Annual Report 2013
21
Achieving Better
Site Planning . . .
Under the
Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247),
municipalities
must submit all proposed subdivisions or land developments as well as any
revisions or amendments to land development codes or local plans to the
county planning commission for review and comment. This review and
comment process is an important opportunity to address countywide planning
issues associated with a specific project or local policy. It also offers a chance to
provide planning advice to municipal officials to assist in making sound land
use and design decisions that will benefit their community in the future.
Each review is conducted by a professional planner, who can incorporate
the expertise of other staff planners. Review letters are prepared and
submitted to the municipality and applicant for their consideration. In
some cases, staff planners meet with the applicant and municipalities
during the plan review process to further discuss design options and
alternatives. When appropriate, alternative design sketches are performed
to better illustrate preferred site design for a particular property.
In 2013, the planning commission reviewed 474 submittals (land
developments, subdivisions, rezoning actions, municipal plans,
etc.). This represents an increase from the 383 submittals
in 2012 and is a sign of an improving economy. Similar
to 2012, many of the review activities involved rezoning
issues, which are often complex.
While most of our development review work is performed
under Act 247, our staff also reviewed sewage facilities
service area changes under Act 537. These changes in
wastewater service are reflected in amendments or revisions to
local sewage facilities plans. Prior to the approval of these plan
changes, a review is conducted by our staff. We completed 25
sewage facilities plan reviews in 2013.
25
sewage facility
plan reviews completed
24% increase in development proposals signals improving economy
