Open Space Accelerator Program

Local municipalities play a central role in expanding the county's network of preserved open space. To support municipalities in achieving their open space goals, the Chester County Planning Commission is preparing to launch an Open Space Accelerator mini-grant program. This program is designed to facilitate a relatively quick, low-cost, and implementation-focused planning process that provides a few achievable priority actions through a process that elevates the importance of open space in the community. This program will be launched in Summer 2025.

old farm photo

How it Works

Municipalities whose applications are selected to participate in the Open Space Accelerator program are assigned a pre-selected consultant who will lead an expedited planning process that follows a pre-defined scope of work that is tailored to the municipality's context and needs.

The total project cost is approximately $20,000, and municipalities can apply for funding through CCPC's Open Space Accelerator program to cover 50% of the project cost. Additionally, municipalities can seek funding through CCPC's VPP Rolling Mini-Grant program to cover the remaining project costs. As part of the project scope, all participating municipalities are required to host an open space-focused community event at their expense.

The Process

  1. Informational Meeting
    Meet with Chester County Planning Staff and your assigned consultant to discuss your municipality’s open space needs and context. A project scope of work will be established.
  2. Establish a Steering Committee
    The Committee will meet two to four times. The Committee can be a Planning Commission, EAC, Parks and Recreation Committee, or a new group formed specifically for this purpose.
  3. Rapid Assessment
    The planning consultant will conduct an inventory of existing goals, plans and ordinances related to open space, and will review their findings with the Steering Committee.
    4. playground
  4. Community Event
    The municipality will host an open space-centered community event where attendees can provide input on their open space priorities.
  5. Prioritize Actions, Plan for Implementation
    The consultant will review input from the Steering Committee and public to develop an achievable number of priority actions (one to three). Guided by the Steering Committee, the consultant will develop a detailed implementation plan for each priority action.
    Examples of implementation plans could include (but are not limited to): land preservation plan update (including farmland); analysis of opportunities for new park land acquisition; feasibility studies for connector trails; feasibility study for establishing an open space funding program; updating a conservation subdivision ordinance; developing a fee-in-lieu of parkland ordinance; conceptual master plan for a future park property.
  6. Public Meeting and Acceptance
    The consultant will present the results of the Rapid Assessment and Implementation Plans to the elected officials in a public meeting. If the planning work received external funding the elected officials should take official action to accept the plans to receive reimbursement.
  7. Implementation Support
    Staff from the Chester County Planning Commission can serve in an advisory role to support project implementation for up to one year after acceptance/adoption of the planning product.

Timing, Cost, and Staff/Volunteer Requirements

The planning process is designed to be low effort and low-cost to conserve more municipal capacity for implementation. The entire process, from award to plan acceptance, should take less than 12 months to complete and costs approximately $20,000. Funding is available through the Open Space Accelerator mini-grant to cover 50% of this cost. Additionally, municipalities can apply for VPP Rolling Mini-Grant funding to cover the remainder of the project cost. Both grant programs are competitive, and funding is not guaranteed.

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The participating municipality should establish a steering committee for the project that will meet 2-4 times over the course of the project. This committee can be an existing committee or commission (Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Board, EAC, etc.), as long as separate meetings dedicated to this project are held.

Additionally, participating municipalities must organize and execute an open space-centered community event during the project to rally the community around the importance of open space, and to solicit input on open space priorities. The cost of executing this event is not included in the total project cost and is considered part of the municipal match. Municipalities are welcome to offset event-related costs through sponsorships, utilizing volunteers, etc.

How to Get Started

The Open Space Accelerator is expected to launch in Summer 2025. Municipalities interested in participating in the pilot round of the Open Space Accelerator program should contact Ryan Mawhinney, Sustainability Planner, at the Chester County Planning Commission to discuss their project idea. Ryan can be reached at rObfuscationmawhinney@Obfuscationchesco.org or 610-344-6285.