Delaware County has released a new plan that examines housing in the county and outlines a path towards quality housing for all Delaware County residents. The plan is currently available for public review and comment, and we invite input from the community.
The Delaware County Planning Department recently completed its draft Delaware County Housing Plan. This document will be officially adopted as a component plan of the County’s comprehensive plan, Delaware County 2035. The comprehensive plan is a policy document that establishes a long-range vision and sets goals for the County while also providing recommendations for municipalities to help the County achieve those goals. The goals of the comprehensive plan are carried out through zoning and other land use and development tools.
The Housing Plan is a long-range strategy to provide adequate housing solutions for all residents in Delaware County. It is the product of a collaboration between the County’s Planning Department and the Office of Housing and Community Development, the agency responsible for the ongoing distribution of federal housing funds and planning for affordable housing. The plan takes stock of existing housing and the factors that have influenced its location, type, and condition. It also examines the County’s current housing needs as well as trends likely to influence housing needs in the future.
“The Housing Plan is especially important and timely because the County has not looked at broad policies related to housing for many years,” said Linda Hill, director of the County Planning Department as well as the county’s Office of Housing and Community Development. “In addition to promoting ongoing efforts to address homelessness and provide affordable housing for low-income residents, the Housing Plan also examines the county’s market-rate housing and the housing needs of the county as a whole.”
The Housing Plan outlines actions the county and its municipalities can take in the near and long term that are in line with the broader goals of Delaware County 2035. The Delaware County Housing Plan draft is currently available for public review and comment until Aug. 26. Following the public review period, the plan will be officially adopted by County Council in the fall of 2020.
Residents are encouraged to take the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the plan, which can be found on the DCPD website.
