What is Planning?

Urban and Regional Planning, in general, is a process by which a community defines a vision for its future growth and revitalization. Much of the day-to-day work of planners is the implementation of that vision, defined in a Comprehensive Plan.
To that end, we:

• Prepare and implement the county's comprehensive plan and complementary functional plans
• Monitor, advise, support and lobby for transportation projects to be placed on the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
• Administer land use regulations through the County's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) which is applicable to 31 of the county's 65 municipalities
• Review local plans, ordinances and developments for consistency with the Comprehensive Plan
• Develop an Integrated Water Resource Plan to address water related issues, to identify water related problems and to provide guidance on solutions