Public comment period begins for amended places2040 plan
Lancaster, PA – The Lancaster County Planning Department has announced the release of a revised March 2026 Amendment to the Lancaster County comprehensive plan called places2040.
The public review period for the amended plan extends through Monday, May 31, 2026. Members of the public can review the plan and submit comments using a form found on the Lancaster County Planning Department’s website: Proposed places2040 Amendment (2025) | Lancaster County Planning Department, PA. Planning Department staff will also accept comments by email (planning@lancastercountypa.gov) or by telephone (717-299-8333).
Public comments will also be accepted at the Lancaster County Planning Commission meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026 and Monday, May 11, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. in Rooms 102/104 of the Lancaster County Government Center, 150 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Public comments will be reviewed from June 1, 2026 to June 7, 2026 and the places2040 amendment and comments will be presented to the Lancaster County Planning Commission at the June 8, 2026 meeting for recommendation to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners.
The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners adopted places2040 in 2018. Soon afterward, the Lancaster County Planning
Department worked with municipalities and other planning partners to implement the plan’s goals. At regional meetings throughout the county, department staff presented data analysis and policy recommendations focusing on the Lancaster County Future Land Use and Transportation Map in the plan.
The department followed these regional meetings with discussions focused on updating growth area boundaries in Lancaster County.
Municipalities are responsible for land-use decisions in Pennsylvania, so Lancaster County Planning Department staff worked withmunicipal staff and elected officials on these potential changes.
An initial public comment period on the draft Amendment was advertised from November 19, 2025 through January 6, 2026. At its meeting on January 6, 2026, the Lancaster County Planning Commission asked staff to propose a path forward that would allow additional time for public comments. After reviewing options at its March 9, 2026 meeting, the Planning Commission voted to modify growth area boundaries on the Future Land Use and Transportation Map in places2040 and advertise another public comment period.
The revised version of the Amendment removes growth area boundary changes from the Pequea Valley and Eastern Lancaster County regions until they complete their new comprehensive plans. If these regions adopt growth area boundary changes as a part of these plans, the Lancaster County Planning Commission will review them and decide whether an update to places2040 is appropriate.
Places2040 serves as the vision for land use and transportation planning in Lancaster County between now and 2040. The question is not whether we accommodate growth but how we do it. If we plan ahead for future challenges, we can protect what we love about the
county while giving it the opportunity to grow.
