Planning commission recommends county adopt updated comprehensive and Greenway Trails open-space plans

The Carbon County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Commissioners consider adopting the county’s draft comprehensive plan and a Greenway Trails Open Space Plan after a presentation from project manager Tim Stobbe, who summarized outreach, findings and a proposed implementation schedule.

Stobbe, the project manager for both efforts, told commissioners both drafts have been advertised to adjoining counties and posted on the county website for a 45-day public review period required under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. He said staff hope the commissioners will consider adoption in June and that the projects have state grant funding from DCED and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that sunsets in June unless an extension is requested.

Stobbe described the outreach approach and said the project team solicited input at nontraditional venues — the county fair, homeless task force meetings, and childcare forums — to reach residents who do not attend standard planning meetings. Key findings he summarized included changing housing demand pressures driven by commuters from New York and New Jersey in the county’s northeast, demand related to employers near Hazleton in the northwest, and the Lehigh Valley’s lack of affordable housing that has pushed demand into Carbon County. He reported a nearly 10% increase in year-round residents over the last decade alongside growth in second-home ownership and short-term rentals.

The plans identify four priority themes for the comprehensive plan — housing, outdoor economy, infrastructure and place-making — and several themes for the Greenway plan, including trail connections, protecting open space and farmland preservation, historic and cultural site stewardship, and water-based recreation tied to tourism. Each chapter includes goals, suggested implementation responsibilities, pilot projects and funding sources.

Stobbe said common challenges identified during outreach include aging infrastructure (bridges and sewer systems) that may not be fully documented, increasing childcare costs that burden families, and mismatches between older zoning designations and existing infrastructure. He noted many county households are within five miles of rail access and that cell-phone–based mobility data in the study showed about 70% of visitors to natural features came from within Carbon County.

Commissioners asked about making minor corrections and how to handle entities listed in the draft that have closed; Stobbe said minor edits can be made during the public hearing process and that staff will coordinate with the county communications center to verify active ambulance and fire services. He also said both DCED and DCNR have shown interest in funding implementation and that the plan’s implementation tables identify likely fund sources, timing and local lead organizations.

A motion recommending the two documents for the Board of Commissioners’ consideration carried after a second. Staff requested the commission submit formal comments and return recommended edits during the public review period; Stobbe emphasized more significant substantive changes would require re-advertising the documents for review.