It's been a long time

Sometimes the progress of a Comprehensive Plan can seem glacial. That's especially true during the background phase, where there's a lot of data gathering going on. Like most things in life, the foundation is crucial, however, to a well-crafted Plan.

Nevertheless, we're a couple of updates behind, so we'll go back a little bit in time to March, when we held our first Visioning Meeting.

Approximately 35 people from Cornplanter, Oil City, Rouseville, and throughout the County attended that first meeting, held on March 27 in Rouseville. If lively conversation and in-depth discussion are any indicator, the session was a success. Attendees identified a number of issues that they perceived as threats and weaknesses and well as strengths and opportunities.

Results were combined into several groups:

• Social issues
• Infrastructure
• Government
• Economy
• Environment (things that can't be easily changed)

And while some topics could fit several different categories, there were some general trends that are both illuminating and not surprising. First, the not surprising. The issues that were identified as weaknesses and threats were (1) very similar to those identified by community leaders as central to the Plan (e.g., substandard housing), and (2) essentially the same issues that have been on the local radar screen for a number of years. There's nothing new here.

So it is legitimate to ask, "If the problems are not different, then why are we here?"

The answer? The problems might be the same, but the approach to the problems is radically different than it was even 10 years ago. That difference is critical to the success of this process and this Plan.

The biggest, and most important, difference is that all three communities are working together to solve the area's problems. By working together, Cornplanter, Oil City and Rouseville recognize that there is strength in numbers. And the State rewards such cooperation.

Multi-municipal efforts receive additional support and greater funding opportunities--and this is critical--even if the communities remain independent of one another. Communities are not required to merge to take advantage of Shared Municipal Services grants, or to have a housing rehab program in more than one community, as two examples.

Balancing the very different needs of three communities can be challenging. And part of the process of the background development is to compare perceptions with facts, to determine what's really going on. The Visioning meeting was a way of measuring perception. But it raised more questions than it answered, which is normal and expected.

Rather than tally every negative and positive comment (they're available from the Consultant, if you wish to see them), these three primary points are clear imperatives:

1. There is a belief that the roads are in poor condition generally. Yet routes 8 and 62 are considered strengths. Why is there a discrepancy? How can it be addressed?
2. The quality of the water is a critical asset. Further, it's a two-fold asset. The municipal water supplies are considered very high quality, but the Allegheny and Oil Creek watersheds are recreational and biodiversity assets as well. The Plan will be well meshed with the Waterways study currently underway, but how can the crucial water supply asset be protected?
   
3. Recent studies have shown that many neighborhoods have substandard housing. Further, there are a number of vacant commercial buildings. What would it take to address these issues? (It should be noted that strides are being made in this area. Oil City just passed a Rental Ordinance, requiring rental units to be permitted. That's a huge step in the right direction in terms of ensuring the basic right of safe, sanitary, and secure housing for everyone.)

One other note. The Committee sent out more than 1,400 community surveys over the course of the last two months, of which 450 were returned--a huge response in the world of public opinion surveys.

We'll cover the surveys in more depth in the next update, but here's a hint, if you think you know what the surveys indicated, you're probably right--no matter which side of your neighbor's fence you're on. In other words, there are some deep splits, but not necessarily between communities. And, while there are some breathtakingly unhappy folk in Northern Venangoland, on the whole, people are concerned, yet hopeful that tomorrow will be brighter.

And we say, "It's your plan, please join us as we help you steer your community in the direction in which you want it to go."

The background phase is nearly complete and should be finished by Summer's end. The next phase then is the Plan, including the development of recommendations and action items, more public meetings, and the hammering out of proposed policies.

Visioning Meeting: March 25

As part of the planning process, the communities are holding a Visioning Meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in the Rouseville Community Center, 300 Third Avenue. The session will start at 7:00 p.m. All are encouraged to attend.

The purpose of the meeting is to develop a common vision and the guiding principles for the region. Residents and community leaders will have the opportunity to articulate what they think are the most important issues facing the region, and more importantly, to offer possible solutions.

