Dauphin County Planning Commission elects 2026 officers, approves minutes and staff comments
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Summary
At its January meeting the Dauphin County Planning Commission elected new officers for 2026, approved minutes and a two-month treasurer’s report, and ratified staff comments on multiple development reviews including Hershey West End and Penn Center campus.
The Dauphin County Planning Commission reorganized its leadership and completed routine business at its January meeting. Commissioners elected the nominated chair by roll-call vote and approved a slate of officers for vice chair, secretary and treasurer. The body also approved minutes from the Nov. 4 meeting and accepted a combined treasurer’s report covering November and December.
Staff presented program progress reports for November and December, including a Nov. active transportation summit attended by about 40–60 participants and ongoing development of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Staff said they held off adding new projects to the TIP because federal transportation funding and authorizing legislation remain uncertain through the current fiscal year.
The commission ratified staff comments on subdivision and land-development matters from November and December, including review letters for Hershey West End master-plan amendments, the Penn Center campus proposal (which includes multifamily residential and commercial elements), and Fulling Mill phase 2. A motion to ratify staff comments for both months carried on a vote.
The meeting also included a pair of intergovernmental-review endorsements: staff found Lower Swatara Township’s Greenfield Park improvements (an estimated $475,000 request for playground, half-court, swings and ADA work) consistent with county plans, and recommended comments supporting Pennsylvania American Water’s request to the state drinking-water grant program for about $22,720,000 to construct a PFAS treatment building and associated improvements at the GC Smith Water Treatment Plant in Hummelstown. Commissioners voted to approve staff comments on both requests.
The commission adjourned after brief GIS and comp-plan outreach discussion; staff said the Dauphin County comprehensive plan will enter a 6–24 month outreach and data-gathering phase, with an estimated project cost of about $150,000 and grant applications submitted to cover roughly half of that amount.
