Strategy Description:

This strategy focuses on delineating Urban Growth Areas, Village Growth Areas, and Rural Resource Areas (a related strategy is presented in the Interchange Area Planning Process strategy). The strategy describes the process by which municipalities, either individually or collectively, identify and adopt growth and rural resource areas to guide the majority of development into urban settings or villages and away from the countryside. The strategy builds on previous planning concepts developed in the Centre Region Comprehensive Plan (Centre Regional Planning Agency – 2000) and changes to the PA Municipalities Planning Code (PAMPC- Act of 1968. P.L. 805, No. 247, as amended through 2000). The emphasis of this strategy is the consensus building process at the local / multi-municipal level. The strategy lists candidate settings best suited for this growth management technique.

Key Components:

• Begin with a clear basis for the delineation of the growth and resource areas. Elements forming the foundation for the delineation are: Pennsylvania enabling legislation, experiences of the Mid-Bald Eagle Watershed (the region), highlights of state and national experience (lessons learned), expectations for the region, and the development suitability of the region (see the appendix following the strategy)

• Initiate a public education process on the delineation of growth areas, future growth areas, and rural resource areas. It will take time to educate the public and municipal officials regarding the value of the designation of areas. Many sources and resources are available to launch the educational process. The educational / training effort must meet the following objectives:

• Engage a broad spectrum of the public – a key message must be the relationship between the delineation of the areas and zoning and what that will mean to the public. Gaining consensus on the delineation and making the connection with this delineation will lead to other changes in land use regulations.

• Train municipalities on how to work together.

• Facilitate the educational program through individual meetings with municipalities through an effort by Centre Regional Planning Agency and Centre County Planning Office. Emphasize an understanding that this may take a sustained effort.

• Available resources include publications from the American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Governor’s Center for Local Government Services

• Available sources for training and/or education: Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Education Institute, training division of state agencies, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, Pennsylvania Downtown Center, Pennsylvania Planning Association Central Section, Penn State University

• Identify a planning process to designate growth areas, future growth areas, and rural resource areas consistent with the PAMPC. The planning process will be in two parts. The first part would be completed during the Countywide Comprehensive Planning Process. The second part would be completed at the local level.

• Target areas initially for further investigation as growth areas – areas to be considered include (based on initial assessment of development suitability mapping):

• The State College Borough and contiguous areas in Harris, College, Patton, Ferguson, and Halfmoon townships (use previous work of the Centre Regional Planning Agency) plus input from Benner Township in the area of the University Park Airport
• Bellefonte Borough and contiguous areas in Spring and Benner townships
• Centre Hall Borough and contiguous areas in Potter Township

• In Ferguson Township – Village of Pine Grove Mills
• In Harris Township – Village of Boalsburg
• In Spring Township – Village of Pleasant Gap
• In Huston Township – Village of Julian
• Howard Borough and contiguous areas in Howard Township
• Milesburg Borough and contiguous areas in Boggs Township
• Unionville Borough and contiguous areas in Union Township
• Port Matilda and contiguous areas in Worth Township (work on this area will overlap with the Interchange Area Planning Process)

• Prepare a "build-out" scenario for the local effort to determine population thresholds for a twenty-year horizon; however, in the future move to a 50-year horizon for planning purposes. The "build-out" scenario (based on existing zoning and/or subdivision and land development regulations (where no zoning has been enacted) would assist communities in understanding the level of development that may ultimately need to be accommodated in municipalities and the region. The scenario would be used as the basis to determine what the community would desire for the next twenty years. This analysis in conjunction with existing development patterns and the assessment of the fiscal impact of new development would help the municipalities designate appropriate growth areas.

• Complete baseline analyses, inventories, and service area mapping to understand the connection between population growth and needs for land, transportation, housing, community services, economic development, and resource protection.

• Demographic analysis
• Existing land use and housing analysis and mapping – calculated distribution of land uses and housing by type, the overall density of residential housing by type, the value of housing, cost of new housing, and the number of units needed to house the projected population
• Transportation analysis
• Fiscal impact analysis – employment and tax base analysis
• Community service analysis
• Natural resource analysis with analysis of water supply constraints and location of prime and threatened farmland

• Organize a local level / multi-municipal level planning activity. The County Planning Commission has divided the study area into several planning area units or subregions: Centre Region, the Upper Bald Eagle Valley Region, the Bald Eagle Subregion of the Inter-Valley Region (includes Curtin and Liberty township – outside the Watershed area), the Nittany Subregion of the Inter-Valley Region, and the Penns Valley Region (includes five municipalities not in the Watershed). Using the County regions and subregions would be the approach to organizing the local level effort that would be a focused part of a larger regional effort. Confirmation of the subregion delineation should occur during the county planning process.

