Southwestern Pennsylvania’s next big debates over housing, infrastructure and growth may be shaped by a document most residents will never read: the county comprehensive plan. But before new plans are finalized, residents will have a say.
Allegheny County is working on a new long-range plan that will help guide local leaders’ decisions about development, transportation, housing and public investment over the next decade. Butler and Indiana counties are embarking on similar efforts.
“I would say that it’s like a physical for the county,” said Nate Werner, assistant director of planning and project manager for Butler County. “You get the blood pressure, the height, the weight and if anything is bothering you.
“It’s also a maintenance plan, like going to the gym and working on your cardio.”
Allegheny and Indiana county officials expect implementation to begin in 2027, while Butler is targeting 2028.
Comprehensive plans do not carry the legal force of ordinances. But county planners say they still matter because they help set priorities, guide future decisions and can strengthen applications for grants.
Act 247 of 1968 requires all counties in Pennsylvania to update their comprehensive plans at least every 10 years. Plans should include land use, present and anticipated housing needs, the movement of people and goods, community facilities and utilities, and more.
Municipalities are not required to have comprehensive plans, but some do. Moon Township, for example, is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan, which has been in place since 2015.
A draft update is expected to be ready for public comment in August and formal adoption is expected to take place in September.
Planners in Allegheny County began to solicit public input late last year, said Alan Sisco, deputy director of programs and strategy for Allegheny County Economic Development. The last time Allegheny County approved a plan was in 2008.
Planners show up at community events to ask the public where the county is thriving, where it is facing challenges and why. Participants also rank what issues matter most to them. The goal is to get people from all 130 municipalities to contribute to the plan, Sisco said.
At this point, they have spoken to “hundreds and hundreds” of people, he said. “I don’t know if we’ve crossed 1,000 yet.”
So far, several themes have emerged from public engagements, including concerns about aging infrastructure and flood-prone areas, a lack of quality, attainable housing, and a desire for stronger workforce development.
The county also created an online ideas dashboard that asks, “If Allegheny County could work on only one idea that would make the county a better place to live, work, or invest in, what would it be?” Responses are posted publicly.
One person wrote they would like Boyce Park, which offers skiing and snowboarding, to become a regional destination. Another warned about “potentially crumbling bridges.” At least two people expressed interest in more affordable housing.
Sisco expects that public engagement will help the county prioritize issues in its plan.
“Having that organizing document helps us decide between competing resources,” he said.
In Butler County, Werner said he has several ideas about how to improve the current plan, which went into effect in 2017.
“The one thing I think we’re going to need to address is housing,” he said. “How is a young person supposed to get into a house if they don’t have a killer job and probably two salaries to do it with? It’s really difficult.”
A comprehensive plan for housing could, he said, consider different age groups, and stages of life — from young to retired.
The county grew 2.9 percent from April 2020 to July 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Werner also anticipates that the next comprehensive plan, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, will address the question of where to put data centers, which could help county officials steer development.
“Obviously it’s going to be an ongoing dialogue, a lot of push, pull back and forth, and I’m sure that there’s going to be ideas that spawn new ideas,” he said. “Questions will raise more questions,” he said.
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