IntroductionIntroduction
Acknowledgements
MORGANTOWN CITY COUNCIL
Frank Scafella, Mayor Betty Mc Clain
Ronald Justice, Vice Mayor Teresa Miller
Thomas Bloom Frank Salucci
Charlene Marshall
MORGANTOWN CITY MANAGER
Daniel Boroff
MORGANTOWN PLANNING COMMISSION
Kenneth Klase, Chair Teresa Miller
Mary Templeton, Vice Chair Marka Paparozzi
Patrick Esposito Barbara Rasmussen
Michael Kraley Edward Skriner
James Lattanzi * William Overbey
John Lozier
MORGANTOWN PLANNING STAFF
William Bechtel, AICP
John Finney
** William Meyer III
Rebecca Ash
CONSULTANTS
LDR International, Inc., Columbia MD
FUNDING
Preparation of this Plan was funded by the Morgantown City Council.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
In September 1995, the City of Morgantown, the Monongalia County Commission and the West Virginia Department of Transportation embarked on a coordinated effort to develop a long-range Transportation Plan for the County and City. The Chamber of Commerce, through the Vision 2000 Program, provided a local forum to coordinate the study. Parallel County and City of Morgantown planning studies were undertaken with the consulting firm LDR International, Inc. LDR worked closely with the WV-DOT consultant, Barton-Aschman Associates Inc. Much appreciation goes to the WV-DOT for its help in providing a transportation framework that can be used to make decisions on growth and development.
A special thanks goes to the approximately 200 area residents who took part in the public participation work groups that helped frame the vision, goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan.
* Former Commission Chair
** Former Staff
Purpose
The Comprehensive Plan and its Legal Basis
State Code Section 8-24 gives the framework for county and municipal governments to prepare and adopt Comprehensive Plans: Promoting orderly development; improving the health, safety, convenience, and welfare of their citizens; and carefully planning for growth as adequate highways, utilities, health, educational, and recreational facilities allow. Involved in this is the need to provide for agriculture, industry, and business growth, and residential areas that provide healthy surroundings for family life. Last but not least is the need to promote the efficient, economical use of public funds.
The Plan is a policy guide for the Planning Commission and City Council as they assess the location, character and extent of proposed public and private development. Plan policies and recommendations are implemented over time through many decisions including rezonings and subdivisions of land and the location and construction of public improvements.
Upon adoption, the Plan is to be used by the Planning Commission and City Council as these bodies review all proposed development plans to determine conformance with the goals, objectives, strategies and recommendations included in the Plan.
Public Participation
Morgantown's Planning Commission held citizen involvement to be a significant element throughout the process of developing the Plan. Public interaction and review of work was included at key plan development points.
The public participation effort began with our consultant's interviews of a wide range of community leaders in various capacities to understand issues and opportunities facing Morgantown. Subsequently, more than 100 persons attended the Plan kick-off meeting with the general public. The Planning Commission then created committees on each topical element of the Comprehensive Plan and invited interested citizens to help develop statements on the problems, issues and opportunities, and the visions, goals, and objectives upon which the Plan would be based. A compilation of those statements was then made available for public review and comment. Discussions by the Planning Commission at public meetings were followed by editorial review and refinements by the Commission and staff, and then provided to the consultant as the foundation of the Plan. A subsequent public meeting was held to review the draft Comprehensive Plan Map and associated draft recommendations prior to the commencement of the plan writing. (More text to be added after the public review and hearings, and adoption are complete to round out this description of the planning process.)
This Plan is to be used as a guide for all land use and development decisions within the City. It provides the framework and basis for the review of zoning and subdivision applications, public facility investments and other land use and development-related public actions. Thus the Plan guides both public actions and private development decisions.
This Plan is organized in 11 elements or chapters which follow this introductory section. These elements are as follows:
A good starting place when assessing development proposals is the Plan's Comprehensive Plan Map, which provides broad guidance for the development of land and access to it. The reader should then consult each element of the Plan for recommendations and policies that may impact and apply to his/her neighborhood, property, or proposed development application.
With the exception of the Regional Context and Demographic Profile and the Implementation elements, each element of the Plan begins with a vision statement. The vision statement describes the desired future from the perspective of the year 2020 - the Plan's time horizon. Thus, the reader will find references to events that are envisioned to occur within the next 20 years as the Plan is implemented.
The vision statement is followed by a brief overview of the element, a list of key issues to be addressed, and a set of goals, objectives and strategies to guide implementation.