Planning 

On June 25, 2026, Borough Council adopted the first ever Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan to guide investments over the next few decades.

There is a high resolution copy for printing and a lower-resolution copy for digitial consumption.

River Bend is a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Sharpsburg, Millvale, and Etna – also known as the TriBoro EcoDistrict – focusing on eight goals the three communities believe they can achieve. Representatives from each community focused on major issues that could be worked on together. The plan features the following goals:​

• Seize opportunities to work together
• Strengthen the sense of place
• Leverage existing assets
• Focus on opportunity building blocks as physical places to grow
• Update zoning ordinances
• Target key land-use changes
• Improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure
• Address stormwater management

Other projects called for include studying ways to connect with riverfront locations, installing bicycle lanes and racks, improvements to Canal Street and to create design guidelines.

• River Bend Comprehensive Plan (PDF)
• TriBoro EcoDistrict Post-Gazette News Article (External Link)

The Sharpsburg Climate Action Plan was adopted by Sharpsburg Borough Council in 2021 following months of community engagement and years of research on the environmental issues—like flooding, landslides, and air pollution—facing Sharpsburg. Developed in partnership with ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability, CONNECT (the Congress of Neighboring Communities), and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, and with support from the PA Department of Environmental Protection, this plan offers guidance on actionable strategies we can take locally to address Sharpsburg’s specific environmental challenges and related issues while improving local quality of life.” 

Sharpsburg Climate Action Plan – 2021 (PDF)

The Sharpsburg Community Vision Plan is the community’s roadmap to shape their future and guide development in the borough for the next five to ten years. The plan showcases Sharpsburg’s identity, people, culture, and ambitions, and envisions a community of opportunity where all people are connected, thriving, resilient, and empowered to the best they can be. 

Sharpsburg Community Vision Plan (PDF)

The Community Greening Assessment project is an approach to planning, designing, constructing, and managing green infrastructure in western Pennsylvania. Green infrastructure (GI) is an approach to stormwater management that mimics natural water cycles. Instead of sending stormwater into grey infrastructure (catch basins, pipes, water treatment plants, etc.), GI offers effective, economical, and beautiful solutions to capture, slow down, and absorb stormwater. 

• 2022 06 13 Sharpsburg Final Report WPC Community Greening Assessments (PDF)
• 20211202 Sharpsburg Stakeholder Meeting (PDF)

Strategic Management Planning Program

The Borough received grant funding to participate in the Strategic Management Planning Program, which was a comprehensive financial and operations analysis. The project was broken into multiple steps.

Executive Summary of the first three steps:

Executive Summary Steps 1-3

Executive Summary of Steps 4-6

Executive Summary Steps 4-6

This is the complete report for the first three steps if you would like to see more detail than the Executive Summary above.

Steps 1-3 Complete Report

This is the complete report for step 4 if you would like to see more detail than the Executive Summary above.

Step 4 Complete Report

This is the complete report for Steps 5-6 if you would like to see more detail that the Executive Summary above.

Steps 5-6 Complete Report

Fire Study

The fire study for Sharpsburg, O’Hara, Aspinwall and Blawnox was conducted in 2022 into 2023 to produce recommenedations for area fire departments.

This is the slide deck from the Mary 14, 2026 Council Workshop meeting. The presentation was by the consulting team from ICF, which was funded by HUD through the Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Program.