Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 

In 2021, the Tri-County Commission sought to improve its existing online toolkit to provide clear, concise, and current information on planning topics to planners, solicitors, elected or appointed officials, and the public. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, with a wide variety of urban, suburban and rural areas, the Commission found that there was no one stop shop for quick references, technical guides, and model ordinances and that better resources were needed.

The Commission began by tracking visits on their existing toolkit website, then surveying over 70 municipalities and hosting two conference sessions to solicit planner’s input at the 2020 and 2021 APA PA Conferences. This resulted in identification and prioritization of approximately 40 planning topics, from traditional topics to current trends, including short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units, tiny houses, food trucks, drones, and e-scooters and e-bikes.

The Planning Toolkit includes two-page fact sheets for each topic, providing easy-to-understand background information, pros and cons, and resources and examples, most of which include hyperlinks for a more in-depth dive. The commission also integrated an “interested in a topic not included here” feature to track emerging trends and to manage overall content.

The toolkit launched in 2022 and has received over 2,000 hits at the time of the award in 2023. This interest has translated into a number of municipalities seeking assistance from the Commission to update their zoning, subdivision and land development, and other ordinances. The site has also become a resource for professors and students studying and modeling planning principles, as well as planners statewide, who use the content as part of their community outreach. The Chapter Awards Committee noted that the toolkit provides “great access to planning that addresses current planning issues, is accessible, includes success stories, and is highly transferrable.”