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Website for
Landscapes2 Comprehensive Plan Unveiled
The Daily
Local,
Friday, February 19, 2010
Fourteen years ago, the Chester County
board of commissioners unveiled the
county's first comprehensive policy
plan, Landscapes, that was published in
a 128-page spiral-bound notebook.
Now Landscapes 2, the updated
comprehensive plan, is ready for the
public but there won't be any hardbound
copies of it being passed out.
It's too expensive to print books.
It's all electronic now. The
official unveiling came during the Feb.
12 commissioners' meeting when a
computer was rolled into the meeting
room and the Web site
www.landscapes2.org
was booted up.
All the interactive features of the Web
site were displayed, including how to
navigate the Livable Landscapes map,
which shows the areas targeted for
growth and those that are targeted for
preservation. While the text of
the updated plan is the same as what the
commissioners approved in November, new
features were added such as hyperlinks
within the text that direct readers to
links or a glossary of technical terms.
County residents who have been following
the development of the plan are familiar
with the Web site, where portions of the
draft plan were posted as it was being
developed and where people could post
their comments. The electronic
version employs flip-book technology
whereby the plan can be read as a book
with a digital page turner. The
plan can also be read on smart phones
such as the iPhone and BlackBerry and
the page will automatically adjust to
the smaller screen size. David
Ward, assistant director of the Chester
County Planning Commission, said the Web
site reaches a much broader audience.
"We get 8,000 hits a month," Ward said.
The whole process of rewriting
Landscapes was much more accessible to
the public because of the Web site.
When the first Landscapes was under
development in the 1990's, about 3,000
people participated in a survey.
About 9,000 people participated in the
public surveys when Landscapes2 was
being developed. Landscapes2 also
has its own Facebook page where updates
to the plan will be posted. The
original Landscapes was written at a
time when development pressure in the
county was creating the sprawl
development pattern. In the
revisited plan, the goal of Landcapes2
is "to bring together growth management
and preservation strategies."
"Lanscapes2 presents our vision for
balancing growth and preservation in
Chester County that is fully in line
with our strategic planning goals,"
Chester County Commissioner Carol
Aichele said in a statement.
The plan will be available on compact
disc. It is also on the Web site
as a pdf file and can be printed.
Hard copies can be ordered.
By
ANNE PICKERING, Staff Writer,
Daily Local News
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South Coatesville Adopts Revitalization
Plan
Strategy includes outline to rejuvenate South First Avenue in the
borough
Daily Local News Thursday, May 20, 2010
SOUTH COATESVILLE — Borough Council
unanimously adopted a comprehensive plan
Tuesday night that includes a
revitalization strategy for blighted
areas along South First Avenue. "I've
been on this council for almost 32 years
and this is the most exciting it has
been," said Council President John
Washington, adding that the borough used
to be a thriving community. "Hopefully
this planning commission and this
council can bring it back." Members of
the planning commission began discussing
the borough's comprehensive land-use
plan in March 2008 after attending a
Chester County 2020 meeting. The plan
sets overall policies for development,
preservation and revitalization of the
borough over the next 15 years,
officials said.
Borough officials selected Urban
Research and Development Corp. of
Bethlehem to work on the overall
community revitalization plan and Kairos
Design Group of Lemoyne to work on the
South First Avenue master plan. These
consulting groups, along with borough
consultant Theodore Robinson, worked
with the planning commission on the plan
during the past year. Urban
consultants received $87,000 for their
work on the plan. The work was funded
with a $60,000 grant from the Delaware
Valley Regional Planning Commission; the
remaining $17,000 came from in-kind
services, Borough Manager Denis Forrest
said during an interview Wednesday.
Kairos consultants received about
$40,000 for their work. The money came
from the borough's general fund,
according to Forrest.
Prior to council's adoption of the plan,
there was a public hearing at the ARC
building of ArcelorMittal on Tuesday
night. Consultants discussed the
comprehensive plan, which includes a
master plan for the revitalization of
South First Avenue. The plan focuses on
land use and housing; recreation and
historic preservation; downtown and
economic revitalization; community
facilities and services; transportation;
and actions for implementation,
according to the consultants.
The plan is the basis for grant
applications, the consultants said.
Kairos consultant Craig Bachik said the
plan for South First Avenue will create
a harmonious transition from the city to
the borough. Urban Research consultant
Thomas Palmer said the overall plan for
the borough includes bike trails, road
improvements and implementation of
sidewalks. He said the timeline should
be revisited annually because there may
be changes depending on available
grants.
Washington said the borough is in the
process of acquiring and demolishing
some properties along South First
Avenue. "We're going to be aggressive in
acquiring some properties and also cite
some properties that need it," he said.
Forrest said the borough is looking at
the demolition of two properties in the
500 block of South First Avenue that are
part of Coatesville Hope VI, a federally
funded project. The borough received
notification about a $102,000 grant for
the demolition project, he said. The
funding comes from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development's
Community Development Block Grant
Program. The county will administer the
grant money, according to Forrest.
Several officials commended the borough on
its work so far on the revitalization
efforts. "I want to congratulate this
council because they're doing what
they're supposed to do," said South
Coatesville Mayor James Kennedy. "You've
come a long way and you're doing a good
job." Terry Bruno, chairwoman of
the planning commission and a borough
councilwoman, said the goal is to make
the borough a destination spot.
Joseph Frisco, a member of the planning
commission and a borough councilman,
said it's important to keep the process
moving and work with neighboring
municipalities. "Right now, there is
nothing really enticing developers or
exciting anyone," he said.
Coatesville City Councilman Joseph Hamrick
was among the hearing attendees and said
the new city council wants to work with
surrounding municipalities. "We'll never
forget our neighbors," he said.
By Danielle Lynch, Staff Writer, Daily
Local News
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