WHT2040 - West Hempfield Township Comprehensive Plan Process

West Hempfield began the process of updating our Comprehensive Plan in the summer of 2016.  The process is being facilitated by our Planning Commission with support from staff and routine consultation with the Board of Supervisors.

“A comprehensive plan is more than just a document disclosing past and present land use trends with a proposed course of action. It is a process of organizing for the future. It creates a blueprint for our land use patterns of tomorrow. Even to not plan is a strategy for dealing with what lies ahead. Community planning is an organized way or process of thinking about tomorrow. By thinking about how a community changed in the past can help predict what changes might be in store for the future. When this type of thinking translates into action, it needs to be done in an orderly fashion and made part of a routine administrative process.” (The Comprehensive Plan in Pennsylvania, PA Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, 2001)

At the conclusion of the discussion phase of this process, a draft document will be prepared, public meetings will be held, and the document will be voted on as our new Comprehensive Plan.  At that point, it is the Township’s intent to keep the plan updated on a regular basis to insure the Township is headed in the direction planned for.

Once the Comprehensive Plan is adopted, the Township will work on ordinance and map updates to reflect to goals and policies of the new Comprehensive Plan.  The Township will also work on the creation of an Official Map to complement the Comprehensive Plan.

Useful Links:

Growing Together - Regional Comprehensive Plan

Envision Lancaster County - Current Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan

Places 2040 - Lancaster County Future Comprehensive Planning Process