The Delaware County Planning Department sponsored the Course in Community Planning on three consecutive Thursdays in May.

The course was filled to capacity with new and veteran planning commissioners, local elected and appointed officials, and others interested in learning how to carry out their responsibilities under the PA Municipalities Planning Code.

Information was presented by expert planners George Fasic, AICP, and Steve Nelson, AICP, through a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, through their training agency, Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute (PMPEI).

Participants learned where planning fits in the framework of local government and how planning commissioners relate to the governing body, zoning hearing board, and zoning officer.

Other topics included:

• history and basic knowledge of the Municipalities Planning Code
• elements of comprehensive plans for municipalities, counties, and multi-municipal planning groups
• tools for implementing planning, including zoning, subdivision and land development, official map, and non-regulatory tools

A similar educational series is planned for the fall. The next course will cover the complex and often contentious topic of zoning.

The Course in Zoning examines how zoning evolved in Pennsylvania and how this history shapes the way zoning is practiced today. The course begins with a review of the MPC authority for zoning and includes fundamentals for drafting zoning ordinances and amendments.

Also to be discussed are overlay and performance zoning, planned residential development, and traditional neighborhood development.