The county planning commission was created under P.A. 282 of 1945 and is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on all township zoning changes and land use plans. The county planning commission’s goal is to promote coordinated planning across township lines, to promote educational opportunities for local officials, and to ensure smart growth practices for future development.

The county planning commission meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month (except for November and December which will be held the 3rd Wednesday)at 6:30 PM in the Board of Commissioners Room, Second floor of the Administation and Land Services Building, located at 219 Paw Paw St Suite 201, in Paw Paw.
Local units of government with land use plans or zoning amendments for review should send all relevant documents (including meeting minutes) to:

Ted Thar
Attn: VBCO Planning Commission
219 Paw Paw St., Suite 302
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8243
Fax: (269) 657-0579
E-mail: thart@vbco.org

The county planning commission budget provides for per diem (as determined by the County Board), travel, limited training, and dues to the Michigan Association of Planning.

Van Buren County Planning Commission
Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Van Buren County (VBC) Planning Commission (PC) to:

Encourage and facilitate local planning efforts, especially with respect to coordinated planning; emphasize the importance of ongoing education and training for local appointed and elected officials in order to uphold responsible, effective decision-making; help communities understand the need to plan in order to proactively mitigate land-use conflicts, resolve issues, and make development decisions that are predictable, equitable, and cost effective.

To that end, the VBC PC is committed to:

• Promoting consistency, complementation, coordination in land use between and among county, city, village, and township entities through master plan review and coordinated county planning.
• Providing educational opportunities, ideas, and resources to local governmental boards, commissions, committees, and the citizens they serve.
• Helping local units to understand and respond to issues related to urban sprawl.
• Being present and available to local units to respond to local needs.
• Continuing education of its own members to better serve the local units.