Township Comprehensive Plan

Purpose of Comprehensive Plans

Comprehensive plans are intended to provide a community with a vision for the future. Recent efforts by the Township’s Planning Commission and Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee culminated in a new comprehensive plan for the community. The township is authorized to plan for its future (and required to do so) pursuant to the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968, as amended).

Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code

According to the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, municipal comprehensive plans shall include, at a minimum:

• Objectives for future development
• A plan for land use
• A plan to meet the housing needs of present and future residents
• A plan for the movement of people and goods
• A plan for community facilities and utilities
• A discussion of short-range and long-range plan implementation strategies
• A plan for the protection of natural and historic resources

Code Topics

Topics range from an assessment of the amount, intensity, and character of land use to an evaluation of local street systems, parking facilities, and mass transit routes to an assessment of public facilities (parks, libraries, fire. and police services).

Once adopted the policies and recommendations of the plan can be implemented through ordinances and other methods.

Guidelines for Growth

The township’s original comprehensive plan, Guidelines for Growth, was adopted in 1962 and has been revised and updated several times over the intervening years. This version of Guidelines for Growth is a direct outgrowth of past planning efforts, including the 1997 comprehensive plan and the township’s 1993 open space, recreation, and natural resources plan.

View associated mapping for Guidelines for Growth. We welcome your comments as we work to implement the plan in the coming months.