Help shape the future of investment and development in Fayette County by attending one of the Fayette County Comprehensive Strategy Open House Meetings:
Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 4-6pm
Ohiopyle-Stewart Community Center
15 Sherman Street, Ohiopyle
Tuesday, November 20, 2018, 4-6pm
Uniontown Public Service Building
22 East Main Street, Uniontown
Why is a Comprehensive Plan Important?
- Local governments use the comprehensive plan to guide and inform their decisions when they change or introduce new zoning rules.
- The previous Fayette County comprehensive plan was implemented in 2000, before the natural gas fracking boom, so issues related to the industry are not sufficiently addressed.
- The existing Fayette County zoning rules were last updated in 2006, which was also before fracked gas began to boom as an industry.
- The 2006 zoning rules, which used the 2000 comprehensive plan as a guide, allow for fracked gas wells in agricultural districts and as “special exceptions” in residential districts. Considering the way the gas industry has changed since 2006, this is no longer appropriate and puts rural and residential communities at risk.
What is a Comprehensive Plan? Â
- A Comprehensive Plan is a document that sets forth goals for future development of an area.
- According to the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code (MPC), each county’s comprehensive plan should be updated every ten years, yet Fayette County’s comprehensive plan was last updated in 2000. You can review the existing plan here.
- For more information see Centre Region Council of Governments document titled “Introduction to the Comprehensive Plan”
What To Ask For:
- Tell Fayette County that the comprehensive plan should include the goal of limiting shale gas infrastructure – i.e. well pads, compressor stations, and wastewater storage – to areas zoned for industrial use since the nature of gas development has changed and expanded enormously in the last decade.
- The County should prioritize updating the county wide hazard mitigation plan because the new fracking infrastructure poses health and safety risks to the community.
- The County should prioritize protecting agricultural areas, natural areas, and waterways from the impacts of shale gas and mining development to protect and preserve rural communities and the scenic and recreational assets of the area.
- The County should invest in the development of sustainable economies in rural communities by supporting local agriculture and tourism initiatives, including recreation-tourism, heritage-tourism, agri-tourism, and expansion of local land and water trail networks.
- Fayette County should protect our community quality of life even in more sparsely populated rural residential areas.
Your presence at these meetings can have a big impact on how our county moves into the future. Â Including your input is quick and easy and leaves an impression on planners. With the open house format, you will be able to quickly drop into the meeting to give your feedback, so you are not expected to stay for the entire time frame. Â
If you’re not able to attend in person, please take the Fayette County Comprehensive Strategy’s online survey:Â
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