Washington County to development plan
WASHINGTON – The comprehensive plan for Washington County will be developed over the next 18 months. The purpose of the plan is to determine the future course of development in Washington County while protecting historic buildings and natural resources, according to the Washington County Planning Commission.
While the plan will be developed by a steering committee made up of representatives from business and industry, civic and social organizations, human service agencies, government bodies and private citizens, public input will be sought throughout the process.
“We believe that a strong concentrated approach to public involvement is necessary to cultivate meaningful investment, both time and financial resources, by local and regional leadership and by the community at large,” said Lisa Cessna, the Washington County Planning Commission director.
The plan will cover every municipality in the county. John Bevec, chairman of the county commissioners, said that while some areas, such as the Elco, Roscoe, Stockdale and Allenport area, have joined together to develop their own comprehensive plans, most of the county is without any local planning.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a struggle at first. Sixty-seven municipalities have to have input on this,” Bevec said.
In order to maximize public participation, the county has been divided into six sub-regions. Public meetings will be held in each sub-division.
The first sub-region includes the communities in and around Hanover, Smith, Robinson, Jefferson, Cross Creek, Mount Pleasant and Hopewell townships. The second includes Blaine, Donegal, Buffalo, West Finley, East Finley, South Franklin and Morris townships. The third encompasses Canton, South Strabane, North Franklin and Amwell townships and the fourth includes Cecil, Chartiers, Peters, North Strabane and Nottingham townships. The fifth sub-region covers Union, Carroll and Fallowfield townships and the sixth sub-region covers Somerset, North Bethlehem, West Bethlehem, East Bethlehem and West Pike Run townships and surrounding communities.
Commissioner Diana Irey said the comprehensive plan is long overdue.
“It’s something I’ve personally been advocating for years. It was state-mandated, but it was an unfunded mandate and it took us a few years to come up with the money,” Irey said.
Commissioner J. Bracken Burns said he also has wanted to see a comprehensive plan for the county for years and is glad the funding is finally available for it. The 67 municipalities in the county cover more than 863 square miles.
“Something that large should not be managed without a plan. This is only step one,” Burns said. “It’s how the people who live here want to see it. What part of their county should remain pristine, which areas should remain historic and which areas should be developed.”
In addition to regional public meetings, there are plans for focus group meetings, telephone interviews, surveys newsletters and a Web site to gather information from the public.
Mackin Engineering Co. and McCormick, Taylor and Associates Inc. will serve as the consulting team for the comprehensive plan. They will be conducting a variety of studies and assisting with the public input efforts. The Pennsylvania Economy League will also be involved in the plan.
The steering committee is in the process of being formed. It is expected to hold its first meeting at the end of April. The steering committee will be further subdivided into subcommittees dealing with recreation, the environment, economic development, public infrastructure and transportation. The first round of public meetings is expected this summer.