Next Generation Growth Management Plans

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Next GenerationGrowth Management Plans
American Planning Association 2006 National
ConferenceSan Antonio, Texas Presented
byMatthew J. Bennett, AICP, McCormick Taylor
Associates Julia Freedgood, American Farmland
TrustMary L. Frey, AICP, Lancaster County
Planning CommissionDavid Rouse, AICP, Wallace,
Roberts Todd, LLC
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First Generation Growth Management Plans

• Response to intense
• pressure for development
• on farmland
• Key Components
• Urban Growth Boundaries
• Urban Service Areas
• Increased Development Intensity
• Farmland Preservation
• Agricultural Rural Zoning
• Purchase of Development Rights
• Transfer of Development Rights

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Forerunners inGrowth Management

• Lexington, Kentucky
• First Urban Service Area in U.S. (1958)
• Lexington-Fayette Urban County (1974)
• Urban Service Area named a
• National Historic Planning Landmark
• Portland, Oregon
• Urban Growth Boundary established in 1973
• Metro regional government created in 1978
• 1.3 million residents in 3 counties and 25 cities

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Growth Managementin Lancaster County, PA
Urban Growth Areas 1992 present

• UGA Development Targets
• Density 5.5 Dwellings/Acre
• New Dwellings in UGAs 80
• Agricultural Zoning
• 1 dwelling / 20 acres

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Evolution ofGrowth Management Plans
First Generation Next Generation
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State of the Art Approach to Managing Growth

• Values-Driven Planning Process
• Extensive community involvement
• Urban Strategy beyond UGBs
• Urban form and quality of life
• Promote compatible development in Urban Areas
• Rural Strategy beyond Farmland Preservation
• Sustain the agricultural industry and rural
  economy
• Protect rural landscapes, resources, and
  heritage
• Focus on Implementation
• Growth management tools, targets, and monitoring

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Growth Managementin Pennsylvania

• County Local Comprehensive Plans
• Plan Designations
• Designated and Future Growth Areas
• Public Infrastructure Areas
• Rural Resource Areas
• Growth Management Tools
• Multi-Municipal Planning Zoning
• Specific Plan
• Traditional Neighborhood Development
• Transferable Development Rights
• Development of Regional Significance and Impact

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Balance Lancaster CountysNew Growth
Management Plan

• Presentation Outline
• David Rouse
• Overview of County / Existing Conditions
• Public Input / Selected Alternative
• Growth Management Framework / Components
• Julia Freedgood
• Rural Agricultural Economy
• Farmland Preservation / Voice for Farmers
• Matthew Bennett
• Infrastructure for Implementation
• Sewer Water / Land Use Transportation

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(No Transcript)
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Overview ofLancaster County

• Located 40 miles west of Philadelphia
• 950 square miles / 482,775 population
• 60 municipalities 1 city, 18 boroughs
• (small cities/towns), 41 townships
• Largest Lancaster City (56,348)
• Smallest Christiana Borough (1,124)

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Overview of Lancaster County

• Lancaster
• County
• Municipalities

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Overview ofLancaster County

• Famous for the cultural heritage of the Plain
  Sect farming community who came to America from
  Germany in the 17th century
• Listed on World Monument Watch List of the
  worlds 100 most endangered historical and
  cultural sites due to development pressures

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Lancaster CountyComprehensive Plan
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BalanceGrowth Management Element

• Planning Process
• ? Existing Conditions Trends
• ? Community Forum 1
• ? Alternatives Balancing Growth Preservation
• ? Community Forum 2
• ? Preferred Growth Management Framework
• ? Community Forum 3

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Existing Conditions and Trends
Development Patterns

• 26 of County is developed
• 63 of County is in agricultural use
• 45 of developed land is inside Growth Areas
• 55 of developed land is outside Growth Areas

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Existing Conditions and Trends
Development Trends

• 17,869 housing units constructed, 1994-2002
• 76 of units were constructed inside Growth Areas
• The 24 of units constructed outside of growth
  areas consumed 60 of the land

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Citizen Input to the Update
Community Forum 1 Results
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Alternatives for the Future

• Strategic Choices
• Choice 1 Urban and
• Rural Areas
• Choice 2 Tiers
• Choice 3 Centers

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Alternatives for the Future
Choice 1 Urban Rural Areas
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Alternatives for the Future
Choice 2 Tiers
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Alternatives for the Future
Choice 3 Centers
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Alternatives Citizen Input
Community Forum 2 Results
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Growth Management ElementPreferred Alternative

• Based on the citizen input, a Preferred
  Alternative was selected that combines Choice 1
  (Urban and Rural Areas) and Choice 3 (Centers)

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Growth Management Framework
A general representation of the Countywide Vision
expressed through Urban Growth Area and Rural
Strategies
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Growth Management Element Components

• Urban Growth Area Strategy
• Rural Strategy
• Implementation Strategy

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Urban Growth Area Strategy

• Focus new growth in Urban Growth Areas Targets
• 85 of all new development
• 7.5 dwelling units/acre
• Maintain defined edge between UGAs and
  surrounding countryside
• Improve development patterns and quality
• Reinvest in older communities (12 of new
  dwelling units and 55 of new jobs)
• Mixed-use centers

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Rural Area Strategy

• Designate Rural Areas for protection of key
  resources
• Agricultural Areas
• Agricultural with Natural Areas
• Natural Areas
• Focus growth in villages and other areas of
  existing development
• Prohibit infrastructure (water and sewer)
  extensions outside of Growth Areas

