The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Thursday, August 8, 2002

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, GREENVILLE


Municipal officials consider joint long-term plan

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Hempfield supervisors OK applying for state grant; Greenville council to discuss it tonight

Herald Staff Writer

Hempfield Township supervisors voted Tuesday to apply for a state grant to help cover the cost of creating a joint comprehensive plan with neighboring Greenville.

A comprehensive plan is a tool, not an ordinance or law. Municipal officials must vote to implement recommendations contained in such plans.

"It's a blueprint for an area's development in the long-term future -- how it wants to grow, change or stay the same," said Dennis Puko, executive director of Mercer County Regional Planning Commission.

"Land use is the No. 1 issue," he said.

A comprehensive plan can identify the best locations for housing and business development and areas where growth is desired and rural character preferred.

The proposed grant application also needs the support of Greenville council, which is expected to discuss the application tonight and vote on it Tuesday.

Planning ahead

County planners would spearhead the proposed Greenville-Hempfield Township effort.

Puko said the communities are seeking a $120,000 matching grant to make a plan, which could take about a year to complete.

"We're not asking the communities for any money," Puko said.

Half of the $120,000 would come from the Pennsylvania Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program.

Puko said about $20,000 would be provided by the commission in in-kind services and he said he plans to urge the state Department of Community and Economic Development to cover the remaining costs, about $40,000.

The DCED administers the state Act 47 program for financially distressed communities, which Greenville entered earlier this year. "Hopefully, the DCED would find the comprehensive plan a valuable tool for the borough and surrounding area," Puko said. If the DCED chooses not to contribute to the effort, Puko said, funding plans may have to be reworked.

The planning process would be a very public one, Puko said. "Planning is an interesting blend. You always want to have professionals with expertise involved, but you have to blend the aspirations and values of the community into the plan," he said.

Officials in Greenville and Hempfield Township endorsed the proposal.

"I think it's a great idea, and needed," said Borough Manager Kenneth S. Weaver.

"What happens in Hempfield Township impacts us in Greenville, and what happens in Greenville impacts Hempfield Township," Weaver added. "A comprehensive plan would be a great starting point for the future of the area."

No fences

A comprehensive plan is most often created for a single community but it can be prepared for multiple, contiguous communities or an entire county. The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code -- under Acts 67 and 68, passed in 2000 -- allows two or more municipalities to jointly prepare a comprehensive plan and independently implement recommendations.

Mercer County commissioners passed a resolution in March to promote an effort to make a comprehensive plan for most of the county. The county could be the first in the state where the 2-year-old legislation on multi-municipal planning is put into action.

"It's untried, untested and confusing legislation," David Miller, associate dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public & International Affairs, which will help coordinate the countywide effort, said then.

Puko said he "put feelers out" to Mercer County communities after commissioners endorsed the multi-municipal planning effort, and Greenville and Hempfield Township officials immediately expressed a strong interest. Puko said officials in neighboring West Salem Township initially showed some interest but have chosen not to participate.

In addition to a potential Greenville-Hempfield Township effort, five municipalities making up the Grove City Area School District are also coordinating efforts to come up with a regional comprehensive plan, Puko said.

Grove City officials had started working on their own comprehensive plan, but Puko said he asked them if they would be willing to expand their effort to include surrounding townships. They agreed and, on top of money dedicated to their own effort, they plan to join their neighbors in considering applying for an additional $69,000 grant to help cover the costs of creating a regional plan.

Puko said the planning commission is also putting together a grant application for the countywide effort, which would divide Mercer County into five subregions. One of the subregions -- the Shenango Valley, where officials are studying a possible merger or consolidation of the five clustered communities of 45,000 people -- won't be part of the effort; the four other subregions include the Greenville, Grove City, Mercer and Lakeview areas.



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