Comprehensive Plan

A comprehensive plan enables a community to establish its vision, goals, and aspirations for the future. The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code (MPC) authorizes local jurisdictions to identify areas where growth and various types of private development (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural) will occur so that a full range of public infrastructure services, including sewer, water, highways, police and fire protection, public schools, parks, open space and other services can be adequately planned and provided as needed to accommodate growth. 

 A comprehensive plan includes: 

• Objectives regarding future development, including location, character, and timing of future development
• A plan for land uses
• A plan to meet housing needs of present residents and those individuals and families anticipated to reside in the municipality
• A plan for the movement of people and goods
• A plan for community facilities and utilities
• A statement of interrelationship between plan components, which includes an estimate of the fiscal, economic development, environmental, energy conservation, and social consequences
• A plan for the protection of natural and historic resources 
• A discussion of short, medium, and long-range plan implementation strategies

Upper Dublin Township is working with a consultant, Michael Baker International, to facilitate the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance update. The comprehensive plan will be updated first and then the zoning ordinance will be updated to reflect the priorities of the plan.

The comprehensive planning process kicked-off in early Fall 2023. It is guided by a Steering Committee of residents who meet on a regular basis to provide direction and insight to Township and consultant staff.  For more information on the Steering Committee, please read the Steering Committee Selection Memo provided to the Board of Commissioners in September 2023.

The planning process is informed by community input and engagement includes:

• Focus Groups: In October and November 2023, focus groups and interviews were conducted with residents and key stakeholders to inform topics covered in the community survey and help the project team gather qualitative information and local knowledge. Click here to read the Focus Group Summary report.
• Community Survey: A community-wide survey was launched on January 3^rd and closed on March 12^th. This survey collected insight and feedback from residents and stakeholders on challenges, assets, and future opportunities. Thank you to all who participated!
• Community Meetings: Two comprehensive plan meetings have been held. One was held in June 2024 (the meeting presentation can be found here link to attached document). The other was held in October 2024 (the meeting presentation can be found here link to attached document and the meeting recording can be accessed here.

Please click here to view the Community Engagement Summary which includes community survey and pop-up event findings.

Plan Development 

As part of the research and analysis phase of the plan development, a Market and Real Estate Analysis was conducted. The analysis presents socio-economic and labor and industry trends to better understand near- and long-term land-use demand, to establish expectations for market-receptive redevelopment/development. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, future commercial and residential land-uses which may be potentially accommodated within Upper Dublin Township were identified. This report, in addition to community engagement feedback, will help to inform UD Plan’s goals and actions. 

The final draft of UD Plan, the Upper Dublin Township Comprehensive Plan, is available to view as a PDF or on the final draft plan website.

UD Plan will be adopted by the Township according to the process outlined in the PA Municipalities Planning Code (see process graphic below). All adoption process meeting dates will be shared on this website once finalized.  

The UD Plan will be presented to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, December 17. This is the first meeting as part of the adoption process. Please see more information on the Planning Commission here.

Community engagement is key in the planning process, and we would love to hear from you! Here are a few ways you can get involved throughout the process: 

• Bookmark this webpage and share it with a neighbor! We’ll post updates here throughout the process.
• Click here, enter your email address and select "Comprehensive Plan Updates" to receive email updates about the planning process, including plan events and meetings.
• Attend plan public meetings. In addition to the pop-up events in the spring, open houses were held on June 13, 2024 and October 10, 2024. There are also public meetings and hearings planned as part of the adoption process. The dates of these meetings will be shared on this webpage when they are finalized.