Planning Commission - Comprehensive Planning Meeting

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH PLANNING COMMISSION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2023 MEETING MINUTES The meeting of the Doylestown Borough Planning Commission was held at Borough Hall at 7:30 pm on October 10, 2023. Members present were as follows: James Lannon, Chairman W. Andrew Happ Heather Mahaley Lynn Bush The meeting was also attended by Karyn Hyland, Steven Nelson of the EAC, and representatives of the Bucks County Planning Commission. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by Mr. Lannon, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance in honor of Martin Corr. MEETING MINUTES from the October 24, 2023 meeting were unable to be voted on, owing to the lack of a quorum. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Mike Roedig from the Bucks County Planning Commission continued with his presentation. Park and Recreation and Sustainability and Conservation are the two remaining topics. The first category addressed was Parks and Recreation. Under the section of Community Guidance and Communication, most of the ideas have already been addressed. Ms. Bush spoke of the fact that there is already an existing Park and Recreation Board and many of the communication and documentation comments from the public are operational and not appropriate for this high-altitude planning document. How people communicate and sign up for various programs is not quite the same as whether a park should be built in an area of town that seems to be underserved. There was a lengthy discussion about whether certain topics were land use concerns or if it was more of a need for policy change. The Commission moved on to Sustainability and Conservation. Mr. Lannon believes that the EAC’s Local Climate Action Plan is deserving of more than a small reference in the comprehensive plan, however, it is not clear whether the LCAP or the Comprehensive Plan will be completed first. At minimum, the overall themes in the LCAP should be incorporated in the Comprehensive Plan. Again, it was noted that some public feedback included a level of detail that may not be the best fit for the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Roedig would like to re-word some of the various ideas and organize them better in terms of commonality. Mr. Roedig believes it would be a challenge to have this available to the Commission by the next regular meeting of the Planning Commission. As the meeting approached the designated end time, Mr. Lannon mentioned the next Comprehensive Plan meeting scheduled for December 12 may need to be rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts. The next Comprehensive Plan meeting will be scheduled for January 9, 2024. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the Commission adjourned at 9:30 pm in honor of Libby White. Respectfully submitted, Erika Fellman