Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel 3d said in 1995: "Art was the vision behind the open-space program. Once the politicians caught up to him, he was ready to roll. He just went to his file cabinet."
Mr. Loeben was on track for a career in academia when he joined the Montgomery County Planning Commission in the 1950s for "bread and butter." He was asked to stay on and was appointed director in 1957.
The planning commission is charged with looking out for the county's best interest in terms of growth. But it only gets to recommend land-development choices, Mr. Loeben told The Inquirer. The final decisions are in the hands of township and borough officials.
"I'd like to think our average is about 50-50," he said. "We never give up; we keep recommending and advising."
Mr. Loeben was a member of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. He was past president of the Pennsylvania Planning Association and was active with numerous professional associations.
After retiring, he continued to serve the county, including as chairman of "Montgomery 2000 - A Blueprint for the Future," a task force established to give officials direction on issues such as suburban sprawl.
Mr. Loeben sponsored scholarships for urban planning students at Temple University's Ambler campus and Montgomery County Community College.
A native of Gloversville, N.Y., Mr. Loeben served in the Army Air Force during World War II as a navigator instructor in the states and then as a navigator and bombardier in the South Pacific. He flew 20 missions aboard B-25s. When the war ended, he was stationed in occupied Japan.
