LANCASTER TWP — Supervisors Monday approved the creation of the township's first comprehensive plan in 15 years.

Township engineering consultant Gannett Fleming proposed the plan, which should be done every five to 10 years, at a cost of $29,074.

Plans should include three phases, said Benjamin Kramer, township manager. The first of these is to assess existing conditions and answer the “where are we now,” Kramer said.

Part two determines where the township wants to be in the future, and the third component is to put the plan into action in an achievable and efficient manner.

Implementation of the comprehensive plan most likely won't begin until summer 2020, with public discussion and ideas to be considered until about December of this year.

Before the township can begin to work out the logistics, board members must assemble a comprehensive planning board.

In the coming meetings, the board plans to narrow the list of potential contributors to about 11 people who will work toward the goals of the comprehensive plan, including Seneca Valley School Board Vice President Eric DiTullio, who the township board determined should be there, since it's his responsibility to report development changes to the school district for possible effects on enrollment rates.

A member of the Lancaster Township planning commission will likely also be tapped to serve on this board, and supervisors mentioned that Sylvia Wack may be their best choice for this role.

There will be additional opportunities for community members to express their opinions regarding the comprehensive plan in the coming months, Kramer added.

In addition to talk about the comprehensive plan, the board approved potential growth in the form of a 10-lot subdivision.

Two existing lots, ranging from 4 to 28 acres and totaling about 100 acres, will be divided into eight vacant lots and two residual tracts, pending final approval from the Department of Environmental Protection. The module was approved by the planning commission at its Feb. 14 meeting.