough to update their comprehensive plan. This will involve analysis as well as suggestions about natural resources, agricultural land, historic buildings, public facilities, and commercial and economic base. The plan will also touch upon the benefits of Slippery Rock University.

Carbon County is receiving $50,000 to update their comprehensive and greenway plan from 2013. The update will provide best-practice policies for future development and conservation. There will be two volumes: The first volume will include the comprehensive plan; and the greenway, trail and open space plan will fall in the second volume.

In Cumberland County, $30,000 is being used to update its comprehensive plan to make it more “oriented, concise and user friendly.”

There will be $35,000 going to Hazleton in Luzerne County to create a multimunicipal comprehensive plan for Hazleton City, West Hazleton Borough and Hazle Township. The focus will be providing a roadmap that will help with addressing quality of life and economic development improvements.

The North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission is receiving $50,000 for a comprehensive plan with a focus on how to leverage natural assets, grant money and community resources. It will affect McKean, Warren, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Clinton, Cameron, Elk, Forest, Clearfield, Jefferson, Clarion and northern Centre counties.

Finally, $25,000 is going to North Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County for the development of a comprehensive plan with a focus on creating a baseline for creating annual capital budgets and lone-term capital replacement planning. The previous comprehensive plan was written in 2000, and since that time there has been housing and commercial development that must be addressed in the new plan.