The Lancaster County Planning Commission (LCPC) is the only agency that comprehensively addresses county-wide planning issues. The Commission combines county policies with federal and state planning responsibilities to support the application of county-wide plans for the future. The agency protects the health, safety, and welfare of our residents: provides leadership in the management of growth and change in the county; and balances the desire to preserve the uniqueness of Lancaster County with the need to change the economy, ecology, and built environment.
The Planning Commission consists of nine Commission Members and an Executive Director appointed by the board of County Commissioners. The Planning Commission’s staff is further organized in four divisions. Each division deals with a special area of emphasis. Directors supervise each division and facilitate and coordinate projects and activities. The divisions are: Community Planning, Economic Development, Long Range and Heritage Planning, and Transportation Planning. An overview of each division's focus is described below:
Community Planning Division The Community Planning Division specializes in supporting the planning programs of municipal governments and implementation of the County Comprehensive Plan. This division provides direct planning assistance to municipal governments in such areas as comprehensive planning, zoning, subdivision and land development, housing planning, infrastructure planning, and municipal planning program implementation and administration. Additionally, the division administers the Lancaster County Subdivision and the Land Development Ordinance for twenty-four of the County’s municipalities and supports multi-municipal comprehensive planning efforts, which are funded by the Board of County Commissioners.
Housing and Economic Development Planning Division
The Housing and Economic Development Planning Division works to achieve the economic development goals identified through the Lancaster County Policy Plan. The Planning Commission acknowledges that some measure of public sector participation is needed to both encourage private sector investment and guarantee the successful delivery of economic development services in LancasterCounty.
By implementing initiatives based on the “sustainable economic development” and “revitalization” focus areas of the Policy Plan, this division of the Planning Commission provides practical assistance to Lancaster’s municipalities, the business community, as well as the County’s network of economic development providers.
The foundation for all of the Housing and Economic Development Planning Division’s work is communication and collaboration.By forging valuable partnerships with private, public and non-profit organizations, the County can effectively target limited resources and facilitate economic development endeavors in communities across Lancaster.While supporting the specific community and economic development objectives of Lancaster’s municipalities, the work of the Housing and Economic Development Planning Division actively advances the county-wide Smart Growth goals of Envision Lancaster County.
Long Range and Heritage Planning Division The LongRange and Heritage Planning Division specializes in projects that are countywide in nature. Major activities include the management, coordination, and preparation of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan, including the Policy Plan and the Growth Management Plan, Tourism and Heritage Elements. The division is also involved in all countywide issues relating to: environmental resources planning; parks and open space; natural resource protection; cultural and historic preservation; and tourism planning and development. Other major projects include the Envision Lancaster County Speaker Series and the 11-week Master Planner Program for the development of community and municipal leaders.
Transportation Planning Division The Transportation Planning Division concerns itself with all modes of transportation: automobile, truck, rail, air, transit, non-motorized vehicles, and walking. The division’s primary task is to serve as the staff to the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee (LCTCC), which is the officially designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Lancaster County.
The LCTCC has two permanent subcommittees that help it to perform its transportation planning duties. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) is composed of members that represent a wide range of transportation interests and advises the LCTCC on all transportation matters. The Citizens Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) reports to TTAC, provides input on bicycle and pedestrian transportation, and works to implement the county’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan.
To support the transportation planning process, staff maintains a computerized Travel Demand Forecasting Model that is used to evaluate the impacts of changes to the highway system. It also leads transportation and land use corridor studies to identify needed improvements in congested corridors.
The Transportation Planning Division has duties in addition to its work as MPO staff. It assists the Community Planning Division by reviewing traffic impact studies that accompany subdivision and land development applications. It administers the Lancaster County Municipal Transportation Grant Programand publishes a weekly road construction report during construction season to alert motorists of construction-related delays.
