York County committee approves referral to study Newport Commons and South Side areas

York County Assistant County Manager Tom Couch presented options for small area and corridor plans at the Economic Development Committee meeting on Sept. 16 and the committee voted to send two study recommendations to the next steps in the county process.

Couch told the committee a study's scope and stakeholder engagement level would determine its length and cost; he recommended defining plan boundaries and refining scope within 30 days to control consultant expenses. "If we were starting today, I think we should define the boundaries within a 30 day period," Couch said. He said a fast-track schedule could take roughly six to nine months, while deeper stakeholder engagement could extend the schedule by another six months.

On likely costs, Couch told the committee "It can fall anywhere between $50 and $200,000 a piece" for individual studies, depending on scope. Committee members noted the county's economic development (ED) fund has roughly $4,000,000 available and debated whether expenditure from that fund would produce a reasonable return.

Couch described the studies as planning exercises, not acquisition proposals: they would guide land use, infrastructure collaboration and future development decisions rather than recommend immediate purchases. He and other members said the goal is to get ahead of projected growth and define a long-term vision so future land-use and infrastructure decisions align with council values.

After discussion, the committee approved two motions: first, to recommend that the full county council refer the Newport Area Commons area for study and forward follow-up work to the Planning and Zoning and Economic Development committees; second, to recommend that the full council refer a study of the South Side area to the Economic Development (ED) board. Both motions passed on voice votes.

Committee members and staff agreed on a staff-driven approach for the Newport Commons study, with Planning and Zoning to be involved on land-use issues and the ED board providing input on South Side, where industrial and commercial considerations are relatively stronger. Staff said they would prepare a scope, issue an RFP to hire consultants, and return progress reports to the assigned committees.

The committee also moved into and returned from an executive session later in the meeting and recorded a separate motion after that session to refer an additional project sample to county council; that motion was approved by voice vote. The meeting adjourned after the committee recorded the actions.