[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
Bellefonte as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted as Ch. 264, Secs. 264.01 to 264.04, of the 1979
Codified Ordinances; amended in it entirety at time of adoption of
Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A Planning Commission consisting of five members is hereby created and established for the Borough of Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania, pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 201, of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as established by the Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805, No. 247, as amended and reenacted (53 P.S. § 10201 et seq.).
The Planning Commission shall be comprised of five members who
shall be appointed for terms of office of four years, or until a successor
is appointed and qualified, except that the terms of office for three
of the original members shall be fixed at one year, two years and
three years, respectively, and the terms of office for two of the
original members shall be fixed at four years, to be established in
a series of overlapping terms with one term expiring each year, except
for one year in which two terms shall expire.
The Planning Commission shall have all the powers and duties
conferred and imposed upon it as set forth in the Pennsylvania Municipalities
Planning Code, established by the Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805,
No. 247, as amended and reenacted.
[Adopted 9-9-2002 by Ord. No. 1166 (Ch. 264, Sec. 264.05,
of the 1979 Codified Ordinances)]
Bellefonte Borough hereby joins with the municipalities of Benner
Township, Marion Township, Spring Township, and Walker Township to
create the Nittany Valley Joint Planning Commission as per the guidelines
set forth under Article XI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning
Code, Fifteenth Edition of Act 247, as amended January 1, 2001. Each
participating municipality shall appoint two members. The term of
each member shall be two years.
A.
The five municipalities of the Bellefonte area have come to recognize
that the issues associated with growth and development, such as, but
not limited to, traffic congestion, air and water pollution, and loss
of open space, are too large for any one municipality to deal with.
They further recognize that current growth and anticipated growth,
if not properly managed, will lead to the diminution of the region's
quality of life. They are concerned that current zoning requirements
which call for each and every municipality to provide for a full range
of uses, regardless of historic development patterns, is inefficient
and potentially destructive to the region's economic and social
structure.
B.
To this end, the five municipalities of the Bellefonte area hereby
embark on a course of action to implement multimunicipal planning.
Bellefonte Borough empowers the Nittany Valley Joint Planning Commission
to undertake the development of a multimunicipal comprehensive plan
that shall encompass the five municipalities of the Bellefonte area.
The Nittany Valley Joint Planning Commission shall have the
responsibility to prepare a multimunicipal comprehensive plan for
the five participating municipalities of the Bellefonte area. To this
end, the powers and duties of the Commission are as follows:
A.
To prepare a multimunicipal comprehensive plan pursuant to Article
XI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
B.
That, in the preparation of the multimunicipal comprehensive plan,
the members of the Commission shall represent the interest of their
respective municipalities and may cast one vote per municipality on
all matters that require action.
C.
The recommendation of the Commission shall be advisory only.
D.
The municipalities may extend the power and duties of the Joint Planning
Commission by resolution of all participating municipalities.
E.
The Commission shall be guided by the bylaws of the Nittany Valley
Joint Planning Commission attached to original Ordinance No. 1166,
adopted September 9, 2002.
Any participating municipality may withdraw from the Nittany
Valley Joint Planning Commission after six months' formal notice.
Formal notice must be submitted in writing with the consent of the
respective governing body authorizing withdrawal from the joint planning
commission. Upon receiving notice that a municipality wishes to withdraw
from the joint planning commission, the governing bodies of the remaining
municipalities shall promptly schedule a meeting to consider whether
the remaining municipalities wish to continue with the joint planning
commission. Municipalities who choose to withdraw shall still be responsible
for their share of costs for the six-month formal notice period.
In instances where a dispute arises between two or more municipalities
as to the contents of the multimunicipal comprehensive plan or the
interpretation of this article, the joint planning commission may
retain the services of the Centre County Planning Commission or any
other organization that specializes in mediation. The parties involved
in the dispute shall be responsible for any costs incurred for mediation.