• Develop a growth tracking system and track growth for municipalities with established growth and rural resource areas. This activity should be completed by the County in support of local efforts after the areas have been delineated. The indicators will help communities realize their progress. Centre County currently is exploring the Lancaster County growth tracking model. The Centre Region also is in the process of developing a subdivision and land development tracking system. These systems should provide municipal government with additional data to understand the impacts of growth and development.

• Complete a field view, visual inventory, public discussions, and written description of the characteristics of the core areas – center of urban development or village area / borough area.

• Create a set of assumptions (guiding principles) for the delineation of the growth areas and rural resource areas using the baseline analyses, inventories, service area mapping, and development suitability mapping.

• The underlying assumption that must be recognized is that unlimited growth is not sustainable. The communities must come to grips with how much growth is desirable given the many features of the community.
• Assumptions for growth areas – high priority is to build to higher density while preserving open space areas:
• Areas should be set aside for preserving open spaces, even beyond parks, including greenbelts and integrated natural areas (e.g. arboretums, Millbrook Marsh, and hollow along the Bellefonte railroad right-of-way).
• Areas should be designated for higher density development that may support alternative modes of transportation to the car, such as: mass transit and pedestrian and bicycle paths with incentives to provide better connections between uses.
• The establishment of maximum densities should be based on traffic, infrastructure, and environmental impacts.
• Areas should be served or planned to be served by public water, public sewer, and a transportation system to accommodate growth. Additionally, the communities should have the financial ability to absorb the costs for infrastructure; however, some values to the community may not be measured by cost.

• Assumptions for rural resource areas:

• Areas have no public sewer or public water.
• Areas should include farming; however, if the retention of farming is a high priority, economic incentives will be needed to sustain it in the future.
• Adding capacity or expansion of roads in these areas should be discouraged.
• The highest priority for these areas should be preservation of natural areas, wildlife habitat, agriculture, and non-destructive economic activity.

• At a minimum the local-level effort should consider Vision 2020 area-wide objectives and vision statements. Operating from a common base will help to ensure the municipalities of the region are moving in concert with one another.

• Reach consensus on the overall average residential density and the percentage of new development to be accommodated in the growth area. Determine the residential and nonresidential twenty-year thresholds based on the build-out scenario. The higher the density the less land will be required; conversely, lower density development will require more land. The community will need to consider what will be acceptable and what will fit into their community character. To reach consensus it is recommended that several scenarios be considered: a scenario using the existing average density of built areas, a high-density scenario, and a low-density scenario. Another tool that would be useful in these discussions would be created in the Sustainable Design Strategy.

• Apply the assumptions and prepare a draft growth area, future growth area, and rural resource area concept.

• Evaluate the concept by answering the following questions:

• Is the concept meeting the Vision 2020 objectives and vision and local goals and objectives?
• Is the concept meeting the local planning assumptions?
• Is the concept publicly acceptable? Answering this question implies the need for public input obtained through a public involvement process.

• Modify the concept based on the evaluation.

• Adopt the area delineation as part of a local-level comprehensive planning process, an amendment to an existing comprehensive plan, or as an amendment to the Centre County comprehensive plan.

The delineation of growth areas, future growth areas, and rural resource areas is part of an overall growth management approach for the region. Those areas in the region that would not have designated growth areas would be part of the region’s rural resource area.

Implementation:

In order to avoid the problems experienced at the state and national levels, the communities of the region must implement intergovernmental cooperation agreements to work on a common decision-making process that will allow the growth areas and rural resource areas to function as intended. These intentions must be clearly expressed and endorsed by municipal officials, the development community, property owners, and the general public. The delineation of the areas must be supported by appropriate land use regulations and sufficient public capital.

Indicators:

• Growth indicators from the growth tracking model
• Number of multi-municipal comprehensive plans
• Number of joint land use regulations
• Number of comprehensive plans addressing designated growth areas and rural resource areas
• Number of municipalities with land use ordinances that implement the designated growth areas and rural resource areas
• Number of Act 537 plans that are coordinated with designated growth area plans
• Number of municipalities that have addressed roadway improvements in designated growth areas
• Number of municipalities that have addressed water system facility and collection improvements in designated growth areas
• Number of municipalities that have addressed recreation needs in the designated growth areas
• Number of municipalities that have addressed communication facilities needs in the designated growth areas
• Number of municipalities that have addressed education facility and service needs in the designated growth ares
• Number of municipalities that have developed a capital improvements program for the designated growth areas

Planning process funding in Pennsylvania may come from a variety of sources including general or special funds at the local and county level, State grants (Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Grants), and Community Development Block Grants.