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.
