Multi-Municipal Planning in Hempfield Township by Rob Ritson

Rob Ritson (second from left), Township Manager for Hempfield Township, was appointed to serve on the Hempfield/Greensburg joint multi-municipal planning committee. Ritson explained that despite the rural nature of Westmoreland County, Hempfield Township has experienced growth and leadership change. The elected officials noticed that complaints on growth and infrastructure demanded a change in planning. The comprehensive plan was from 1976 and the City of Greensburg had adopted a new plan two years before, so when the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County approached Hempfield with the idea for them to hold multi-municipal planning workshops with the help of the Local Government Academy, they invited all their neighboring municipalities and prepared themselves to develop a multi-municipal plan. Although they lost a few of the municipalities because of perceptions of loss of power, the plan moved forward with a visioning process by building their credibility through actions and not words. The planner for the City of Greensburg worked on the plan with Hempfield, offering professional planning experience.

Click here to read about the Hempfield Township and City of Greensburg Comp Plan