EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The eleven chapters of this comprehensive plan provide a written and graphic description and analysis of current conditions, resources, and capabilities throughout Anthony, Derry, Liberty, Limestone and West Hemlock Townships in Montour County. In addition, the Plan presents future growth policies, recommendations and strategies to address identified concerns and manage the municipalities’ assets for the future. The document’s intent is to provide for future growth in the Planning Area in such a way that will preserve the Area’s rural, agricultural character and quality of life. The Northern Montour Regional Planning Commission, at the direction of the Boards of Supervisors of Anthony, Derry, Liberty, Limestone and West Hemlock Townships, was assigned the primary responsibility for development of the Plan. In June of 1992 a Professional Planning Consultant (Landplan, Inc.) was selected to assist the Planning Commission with the project. Work began in August of that year and has culminated with the development of this document. During the process, a Public Opinion Survey was distributed to all property owners residing in the five Study Area municipalities to solicit their input on various aspects of the Plan. The various elements of the Plan are interrelated from beginning to end. The background chapters (1-9) present and evaluate available resources and land use activities in the Planning Area; the goals (Chapter 10) set forth the municipalities’ desires regarding the type, location, and intensity of future development of the Area; the objective statements (following each goal in Chapter 10) describe the intent or purpose of each goal; and the recommendations (also in Chapter 10) illustrate specific ways in which the goals may be achieved. Chapter 11 identifies specific strategies which could be used to implement the recommendations and a timetable for their activation. In other words, the goal statements represent “what” Township officials would like to see accomplished in the community in the future; the objectives explain “why” each goal is important; the recommendations, “how” each goal might be accomplished; and the implementation strategies, “when” the recommendations should be addressed. The following paragraphs provide additional detail regarding each of the chapters of this Plan. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the planning process. The purpose of comprehensive planning, as well as its benefits for the Planning Area are presented. The importance of public input in the process and the legal status and authority of such Plans are also explained. In general, although the Plan provides a basis for the……. 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Early in 1992, five (5) of the eight (8) member-municipalities in the Montour County Council of Governments (COG) decided to undertake the development of a Joint Municipal Comprehensive Plan for the purpose of guiding future growth and development within their areas. The Northern Montour Regional Planning Commission was then established by the five municipalities and was assigned the primary responsibilities for preparation of the Plan. The Commission’s overall intent, through planning, is to ensure that future development within their borders is managed so that it is environmentally, aesthetically and economically acceptable. The five (5) municipalities participating in the preparation of this Joint Municipal Comprehensive Plan are Anthony, Derry, Liberty, Limestone, and West Hemlock Townships. This chapter of the Comprehensive Plan provides an overview of the purposes and authority of comprehensive planning, as well as an explanation of the comprehensive planning process and the legal authority of adopted Comprehensive Plans. A. WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ? A Comprehensive Plan is an official public document adopted by the local governing body as a policy guide to decisions regarding the physical development of the community or region in the next 10 to 15 years. (In this case, the governing bodies of each of the municipalities included in the Planning Area will need to adopt the Joint Municipal Plan upon its completion.) In other words, it is a tool or mechanism in which a municipality or group of municipalities identify their goals and objectives for the future and establish practical strategies to achieve those goals. Such a Plan provides a framework or foundation upon which municipal decisions relating to land use, housing, transportation, and community facilities and utilities and other land use-related issues can be based. Planning can be defined as an orderly process or activity by which a community or group of communities attempt to deal with their present problems and situations, then provide for their future needs. Planning ahead is important, especially in rural areas, like Anthony, Derry, Liberty, Limestone and West Hemlock Townships, where resources are limited. Without a Comprehensive Plan, the forces of the market place will likely determine what sort of development takes place rather than community and regional needs or any sense of what the residents of the area want to protect or preserve. Conscientious comprehensive planning can help preserve communities that reflect the values and desires of their citizens. 2 B. PURPOSE OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The purpose of a Comprehensive Plan is to provide guidance for future actions of an in the municipalities. A Plan solves nothing by itself, but planning can help prevent problems from occurring, because once the damage from unplanned development is done, it is often difficult and costly to correct. There are several important reasons to plan for future growth and development, including: · Planning can help control change. Change is inevitable, but local planning efforts can play a big role in ensuring such change is guided in a positive direction. · Planning can guide and coordinate growth and development by: helping to encourage the wise use of land and natural resources; ensuring the preservation of the best possible environment; anticipating future growth needs; and assuring acceptable future development and development patterns through the preparation of reasonable land use control regulations. · Planning can lead to improved governmental process and functioning by coordinating the activities of numerous municipal agencies, helping to avoid unnecessary delays and redundant spending, and simplifying decision-making activities in various subject areas. · Planning can help communities meet their present and future financial obligations and can improve their chances for receiving state and/or federal project funding. Funding priorities are often given to municipalities that have anticipated their local needs and established local priorities through the preparation of a Comprehensive Plan. And, in many instances, preferential consideration is given to multi-municipal applications. · Planning provides an opportunity for elected and non-elected citizens of a community to shape the future of their municipality or region. When combined with zoning and subdivision regulations, a Comprehensive Plan can manage, control and guide growth and development, while providing protection for special areas or historic places and community resources, by directing growth to the best suited or most appropriate locations. Everyone will benefit from better managed development. Residents will enjoy more convenient, efficient neighborhoods, a high quality natural environment, less congestion and, as a result, lower taxes in many instances. Business people will enjoy more predictability knowing that their investments are located in appreciating markets. And, developers will face less uncertainty, incur lower development costs and have the assurance that the environments around their developments will continue to be of high quality. 3 Although the basic power over land use is provided through zoning regulations and the design and layout of development is governed by subdivision regulations, good planning is necessary to provide the rationale and vision to sustain such ordinances and to assure necessary state agency approvals and receive favorable funding consideration. The development of a thorough Comprehensive Plan provides an opportunity for a community or area to broaden its focus and look at the impact of each decision on the entire region rather than just the immediate affected site. C. AUTHORITY FOR COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING The legal authority to undertake the preparation of a Comprehensive Plan, a municipal Zoning Ordinance and/or a local Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance is provided through the PA Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1969, as amended by Act 170 of 1988). This legislation sets forth an outline of what is required in such a Plan or Ordinance and how each document should be developed. The primary intent, purpose and scope of the Planning Code is to… “protect and promote safety, health, and morals; to accomplish coordinated development; to provide for the general welfare by guiding and protecting amenity, convenience, future governmental, economic, practical, and social and cultural facilities, development and growth, as well as the improvement of governmental processes and functions; to guide uses of land and structures, type and location of streets, public grounds and other facilities; to promote the conservation of energy through the use of planning practices and to promote the effective utilization of renewable energy sources; and to permit municipalities to minimize such problems as may presently