The City of Warren Planning Commission approved a minor subdivision at a recent meeting and discussed the city's comprehensive plan.
A minor subdivision for a property on Water Street at the corner of Sixth Ave., which spans from 510 to 516 1/2 Water St., was approved to be moved forward for final approval by city council. The subdivision will divide the property into approximately 8,900-square-foot and 15,000-square-foot lots.
Discussion on the city's comprehensive plan followed a state-level training on the matter which members of the commission attended.
A comprehensive plan is an outline of overall goals and vision for community development. In real terms the plan provides guidelines for development of transportation, infrastructure and land use.
The training presentation, Commission Chairman Donald Nelson said, focused on implementation of the plan over the goal of simply completing a plan.
Nelson said the process of creating a comprehensive plan is so intensive it is sometimes viewed as a goal unto itself, but that implementation of the plan is the true goal. He likened the situation to cooking a meal and having no one sit down for dinner.
The commission discussed the need to review the plan regularly, noting that the current plan, completed more than a decade ago, represents a vision that at times may be at variance with today's realities.
While commission members agreed the plan is still the guide for Warren County development, they recognized the need to make changes over time.
"We view our plan as a working document," member Pat Scutella said.
Warren City Planning Director David Hildebrand highlighted some areas of the plan he recommends for review and suggested utilizing a consultant for more complicated revisions.