Greenville council Wednesday authorized Mercer County Regional Planning Commission to apply for a $60,000 state grant to help cover the cost of creating a joint comprehensive plan for the borough and neighboring Hempfield Township.

The grant would come from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Creating the comprehensive plan is expected to cost about $120,000 and take a year to complete. The other $60,000 is expected to be covered by the Pennsylvania Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program. Greenville and Hempfield Township are not expected to shoulder any of the costs of creating the plan.

A comprehensive plan is a blueprint for an area's long-term development. Often it is created for a single community, but it can be prepared for multiple, contiguous communities or an entire county.