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I
was wondering...
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What is Allegheny
Places?
Allegheny Places is the name of the Comprehensive Plan for Allegheny
County. The name was selected because of what Allegheny County means
to its citizens with all of its wonderful places to live, work,
invest and play. Those of us who live in Allegheny County have a
favorite place - it might be a river, park, restaurant, church,
neighborhood, or even our own backyard. Allegheny Places will set
the course for preserving the favorite places we have now, and create
future favorite places.
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What is a
County Comprehensive Plan?
A County Comprehensive Plan is a general policy guide for future
growth, development, land use, and community character. Allegheny
Places will be developed using input from technical and planning
experts and citizens of the County. Allegheny Places will be approved
by the County Chief Executive and then submitted to County Council
for adoption.
When completed, Allegheny Places will provide a framework for the
strategic use of public resources to optimize quality of life within
the County. The Plan will establish an overall vision, set priorities,
and provide implementation strategies to achieve future goals and
objectives determined by stakeholders, experts, and citizens. The
goals, priorities, and implementation strategies will focus on the
following elements:
- Land Use
- Housing
- Transportation
- Community Facilities
- Community Utilities
- Natural Resources
- Historic & Cultural Resources
- Mineral Resources
- Agricultural Land
- Water Supply
- Equity & Diversity
- Economic Development
The Plan will address development, conservation,
and economic initiatives from a regional perspective. Ultimately,
Allegheny Places will serve as a tool for elected officials to guide
future growth and development to meet the needs of the citizens
of the County.
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Is the
County required to have a Comprehensive Plan?
In the mid 1990s, Allegheny County chose to be governed by the Pennsylvania
Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) to become consistent with the
municipalities within its borders. In 2000, State legislative action
made it imperative to complete a Comprehensive Plan. Most recently
in 2003, the State made available additional monies to assist in
the completion of comprehensive plans. Under the Municipalities
Planning Code, Allegheny County is required to develop a Comprehensive
Plan. However, under the MPC, the City of Pittsburgh is not required
to have a comprehensive plan.
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What are the benefits of having a
County Comprehensive Plan?
Allegheny Places will help facilitate
orderly development and land preservation by identifying land for
development to accommodate population and employment changes and
new economic, residential and cultural opportunities; documenting
public facilities and infrastructure needs; and providing a basis
for the protection of sensitive natural and cultural features. Also,
it makes sense for the County to develop a Comprehensive Plan to
help optimize community and economic development. Once completed,
the Plan will assist the County in obtaining state grants and other
funding, and enhance intergovernmental coordination and regional
opportunities.
Allegheny Places will also have implementation strategies for conservation, land development and economic initiatives. Furthermore, Allegheny
Places will assist in establishing partnerships of residents, institutions,
and businesses through their involvement in the Plan.
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How will the Comprehensive Plan
benefit municipalities?
Although municipalities will not adopt Allegheny Places, having
a County Comprehensive Plan can facilitate obtaining federal, state,
and county grants and permits for municipalities. In addition, Allegheny
Places will provide models and tools, advance Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and existing data, and facilitate County planning
activities, including the preparation of consistency reviews.
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Who will use
the County Comprehensive Plan?
Many different groups within Allegheny County and the surrounding
counties will use Allegheny Places. Elected officials will use the
Plan as a tool to efficiently guide growth and development within
their constituency. Citizens will use Allegheny Places to see a
vision of the County in the future. The business community will
look at Allegheny Places as the County’s business plan for
the future. Equally important, Allegheny Places will be used as
a marketing tool to help generate investor interest in the County.
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Does the County
Comprehensive Plan involve the City of Pittsburgh?
Yes. The County Comprehensive Plan will be developed in close coordination
with the City of Pittsburgh. It is important that City plans and
County plans are related and share a similar vision in order to
enhance the quality of life within Allegheny County and the region.
The City of Pittsburgh will be included like all other municipalities.
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Who is responsible
for developing the County Comprehensive Plan?
The Allegheny County Department of Economic Development (ACDOED)
– Planning Division, the official County planning agency,
is leading the development of Allegheny Places. A team of consultants,
led by McCormick Taylor and supported by Michael Baker, Jr., Inc.,
URS Corporation, Olszak Management Consulting, Inc., and others,
is assisting ACDOED with the development of the Plan.
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Who will fund
the development of the County Comprehensive Plan?
Over the last 18 months, the Allegheny County Department of Economic
Development (ACDOED) – Planning Division has assembled funding
from multiple public sources, including state and federal grants
matched by Allegheny County Capital Budget funds and in-kind services.
Eighty percent of the project is currently funded, 20 percent is
pending. Other sources continue to be explored.
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Why is it important
to participate in the development of the County Comprehensive Plan?
The planning process must be a public process. The final goal of
the plan is to create a vision for the future; the vision must be
that of those who live, work, and play in the County. An outreach
goal of 700,000 people has been set for the Allegheny County Comprehensive
Plan. Public outreach efforts will be extensive and ongoing. We
encourage you to attend public meetings, participate in surveys,
and share your knowledge and vision for the County. Ensuring equity
and diversity of input is critical.
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How can I participate
in the development of the County Comprehensive Plan?
Your input is critical to the development of the Comprehensive Plan,
in order to ensure that the goals of the Plan meet your need. Throughout
the development of the Plan, there will be many opportunities for
input. We encourage you to attend public meetings and to sign on
to our mailing list to receive updates.
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Whom should
I contact for more information?
For planning related questions, please contact:
Kay Pierce
Allegheny County Department of Economic Development – Planning Manager
Kay.Pierce@AlleghenyCounty.US
or
Chris Goswick
Allegheny County Department of Economic Development – Planner
Christine.Goswick@AlleghenyCounty.US
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