LOCAL

Franklin County seeks input for comprehensive plan

Amber South
Chambersburg Public Opinion

Franklin County has developed significantly over the past 10 years. What will it look like over a decade from now?

County leaders want people who live, work and play in Franklin County to have a say in that, by sharing their visions and goals for the county's future to help officials develop the county's next comprehensive plan, according to a news release. The plan, Imagine Franklin 2035, will identify opportunities for development and preservation, ways to build upon existing assets, and ways to pay for it.

The county "has undergone serious growth over the last 10 years and we are identifying it as an opportunity to evaluate the issues" and find solutions to those problems, the county's planning director, Steve Thomas, said in a video promoting the comprehensive plan.

The county's population continued to grow over the past decade, rising 4.46% between 2010 and 2021, to 158,289, according to U.S. census figures. The county is nearing the end of a massive court facility improvement project that included the construction of the judicial center, administration building and archives building. Commercial and industrial development exploded over the past decade, particularly along the Interstate 81 corridor. There is now 27 million square feet of developed industrial space in the county, according to the comprehensive plan video.

A view of the Franklin County Judicial Center and the Old Courthouse in Chambersburg's Memorial Square. The court facility was still under construction when this photo was taken in December 2020.

How can people give input?

An online survey will help the county gather community input. Find it online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/imaginefranklin2035 through Nov. 11.

Paper copies of the survey are also available at select locations such as local libraries, post offices and senior centers or by contacting the Franklin County Planning Department. Spanish versions of the survey are also available.

The county will also gather feedback at open houses:

  • Oct. 25, 5-7 p.m. – Greene Township Municipal Building, 1145 Garver Lane, Chambersburg;
  • Oct. 26, 5-7 p.m. – Highline Train Station, 21 S. Jefferson St., Greencastle;
  • Nov. 3, 5-7 p.m. – Franklin County Administration Building, 272 N. Second St., Chambersburg; and
  • Nov. 7 – virtual open houses from noon-1 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. online at bit.ly/FCPDVirtual

More:Opening set for Franklin County's new archives facility

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Participants in the survey and public forums will share their feedback on housing, transportation, agricultural preservation and more land-use issues.

The planning department also held pop-up events around the community over the summer. It has also been gathering input from focus groups and the Imagine Franklin 2035 website, compplan.franklincountypa.gov.

The county began working on its next comprehensive plan in April and will finish it by next summer.

Pennsylvania law requires counties to update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. The plan is partly funded by a grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

The Borough of Chambersburg recently adopted its own comprehensive plan, Chambersburg Vision 2035. Some criticized the plan for including diversity, equality and inclusion, instead of focusing only on land use issues.

For more information on Imagine Franklin 2035 and ways to provide input, visit compplan.franklincountypa.gov or contact the Franklin County Planning Department at 717-261-3855 or compplan@franklincountypa.gov.

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.