Metropolitan Planning

Mission

The St. Clair County Metropolitan Planning Commission works to make St. Clair County a better place to live, work and play. This mission is accomplished through comprehensive countywide planning programs that establish policies and plans to guide economic, physical, and social development.

What the Metropolitan Planning Commission Does

The Metropolitan Planning Commission and their staff perform a variety of planning functions to the benefit of citizens, local communities, the business community, the County Board of Commissioners, and other county departments. A partial listing of those functions follows.

Countywide Planning - The Commission and its staff perform countywide planning in the following areas: land use, transportation (through the St. Clair County Transportation Study, SCCOTS), environmental (agricultural preservation, brownfield redevelopment, and solid waste planning); community and economic development (housing programs, placemaking, and the St. Clair County Land Bank Authority). The Commission and its staff work in concert with other county departments and organizations throughout the community on special projects, such as the recent Blueways of St. Clair project. Members of the Commission and its staff also sit on a number of countywide and regional planning committees.

County Board of Commissioners - The Commission and its staff provide assistance to the Board of Commissioners through corporate planning initiatives, research, and data analysis. Commission and staff serve on committees and task forces as requested by the Board of Commissioners, and the Commission completes special projects and reports as requested.

Operational Activities - There are a number of operational activities performed by the Commission and their staff. They include: developing the County’s annual Capital Improvement Program; coordinating transportation improvement project funding through the St. Clair County Transportation Study; awarding and administering housing rehabilitation loans and grants in collaboration with community partners; and the execution and administration of several environmental grant programs.

Community Assistance - The Commission and its staff provide planning and zoning assistance to local communities through review and recommendations on local land use plans and zoning ordinances. Local grant applications are also reviewed and coordinated with other agencies and adjoining communities that may be affected by a proposal. The Commission conducts research on planning and zoning matters on behalf of local communities, provides sample ordinances, and collects and disseminates data. The Commission provides educational opportunities to local communities with annual fall and winter training sessions and quarterly ‘Partners in Planning’ discussion meetings. Additionally, the Commission will organize and conduct specialized training as requested. The Commission also maintains a large planning library open to the public. The library includes copies of all local community land use and recreation plans, as well as local zoning ordinances.

Public Assistance - The Commission and its staff provide data and conducts limited research for citizens and the public at large. The Commission can also provide aerial photography, wetland maps, topographical maps and soils surveys.

Funding - The Metropolitan Planning Commission receives funding from the County Board of Commissioners annual budget. The Metropolitan Planning Commission also has the authority to apply for, receive and accept grants from any governmental agency. Currently the Commission receives grant funds for several program areas, including transportation, housing, and coastal management.