An anonymous opinion survey will be distributed at the meeting and will be placed on line after March 25. The survey provides another opportunity for citizens to voice their opinion about issues important to the future of the region.

For more information on the meeting or to obtain a copy of the survey, contact Cathy McBride in Cornplanter Township, Rick Cook at the City of Oil City, or Julie Palmer in Rouseville.

This is YOUR opportunity to voice your opinion. Please join us!

What Exactly is a Comp Plan?

Simply put, a comprehensive plan is a snapshot of where a community has been, where it is at the present, where it wants to go, and its plan for getting there.

Developing a viable plan is much more than simply pontificating about where a community “should” be in ten or fifteen years, however. There are a number of factors that restrict or enhance (sometimes at the same time) the likelihood of certain goals and objectives becoming reality.

The terrain in Oil City, for example, is rugged, making it difficult to develop large industrial tracts. In Cornplanter, these same steep slopes can restrict building along Oil Creek. Rouseville, though, has less of an issue with steep slopes, as proven by its history of industrial development coupled with currently planned plant expansions in that community.

This simple example shows how important it is to understand the topography of an area and how that will affect planning for development. Historic land uses are nearly always shaped by the “lay of the land”. In other words, if it coulda been built there (especially during the oil boom years), it woulda been built there (or it would still be there). More important, though, the characteristic steep slopes in the area contribute to the community’s overall sense of place.

The planning effort, then, in this example, must balance the natural restrictions caused by steep slopes, the desire for growth, especially for revitalizing the local economy, and the deeply held regard many western Pennsylvanians have for “their” land.

That’s How It Works
In a nutshell, that’s how the comprehensive planning process works. Planners, steering committee members, community professionals, and everyday citizens work together to put together the puzzle, based on their own area of expertise, or interest.

The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code has made the process somewhat easier by identifying certain elements that must be included in a plan. In addition to determining what the community’s development goals and objectives are, there must be plans for land use, housing, transportation, and community facilities.

A comprehensive plan must also analyze how the specific elements of the plan are interrelated (how the pieces of the puzzle fit together) and how the plan is generally consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan (what’s the bigger picture). Finally, the MPC requires that there is a plan for protecting the area’s natural and historic resources, wherever possible.

While the specific plan elements help define how the final puzzle will look, they still need to be sorted into cohesive components. This is the “legwork” phase. Data are gathered and analyzed and meetings are held with local leaders and citizens to gauge what’s important to each community. There are problem-solving sessions and strategy meetings. A community survey may be developed and other plans will be evaluated. Trends from the past will be reviewed and reviewed again to pinpoint the present and gauge the future. And eventually, one-step-at-a-time, a logical, hopefully workable plan emerges that will help each community move from where it is now, to where it would like to be in the future.

Welcome!

This is the first posting of the blog for Northern Venango County Comprehensive Plan. The NV comp plan serves the communities of Cornplanter Township, the city of Oil City, and Rouseville Borough, in beautiful, northern Venango County Pennsylvania.

The three communities have undertaken a comprehensive plan to address a number of issues in the region and to plan for their futures together, rather than separately.

As citizens of these communities, this is your comprehensive plan, too. We welcome your constructive suggestions, ideas, and thoughts. Together, we can make a difference in our beautiful corner of the world. In particular, we welcome links to planning ideas that you think are interesting and innovative.

Or, better yet, why not get involved? Please join us at the second steering committee meeting on Tuesday, February 24, at 4:00 p.m. in the Oil City Council Chambers. Committee meetings will be held the fourth Tuesday of every month throughout the planning process (through June 2010).

Steering Committee Members
These are steering committee members from each community:

Cornplanter

• Karl Hohmann
• Nick Melnick
• Catherine McBride, Township Secretary

Oil City

• Dick Baker
• Michael Morrison
• Rick Cook, Zoning Officer
• Janet Gatesman, Community Development Director

Rouseville

• Harold Lamb
• Robert Steffee
• Judy Somerville, Borough Secretary

Venango County Regional Planning Commission

• Judy Downs, Director

In later posts, we'll explain how the planning process works. Meanwhile, please let us know what you think.