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Pike County Comprehensive Plan Growing...Naturally! Final Plan November 2006 Funding for this project was provided through a Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Land Use Planning & Technical Assistance Program (LUPTAP) Grant and local funds from the Pike County Board of Commissioners For more information or to request copies contact: Pike County Office of Community Planning 556 Route 402 – Suite 2 Hawley, Pike County, PA 18428 Phone: 570-226-6293 Fax: 570-226-8222 [email protected] www.pikepa.org/Comprehensiveplan.htm PIKE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Pike County, Pennsylvania PREPARED FOR: Pike County Board of Commissioners Harry Forbes, Chairman Richard A. Caridi, Vice-Chairman Karl A. Wagner, Jr., Commissioner In cooperation with the Pike County Board of Commissioners, the plan was prepared by: Pike County Pike County Comprehensive Plan Advisory Board Planning Commission Jim Alborano Cindy Wildermuth DeNise Cooke Bauer Michael Billig Susan Beecher Richard Gross Phil Bueki William Kerstetter John Crerand John Schneider Lenny Glamann John Sivick Mary Ann Hubbard James Trunzo Phil Hurwitz Steven Vitale PJ Karpiak Thomas Zeterberg Regina Moore Bob Nied Peter Pinchot Pike County Planning Commission Dave Ruby Ad-Hoc Members Ken Thiele George Jerus Cindy Wildermuth Sam Jackson Vincent Accordino Loretta Addy Pike County Lizanne Samuelson Office of Community Planning Paul Chlebowski Sally Corrigan Robert Cocchi Michael Mrozinski Tom Hettes Jeannette McBryan James McFeeley Tim Singleton Irv Rosen Planning Consultant Spotts, Stevens & McCoy, Inc., Reading, PA FOREWORD This Comprehensive Plan stresses several major initiatives, including conservation of the County’s natural resources, retention of open space and rural character, managing growth, and creating a successful working partnership between the County government and the municipalities within the County. This partnership will enable the County agencies dealing with growth issues to assist the municipalities in planning for the future, protecting resources and open space, managing growth, and encouraging more environmentally sound development. We want this Plan to be a living document that is implemented and used as a guide in decision making now and for the future. Given the tremendous growth pressures within Pike County, there is a sense of urgency in implementing this Plan, and implementation efforts have already begun. Grants have been secured for three major initiatives within the County. The County has received approval of a grant application for preparation of the Pike County Open Space, Greenways and Recreation Network Plan (OSGRP). The OSGRP will be a functional component of this Comprehensive Plan and will outline targeted actions for the County in the context of the broader land use policy directions established in the Comprehensive Plan. The OSGRP will lay the groundwork for ensuring open space remains accessible to all County residents and identify opportunities for interconnecting our communities with the surrounding high quality natural features that define the County’s rural character and tourist-based economy. The OSGRP will provide direction on the protection of high quality and exceptional water resources in the County and address the intact forested watersheds of the County; retention of the rural character and quality of life of our communities; the connectivity of current public land holdings within the County; and strategies for preservation of open space corridors which will further enhance the County’s existing greenways. Secondly, the Pike County Conservation District has been awarded a grant to perform natural resource audits of municipal ordinances. This program entitled the Community Planning Initiative will assist municipalities in natural resources inventory and mapping; analysis of potential future development patterns based upon existing municipal land use regulations; review of municipalities’ comprehensive plans and zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances; recommendations for revisions and additions to existing land use regulations; and updating municipal land use regulations. This Comprehensive Plan identifies conceptual growth areas in the County, but realizes that the task of providing detailed future land use plans and preparing zoning maps and ordinances to implement those land use plans should be left to the municipality. The Pike County Municipal Planning Initiative is one example of how the County will provide assistance to update plans and implement documents. The third grant that the County has secured is for hiring a Community and Natural Resource Planner. The planner will assist in efforts to implement the County Comprehensive Plan as it relates to sustainable development