Chester County advances 2025 comprehensive plan after extensive citizen input

Chester County Council advanced the Chester County 2025 comprehensive plan on first reading at its March 2 meeting, after Planning and Development Director Jeremy Ward described the document as the product of about 30 years of planning and 16 months of focused work by citizens, the planning commission and council.

Ward said the 113-page plan — with much of the key material concentrated in the first 70 pages — includes a future land use map, 90 action items and 34 direct citizen quotes embedded in the action section. "This particular plan's been underway since October of 2024," Ward said, adding that the plan seeks to channel growth into areas with existing infrastructure and will be revisited at a five-year interval.

The nut graph: Council members praised staff involvement and emphasized public access. Ward told council the plan saved taxpayers about $150,000 compared with hiring an outside consultant and said the process included six public workshops and online surveys that drew more than 150 participants. "We put their direct words in the plan itself," he said, noting numerous meetings, field trips and planning-commission input.

In the body of the meeting, councilors asked how citizens could view and obtain copies. Ward said the plan is posted on the planning commission website and offered to email PDFs on request; council agreed to place printed copies in county facilities for residents who lack internet access. Councilmembers encouraged outreach to the county’s five municipalities — Chester, Boykin, Richburg, Fort Lawn and Great Falls — so that residents outside the county seat have access to the plan materials and the planning process.

Ward summarized the plan's core values as keeping Chester County's unique heritage, supporting economic growth and protecting rural character, and said the future land use map is intended to be updated periodically to reflect changing conditions. He also highlighted 20 pages of infrastructure research and a 40-page appendix of supporting data and traffic counts.

What happens next: the comprehensive plan must complete three readings before final adoption; council completed the first reading and directed staff to ensure the plan is readily available to citizens and municipalities during the remainder of the review process. The planning director said he will accept questions and edits during the subsequent readings.