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State offers Columbia a 400‑hour free planning pilot to help implement the borough’s comp plan
Summary
A DCED representative told the Columbia Borough Planning Commission the Department’s new pilot will supply 400 hours of no‑cost technical planning assistance per project, with MAP funding and a focus on zoning analysis, active‑transportation and parks projects; the commission agreed to review draft scopes before presenting to council.
A representative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development told the Columbia Borough Planning Commission on Feb. 17 that DCED is piloting a Community Planning Technical Assistance program that will provide 400 hours of no‑cost planning support to selected municipalities.
The presenter said the Office of Community Planning — housed in the governor’s center for local government services — offers technical assistance across finance, land‑use planning and implementation. "What it is is, offering 400 hours of technical assistance at no cost to the municipality," the presenter said, describing the pilot as a way to expand local capacity and move plans from shelves into action.
Why it matters: small boroughs often lack staff time and technical resources to translate comprehensive‑plan goals into zoning updates, project playbooks or funding…
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