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ImplementationSmart Growth Toolbox

• Infrastructure Investments
• Limit major investments to UGAs
• Land Use Regulations
• Mixed-Use Zoning in UGAs
• Agricultural Zoning in Rural Areas
• Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
• Funding Programs
• Grants for reinvestment in older urban areas
• Purchase of development rights on farmland
• Planning / Policy
• Agricultural viability program
• Green Infrastructure Plan

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ImplementationMonitoring Program

• Ongoing review, monitoring, and updating is
  necessary for success
• Enhancement of Growth Tracking
• System
• Growth Management indicators to measure
  implementation progress, e.g.
• 85 of new dwelling units inside Growth Areas /
  15 outside Growth Areas
• Average density of 7.5 dwellings per acre in UGAs
  / 2.5 dwelling units per acre in VGAs

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Lancaster CountysRural Strategy

• Integral to the Growth Management Element Update
• More than land use or landscape
• Economic viability is key

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Goal of Lancaster CountysRural Strategy

• Sustain a rural way of life by maintaining
• the integrity of agricultural, natural historic
  lands and resources
• the viability of the rural economy

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Rural Land Uses Include
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Support a DynamicRural Economy
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Agriculture is Lancasters Leading Rural
Industry Sector

• 63 of land base
• 11 of economic output
• 20 of jobs

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County/Township Collaboration to Sustain
Agriculture

• Support farmland preservation
• Reduce impacts of new development
• Ensure farmers have a voice
• Create an ag development strategy to
• retain traditional livestock agriculture
• encourage higher-value crops

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SupportFarmland Preservation
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Reduce the Impacts of Scattered Development

• Protect farming in Agricultural Zones
• Guide development to Rural Centers
• Relieve farmers from
• onerous nuisance
• complaints
• Ensure that ordinances
• are reasonable
• and support agriculture
• Provide property tax relief

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Ensure that Farmers Have a Voice

• Create township Agricultural Advisory Boards
• Encourage farm family members/retired farmers to
  be Agricultural Ambassadors
• Coordinate with the Blue Ribbon
• Commission on Lancaster County
• Agriculture
• Develop a Center for Excellence
• in agricultural innovation

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Create an Ag Economic Development Strategy

• Include an Agricultural Economic Development
• component in Countys Comprehensive Plan
• Support new agricultural
• infrastructure
• Brand and Market local
• farm products
• Measure and support the
• economic impact of the
• Plain Sect on agriculture
• and tourism

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Develop Value-Added Agri-tourism
Opportunities

• Explore biofuels, biomass other farm-based
  alternative energies
• Create infrastructure for alternative and
  value-added agricultural enterprises
• Promote low risk, profitable business models and
  technology transfer
• Support accessory farm-related uses

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Address AccessoryOn-Farm Businesses

• Permit and encourage on-farm businesses related
  to agriculture (agritourism, farm stands, methane
  generation, etc.)
• Strictly control businesses that dont relate to
  farming (e.g. furniture manufacturing.)

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The Key is toPlan for Agriculture

• It takes public input a holistic plan to
  maintain the rural economy and sustain farms,
  farmers, and farmland
• Land use
• Agricultural economic
• development
• Environmental stewardship
• Education and outreach

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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

• Its not Farmland
• without Farmers

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Infrastructure Planning

• The Challenge
• Support the full
• development and use of
• designated growth areas
• Support appropriate rural
• uses rural economy
• Discourage inappropriate
• development in rural areas

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Infrastructure Planning

• Meeting the Challenge
• Planning must lead
• Sewer water service should
• coincide with Growth Areas
• Rural settlements require
• wastewater solutions
• Land use transportation
• planning must be integrated

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Growth Areas Sewer Water
Issue
Sewer water service areas do not always
coincide with Growth Areas
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Growth Areas Sewer Water
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Growth Areas Sewer Water
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Rural Settlements Wastewater
Issues

• Public health
• safety
• concerns
• Limited
• development
• opportunities

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Rural Settlements Wastewater
Solutions

• Innovative
• Technology
• Adequate
• Funding
• Managing
• Growth

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Land Use Transportation

• Seeking a balanced approach
• to meet diverse needs
• Support urban centers
• Accommodate rural needs
• Integrating transportation and
• land use/growth management
• planning

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Land Use Transportation

• Examine consistency of
• transportation projects
• Do they support the Rural
• Strategy?
• Do they support the Urban
• Strategy?
• How do they perform on
• balance?

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Land Use TransportationPA 23 EIS CASE STUDY
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Land Use Transportation PA 23 EIS CASE STUDY

• Formed integrated
• project team
• Focused on land
• use from outset
• Developed a shared
• land use vision for
• the future

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PA 23 Trend Scenario
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PA 23 Growth Management Scenario
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Land Use TransportationPA 23 EIS CASE STUDY
Consistency Review
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Summary Next GenerationGrowth Management Plans

• Key Issues Addressed
• Livable Neighborhoods
• Revitalize Existing Communities
• Sustaining the Rural Economy and
• Agricultural Industry
• Effective Agricultural Zoning
• Preserving the Rural Landscape and
• Protecting Rural Heritage

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Summary Next GenerationGrowth Management Plans

• State of the Art Approach
• Values-Driven Planning Process
• Urban Strategy beyond UGBs
• Rural Strategy beyond
• Farmland Preservation
• Focus on Implementation

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Next GenerationGrowth Management Plans