Huntersville planning board recommends Pottstown preservation plan; residents press for faster protections

The Huntersville Planning Board on Oct. 14 unanimously recommended approval of the Pottstown Community Preservation Plan and urged the Town Board to form an advisory committee and adopt a short addendum identifying the community’s top immediate priorities, board members and staff said.

The recommendation comes after residents and the plan’s consultant described a multi-part approach intended to stabilize housing, protect historic resources and coordinate town, county and nonprofit funding and capacity. Opponents of the plan’s pace told the board they fear developers are buying properties and could demolish homes before protective actions take effect.

The plan, produced by consultant Neighboring Concepts, organizes work into five focus areas and four “toolkits” that pair community-led organizing with regulatory and funding actions intended to preserve homes and institutions. Consultant Eric Orozco said the plan emphasizes “not just preserve the buildings, but preserve the people of the community,” and that many actions are designed to be implemented in stages and scaled by cost and time.

During public comment, residents urged faster, concrete steps. “We don’t want parts…