Public meetings scheduled on zoning updates
The Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development has scheduled the initial round of public meetings for updating the countywide zoning, subdivision, and land development ordinances. The meetings will be held at the following locations, starting at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are expected to last about two hours.
??? Monday, Feb. 10, at the Redstone Recreation Center off Route 166 in Redstone Township.
? Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Bullskin Township Municipal Building off Route 982 on Shenandoah Drive.
? Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the VFW on River Avenue in Masontown Borough.
The existing ordinances were written around the late 1960s and county officials said an update is necessary to address the needs of the municipalities and to continue assuring orderly growth. Updating the countywide ordinances was the next phase after updating the Countywide Comprehensive Plan.
The Countywide Comprehensive Plan, adopted in September 2000, is the guiding document for updating the ordinances.
“The county commissioners have taken a proactive approach and sincere interest in assuring our county is progressing forward,’ said Tammy Shell, executive director of the Planning Office.
“Fayette County is unique when compared to other counties in the commonwealth because there is no countywide regulations with the exception of four or five other counties regulating at the county level.”
In the planning process, Shell said public involvement is seen as a key element during the development. She added that during the public meetings for the Countywide Comprehensive Plan, there was a decent turnout for the meetings, however, she believes this project will attract many more to the meetings.
The commissioners hired Environmental Planning and Design (EPD), headquartered in Pittsburgh, to complete the task. Shell noted that the office was able to secure both federal and state funding for the project at a minimal cost to the county.
Shell said EPD has been doing preliminary drafts of uses based on the Countywide Comprehensive Plan, municipal comprehensive plans, existing zoning, subdivision, and land development ordinances, and other documentation provided by county agencies and departments. Furthermore, she added that the advisory board, appointed by the commissioners, has had a key role in the progress to date.
Shell said the advisory board, a volunteer board created specifically for this project, has reviewed several scenarios on what the county may look or can look like in the future. She added that the board has the grassroots knowledge of each municipality and what is necessary for each to prosper in the upcoming years. In addition, she noted the Planning Office and EPD met with municipal officials several months ago to gather their input and to explain the process to them.
Shell said the meetings will be structured and facilitated by the consultant to explain the process and gather the public’s concerns
Shell said the office wants to make it clear the meeting is to be productive and is not meant to complain about a “neighbor’ that may or may not have a violation.
These meetings are the first step in the planning process with the public. The mapping presented at these meetings will not show a parcel by parcel delineation; however, the mapping indicates what the Countywide Comprehensive Plan indicates as future land uses in the 32 municipalities under the county’s governance. The 10 not covered are, Uniontown, Connellsville, Perryopolis, Ohiopyle and South Union, Washington, Wharton, Henry Clay Stewart and Connellsville townships.
Even though the county does not cover those 10 municipalities, Shell said the office is encouraging all property owners to attend the public meetings to provide input into the development of the ordinances.
Shell said anyone with questions can contact the planning office at 724-430-1210.