Friday, March 21, 2008

Draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan Is Online!

On Tuesday, March 25th at 7:00 PM, the Planning Commission (PC) will hold a public hearing on the new Forks Township Comprehensive Plan. This is your first opportunity to comment on the completed plan. The draft is now online for your review before Tuesday's meeting. Click here to read/download the plan (large file).

The plan update process has been in progress for well over a year. Discussions began in October 2006 and work on it began in January 2007. The PC devoted monthly workshops (on the fourth Tuesday of every month) to it. Residents' input was welcomed and encouraged.

Subcommittees (of Forks residents) were formed to tackle four main areas: Transportation, Economic Development, Recreation, and Agricultural/Open Space Preservation/Architectural Review. Each of the 2007 Supervisor candidates took active rolls. Three of them headed subcommittees. The fourth was Chairman of the PC.

Charlie S. Schmehl of Urban Research and Development Corporation (URDC) is the paid consultant to the project.

Plan to attend this most important hearing. Forks' future is being mapped out and you need to be part of it!

The evening will begin at 6:30 with an open house where you may ask questions of the plan developers and view the large maps that are part of the new Forks Township Comprehensive Plan.

The Board of Supervisors will hold its public hearing in April. If all goes well, the plan will be adopted and the new guide to Forks' future will be in place.

1 comment:

Basic Forks said...

The new Comp Plan includes the 2003 and 2007 traffic studies. Some of the recommended improvements (to Sullivan Trail for example) include:

Sullivan Trail:
- Widen Sullivan Trail to 2 through-lanes of traffic in each direction between Kesslerville Road and the Easton border, plus a left turn lane.
- Make sure all traffic signals along Sullivan Trail are fully coordinated in their timing.
- Make improvements to the intersection of Church Lane and Sullivan Trail as described above, plus add a left turn lane on southbound Sullivan Trail.
- Improve the intersection of Sullivan Trail/Uhler Road as described above.
- Realign the intersection of Newlins Road West and Newlins Road East at Sullivan Trail as described above.
- In addition to signalizing the intersection at Sullivan Trail and Kesslerville Road, add a right turn
lane on northbound Sullivan Trail and add a second through lane on southbound Sullivan Trail.
- Widen Sullivan Trail to add turn lanes and to provide a second through-traffic lane in each direction
at Zucksville Road. (This intersection was rebuilt recently).
- Along Sullivan Trail, at the former Laneco Plaza, add a second through-lane in each direction on
Sullivan Trail, a southbound left-turn lane, update the signals, and extend Ramblewood Drive to
Sullivan Trail.
- Add a second through-lane in each direction along Sullivan Trail in the southern part of the
Township north of Old Mill Road.
- Add turn lanes at the intersection of Sullivan Trail with Elizabeth Av. (across from the Giant/Town Center). Update the timing of the traffic signals. Add turn lanes on eastbound Old Mill Road.


There's lots more under consideration. I'll be there!