Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends county adoption of draft comprehensive plan and Greenway Trails open-space plan
Summary
Consultant Tim Stobbe presented draft comprehensive and Greenway Trails open-space plans; the commission recommended the documents for county commissioners' consideration and discussed public-review timing and implementation support from state agencies.
The Carbon County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the county commissioners consider adoption of a draft comprehensive plan and a Greenway Trails Open Space Plan after a presentation by project manager Tim Stobbe.
Stobbe, the project manager for the county’s comprehensive-plan and greenway/open-space planning process, told commissioners both draft documents have been posted for a 45-day public review and that the county has notified adjoining counties and local municipalities. He said state agencies — the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) — provided grants and have reviewed the drafts.
"We're in the midst of public review as part of the requirements of the municipalities planning code," Stobbe said, adding that officials are "hoping for you to make a recommendation to approve documents for the commissioners to consider in their June meeting." He described the process: a steering committee guided theme selection and the plan drafting, public outreach occurred at events including the county fair and local stakeholder meetings, and draft chapters focus on housing, outdoor economy, infrastructure, and creating places.
Stobbe highlighted local findings: pressure on housing stock from second-home purchases and regional demand, aging infrastructure and gaps in asset data, childcare costs affecting households, and a high local use of parks and natural amenities (roughly 70% of park visitors come from within the county, based on cellphone-data analysis cited by the consultant). He said implementation sections in both plans list recommended lead entities, possible funding sources, and pilot projects; the team also prepared a two-to-three page summary on short-term-rental policy options for municipalities to use when updating ordinances.
Commissioners asked whether changes can still be made without jeopardizing grant timelines; Stobbe said minor edits can be handled during the public-hearing period but major changes requiring re-advertising would delay grant deadlines and require coordination with DCED and DCNR. The commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the county commissioners.
Stobbe and staff asked interested planning commissioners to send specific corrections — for example, to remove closed ambulance corps or merged fire departments from the plan’s listings — so the team can correct the draft before the county’s public hearing and the commissioners’ consideration.
