For a municipality to lawfully regulate land use within its boundaries they must first adopt a comprehensive plan. The City of Weirton undertook this endeavor, completing and adopting the last plan in June of 2000. West Virginia State Code, specifically Chapter 8A. Land Use Planning outlines these very requirements. Further, Article 8A-3-11 states that “after the adoption of a comprehensive plan by the governing body, the planning commission shall follow the comprehensive plan, and review the comprehensive plan and make updates at least every ten years.” We are approaching the seventeen-year mark for our plan, meaning that we are seven years past the required update as mandated by the State. A comprehensive plan is our guide for physical development within the City, including land use, adopted by a governing body, setting forth guidelines, goals and objectives for all activities that affect growth and development in the governing body’s jurisdiction. The Planning and Development Department has requested RFP’s from qualified firms and, from those firms, Mackin Engineering from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been chosen to work with our department, the planning commission, city council, and all interested parties in updating Weirton’s comprehensive plan.
