2040 plan nearly complete

Comprehensive plan divided into 4 broad topics, with goals and priorities for each; May 3 open house set

A comprehensive plan that will shape North Wales Borough for the next two decades is coming into focus, and borough officials will want to hear from the public on it soon.

Borough council heard details of the latest version of the “North Wales 2040” comprehensive plan March 13, the result of nearly two years of work by local residents and the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

“When the whole thing is said and done, readers of the comprehensive plan will be able to understand why the goals are what they

are, and why the implementation steps were made, in order to achieve the vision for the future that we set out in the mission statement,” said MCPC Senior Planner Maggie Dobbs.

Starting in the summer of 2016, county planners and a borough steering committee have worked on updating a 2007 comprehensive plan based on feedback from residents on what changes they would like to see around town, and where, and those that have already taken place over the past decade.

Dobbs outlined the latest version of the plan for council March 13, reading a vision statement that can still be changed, but shapes the rest of the plan, and perhaps the future of the town.

“In 2040, North Wales Borough will remain a vibrant small town that merges together its history and its future to create a unique and identifiable destination. The Borough will continue to build upon the tradition of creating fun and

inclusive events, further develop recreational amenities to support active lifestyles, preserve and maintain historic buildings and architectural styles, diversify cultural opportunities for the arts, and nurture its business community.”

“We really highlighted bringing out the history of the borough, building on that history, building on the tradition of being a good place to live, work and play,” Dobbs said.

The broad statement ties into four themes, which each carry their own goals and implementation plans: community character, economic development, transportation, and sustainability and resiliency.

“We will have a full implementation table as well, so this implementation table will be a complete, comprehensive grouping of all of those recommendations. This will help the borough make this an actionable plan,” Dobbs said.

“This comprehensive plan is a 20-year time frame, so we’re looking ahead at 2040 as kind of our end goal. We’re planning for another 20 years of growth, development, transformation and change within the borough,” she said.

Under the heading of “Community Character,” the plan will call on future officials to “preserve the character, diversity, and affordability” of residential areas in town, while ensuring future development reflects historic trends and development patterns. Each section will also include photos of current local landmarks or highlight areas, along

with suggested funding sources such as state grants that could be used to help achieve each goal.

The transportation section calls for continued maintenance of current roads, while enhancing walkability by upgrading crosswalks and street lighting, while identifying and fixing missing links in the current sidewalk system.

“This focuses on improving transportation, and thinking about multi modal transportation, within the borough as well as without the borough. So, facilitating safe and efficient movement through the borough,” said Dobbs.

The economic development section of the plan says future officials should work to retain existing businesses, while supporting new ones, and improve the experience of those who visit downtown by making signage more uniform, preserving historic facades, and making the town more walkable for pedestrians. A separate section addressing sustainability and resilience will spell out ways to preserve and grow tree cover in both residential and commercial areas, identify areas where new stormwater management features can be installed, and lists strategies for reducing waste and improving its removal.

“Stormwater management is going to be an increasing theme, that all communities across the entire country are going to be facing,” Dobbs said.

“This is going to be really integral, especially if we enter into a period where we have increased storms. This

will be something that will help protect property, and ensure good water quality throughout the region,” she said.

The internal 2040 steering committee did not meet in March due to snowstorms, but is scheduled to meet April 4 and is planning to host a public open house May 3 to gather feedback from the public. That open house will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the borough municipal building, and Dobbs said residents are invited to stop in and share what they think should be high priorities, and any other suggestions.

“We’re inviting the community to come and provide their feedback on all of these goals and recommendations and strategies, and to make sure we didn’t miss anything or we don’t need to add something,” said Dobbs.

“This is your community, and we want to know what you feel,” she said.

Councilman Sal Amato asked if the order in which items are listed in the plan indicated the priorities of the task force, and Dobbs said the plan will spell out short, medium and long term goals, but all decisions will ultimately be made by council.

“When the borough goes to implement all of these steps, we’ll be able to see what the low-hanging fruit items are,” Dobbs said.

“We’ll ID where we have funding for it now, or it’s something that’s achievable, or something that’s incredibly important that needs to be addressed immediately,” she said.

Residents will also be

able to share their thoughts during borough council’s April 24 meeting, when a final draft should be ready for presentation to council. The plan requires a 45-day public advertisement period before final adoption, so an April 24 council vote could put the plan on track for final adoption by council on June 26, unless resident feedback requires changes.

Borough Manager Christine Hart said she thought the true value of the plan will be in consolidating previous documents, goals and feedback into one document that can be easily referenced

and updated by future council members and staff.

“The key factor in this plan is that it’s coupled with implementation policies and procedures,” she said.

“I think this is going to be a true vision statement, and a true document that is an expression of the community,” she said.

North Wales Borough Council next meets at 7 p.m. on March 27. For more information on borough council or the North Wales 2040 project, visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org or search for “North Wales 2040” on Facebook.