​Conneaut Valley Multi-Municipal Plan

What is comprehensive planning?

Comprehensive planning is a common practice used by communities across the Commonwealth to produce strategies and recommendations to address local priorities.  In comprehensive planning, local priorities are set through extensive study and community engagement.  Such priorities complement each other and establish a viable vision for the community’s future.  This vision can be used to communicate priorities with residents and investors, secure necessary funding resources, and guide local decision making in a manner that aligns with the interests of citizens.  Since the 1960s, 40 municipalities out of Crawford County’s 51 municipalities (78%) have adopted a comprehensive plan.  By simultaneously considering a broad range of topics ranging from housing to transportation and community facilities to utilities, comprehensive planning provides a unique opportunity for communities to address issues that impact multiple facets of daily life. 

Some of the key benefits of comprehensive planning include:

• Establishes local direction for community decisions (helps build consensus);
• Supports State agencies efforts to consider local preference and conditions when implementing projects;
• Provides a legal basis for land use ordinances or updates and revisions to existing ordinances; and 
• Communities with comprehensive plans are more compeitive at securing outside funding and attracting investment.
  

What is multi-municipal comprehensive planning?

A multi-municipal comprehensive plan is one involving more than a single municipality.  Multi-municipal planning is not consolidation nor will participating in a multi-municipal comprehensive plan leave one community beholden to another.  Some of the key benefits of communities collaborating through multi-municipal comprehensive plans include: 

• Enables municipalities to collaborate in ways that can save money on local projects;
• Presents opportunities for communities to reduce costs by sharing resources;
• Allows communities to make plans that discourage unnecessary economic compeition or service duplications;
• Opens up reater potential for communities to build recreational assets and capitalize on environmental resourcesl; and 
• Makes local projects more compeitive for County, State, and Federal funding.

To learn more about comprehensive planning, CLICK HERE to access the presentation “Planning for the Conneaut Valley” that was presented before representatives from Springboro Borough, Conneautville Borough, and Linesville Borough back in June, 2019.  

For an abbreviated resource on comprehensive planning, CLICK HERE to see a basic flyer. 

What can you expect for the Conneaut Valley Boroughs going forward?

To date, a comprehensive plan steering committee has been formed.  The comprehensive plan steering committee has been outlining the process for conducting an existing conditions study, community survey, public outreach campaign, and citizen involvement process.  Towards the end of this coming summer and into the fall, the comprehensive plan steering committee will host a series of community meetings to give residents from all three boroughs the opportunity to form a future vision and come up with strategies and recommendations to achieve it.  

Locally Appointed Comprehensive Planning Committee Members include:

(Click on each borough name to see their resolutions of appointment)  

Springboro Borough –

• Tammy Rowland (Link to be posted)
  
• Shawna Pfaff (Link to be posted)
  

Conneautville Borough –

• Allen Clark
• Ken Hoovler
  

Linesville Borough –

• William (Bill) Walker (Link to be posted)
• Katie Wickert

For Further Questions Contact: 

Thomas Gilbertson

Assistant Planning Director for Community Planning

Crawford County Planning Office

Phone: 814-333-7341

Email: tgilbertson@co.crawford.pa.us

Comprehensive Plan Updates 

(Click back soon as links for the below items become available)  

• Profile of Community Change
• Community Walk-Arounds
• Existing Plans Questionnaires