Planning for Urban Centers
Planning, using a variety of forms and scales, will position a municipality for success.
Comprehensive Plan
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Code (Act 247) requires municipalities to review their comprehensive plan (adopted policy document) every ten years. Updates may be eligible for funding through the Vision Partnership Program (VPP).
Revitalization Plan
The Chester County Planning Commission in coordination with the Chester County Department of Community Development (DCD) assist Urban Centers with the planning, inventorying, and funding of revitalization improvement projects. The process begins with a Revitalization Plan, which identifies specific goals and projects that promote revitalization and assist with future growth and development over a 5-10 year period. A Revitalization Plan may be a stand-alone plan or completed as part of a comprehensive plan. Development of a Revitalization Plans may be eligible for funding through the Vision Partnership Program (VPP).
Urban Centers Improvements Inventory
Another key planning process is to update and submit priority planning and capital improvement projects to the Chester County Urban Center Improvements Inventory (UCII) annually. The Inventory is a comprehensive record of documented revitalization needs within Chester County's Urban Centers. The Inventory includes proposed capital improvements and planning projects that are directly linked to goals, objectives, and policies within the Urban Center's comprehensive plan and/or revitalization plan. The goal of the Inventory is to connect the Urban Centers' revitalization plan priorities with implementation funding. Once projects are identified within the Inventory, they are eligible for county funding, in particular the Community Revitalization Program (CRP) grants through Department of Community Development. Updates to the Inventory are conducted by the Urban Planner in coordination with the Urban Centers' staff. View the 2023 inventory.
Other Planning Efforts
Urban Centers periodically undertake many planning-related efforts, such as data analysis, map development and analysis, seeking and applying for grants, developing or updating ordinances, public outreach, and development of special studies (for parking, recreation, multimodal improvements, economic development/revitalization studies, etc.). This work can be undertaken by municipal staff, a private consultant, or in coordination with the Chester County Planning Commission staff. Requests for limited planning support, such as identification of best practices, advice on a grant applications, identification of available resources, or attendance or presentation at a municipal meeting can be accommodated by Chester County Planning Commission's Urban Planner at no cost to the municipality. Please contact Urban Planner Kevin Myers at kmyers@chesco.org or 610-344-6285 regarding requests for general planning support. For more extensive requests, such as ordinance amendments, plan updates, or in-depth analysis or map development, please review the information under Funding regarding Vision Partnership Program options.