3 minute read
Chester County Planning Commission
Celebrating 25 Years of Chester County’s Vision Partnership Program
By Brian O’Leary, Executive Director Chester County Planning Commission
This year, Chester County is celebrating an exciting milestone with the 25th anniversary of the Vision Partnership Program, otherwise referred to as “VPP.”
Established in 1996 by the Chester County Board of Commissioners, the VPP is one of Chester County’s primary means of partnering with municipalities to advance the implementation of the county’s comprehensive plan, Landscapes3, while accomplishing effective, lasting, and positive benefits for municipalities. This can be done through innovative municipal planning, multi-municipal planning, and new and revised municipal plans, ordinances, and planning studies that address opportunities and issues of community concern.
The VPP consists of two programs that are available to Chester County’s municipalities and multi-municipal groups – cash grants and county consulting services. Since its creation 25 years ago, the VPP has continued to assist municipalities in their efforts to implement the goals, objectives, and recommendations found in the original Landscapes plan (1996 - 2008), Landscapes2 (2009 – 2018), and Landscapes3 (2019 – current). This includes just over $6 million distributed in cash grants throughout the county, with municipalities leveraging more than $4 million of these funds.
Through the VPP’s cash grants (which are offered twice per year through a competitive selection process), municipalities can use their funds to hire a private planning consultant for their selected project. In this instance, the county provides a grant monitor to support the project by attending meetings to ensure consistency with Landscapes3, as well as provide connections to available information, resources, and offer technical guidance. A Cash Grant Manual is available with guidelines and procedures for successfully applying for, obtaining, and completing a VPP cash grant.
A recent example of the VPP cash grant program can be seen in the City of Coatesville, which received funds to develop targeted zoning ordinance amendments to redefine their commercial zoning and overlay districts in their downtown area.
Alternatively, through the VPP’s county consulting services, Chester County Planning Commission staff members act as planning consultants to provide Technical Services Contracts and Technical Assistance Agreements based on the project’s potential to implement Landscapes3, as well as availability. An example of this can be seen in Modena Borough, where Chester County Planning Commission staff are currently working to help update the borough’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance.
Despite a difficult year in 2020, Chester County municipalities and their consultants completed five cash grant projects (with many others advancing individual or multimunicipal projects within their communities), and two consulting projects (with four others ongoing).
Some additional VPP projects completed within Chester County’s Western region over recent years include Atglen Borough’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning update, the City of Coatesville’s Regional Economic Development Study, Parkesburg’s Borough’s Comprehensive Plan, Caln Township’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance, Honey Brook Township’s Icedale Trail Feasibility Study, and the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce’s Route 30 Corridor Study—among others.
The second round of the VPP cash grant program is now open, with applications due by Sept. 24, 2021. Awarded projects from the first round in 2021 include development of a Clean Energy Transition Plan for multiple townships in the Phoenixville area, an update of the Unionville Area Regional Comprehensive Plan, and development of a study on the economic benefits of rail restoration.
Applications and written requests for county consulting services (Technical Assistance Agreements) are accepted on a rolling basis.
Stay tuned for information about the VPP’s 25th anniversary celebration this fall! For the most up-to-date information and other resources regarding the county’s VPP, please visit https://www.chescoplanning.org/MuniCorner/vpp.cfm.
