The Saucon Valley Partnership (consisting of Hellertown Borough, Lower Saucon Township and the Saucon Valley School District) will be soliciting feedback, through upcoming hearings, regarding our Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan update and your participation is appreciated.  Please take some time to view the interactive story map,https://epd-pgh.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=dfb95aee27934650b7a998bdaf170a44  to access the proposed updates to the growth in our community.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A comprehensive plan is a document that identifies the goals and strategies for land use and growth management in a community or group of communities. The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) provides for the basic content to be included in comprehensive plans so that growth is encouraged in a coordinated manner. A comprehensive plan differs from a zoning ordinance in that it is adopted by resolution rather than as an ordinance or law. The comprehensive plan serves as a guide for a community’s growth and development, to be reviewed every 10 years, whereas the zoning ordinance is a legal instrument that is used to implement land use regulations and provisions consistent with the principles of the adopted comprehensive plan.
 
This plan is a public document that carries no legal weight but has tremendous influence on future actions within a community and in some cases a region. While broad in scope, each part of the document goes into detail on the inner workings of the community. The complexity between the physical, social, environmental, and economic factors shaping a community is what makes comprehensive plans so influential.