Upper Gwynedd Township 2040 Comprehensive Plan
The Upper Gwynedd 2040 Comprehensive Plan has been adopted and the final version is available here: Upper Gwynedd 2040 Comprehensive Plan
Background:
In September of 2018, the Upper Gwynedd Township Board of Commissioners contracted with the Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC) to update the Township’s Comprehensive Plan. A comprehensive plan is a document designed to guide the future actions of a community. It offers a vision for the future, with long-range goals and objectives for activities that affect future land use including the location, character and timing of future development.
The Township adopted its first Comprehensive Plan in 1971. The components of the plan are outlined in Article III of the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC). It is suggested that a comprehensive plan be updated every 10 years, and our last update occurred in 2004. The focus of the plan is to revisit all the relevant aspects as outlined in the MPC to provide renewed information on our changing demographics, housing needs, parks and recreation development, the needs of the business community and more. It will establish future objectives and priorities and may offer perspectives on redevelopment, address opportunities for vacant properties and properties in transition as well as streetscape improvements, walkability and transportation issues and the protection of natural and historic resources.
The MCPC through their Resolution 70-3, dated March 11, 1970 established policies for local planning assistance, a cost sharing formula and a schedule of fees and charges by which the services of MCPC’s staff was offered to assist the 62 municipalities in the county. Through this cost sharing program, the Township is responsible for 50% of the total cost of the update. The process for the update will begin in September 2018 and the projected time frame to completion is 24 – 30 months. Our comprehensive plan runs parallel to the Montco 2040 Vision Plan which is a generalized goal-oriented conceptual plan.
Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement:
The Upper Gwynedd 2040 Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee has completed a draft community vision statement based on preliminary data research, the community survey, and the public workshop. The vision statement is intended to broadly demonstrate what Upper Gwynedd Township is now, and what it hopes to be by 2040.