practices and integration of natural resource planning with sound land use and community revitalization efforts. The planner will also provide leadership in the County Planning office to guide the development of the Open Space, Greenways and Recreation Plan and foster multi-municipal planning efforts within the County. The County’s high quality natural resource base combined with the current and projected population growth provide municipal officials with some significant challenges in regard to natural resource management and land use decisions over the next decade. Our municipal governments are increasingly challenged to provide the necessary long-range planning for protection of the rural base of their communities while at the same time accommodating the rapid growth. Contained within the Comprehensive Plan are many strategies and concepts that are designed to assist the County and its municipalities to address future needs. These three first steps that have been taken to implement the Pike County Comprehensive Plan will assist municipal officials in successfully addressing the challenges that they face. Timely consideration of this Plan by local municipal officials and concerned citizens is considered of the utmost importance. For municipalities updating their comprehensive plans and land use regulations to achieve consistency with this Comprehensive Plan, chapters which are particularly important to review are Chapter 3, Pike County’s Collective Vision For the Future; Chapter 4, Strategies For Future Growth; the Action Plan contained in Chapters 8 and 9; Conceptual Growth Areas in Chapter 5; information on Greenway and Trail Planning in Chapter 7; and Natural and Scenic Resources Protection in Chapter 6. Initiatives to support economic development of particular importance to State agencies are discussed at the end of Chapter 17. Supplemental information on specific topics and examples of ordinance provisions, which were prepared to accompany this Plan, are found in the Appendices. In a November 2005 referendum, 68% of Pike County voters supported borrowing up to ten million dollars for county and municipal planning and land and/or easement acquisition to protect open space and create greenways, parks, and recreation areas. Proponents of the Open Space Scenic Rural Preservation Bond see the bond as critical to supporting open space and scenic rural preservation planning and implementation of smart growth techniques (such as infrastructure planning to support compact development) in the County. Preservation of important open spaces can protect water quality and supply, wildlife habitats, scenic ridges, and remaining rural character. In turn, protection of open space can support the tourist industry, which is the main component of the County’s economy, and community revitalization, and economic investment in the County by protecting quality of life. Bond proponents also have presented studies which indicate that residential development typically does not “pay its own way” – it typically requires more in community services than it generates in revenue. (Exceptions may be age-restricted retirement communities and very expensive homes.) Conversely, farmland and open space require much less in cost of services as compared to tax revenue generated. Purchasing land or easements to preserve open space saves money over time because of savings in service costs. We urge everyone to look to this document as a guide for decision-making as our County continues Growing … Naturally! TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Introduction Part 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to the Plan Context & Vision Part 2 Chapter 2 Context for Planning Actions Chapter 3 Vision for the Future Action Plan Strategies Part 3 Chapter 4 Strategies for Future Growth Chapter 5 Conceptual Growth Areas Chapter 6 Natural and Scenic Resources Protection Chapter 7 Greenway and Trail Planning Priority Initiatives Part 4 Chapter 8 Priority Actions/Summary of the Full Action Plan Chapter 9 Actions to Address Major Issues Facing the County Partnering Part 5 Chapter 10 Regional Influences and Inter-County Relationships Relationship of Plan Components Chapter 11 County-Municipal Partnerships Multi-Municipal Planning Program County Profiles Part 6 Chapter 12 Historical Resources Chapter 13 Land Use Chapter 14 Infrastructure Chapter 15 Transportation Chapter 16 Population and Housing Data and Trends Chapter 17 Economic Development Chapter 18 Community Facilities and Services Chapter 19 In-Closing APPENDICES Appendix 1 Community Survey Results Appendix 2 Synopsis of Survey of Municipal Officials Appendix 3 Public Comments from October 2004 Public Meetings Appendix 4 Multi-Municipal Planning Appendix 5 Transportation Impact Fees Appendix 6 Growing Greener Workbook Appendix 7 National/State