Future Land Use Scenario Development

Strategy 2: Future Land Use Scenario

Strategy Description:

The future land use strategy does not provide a land use plan for the entire region. The development of specific land use plans should be done as a part of the overall planning effort at the municipal and multi-municipal level. The strategy does provide useful guidelines and tools to assist in the planning effort.

Key Components:

Coordinate the development of the future land use scenario with the growth area and rural resource area delineation. It is assumed that the local-level effort will be completed to designate growth areas around urban centers, village centers, and interchanges prior to or in conjunction with the development of the land use scenario (see the Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation and the Interchange Area Planning Process strategies).

Develop a list of planning assumptions that will aid in the locating of specific land uses. The table (Land Use Classification Matrix) following this strategy provides an initial list for use at the local level.

The table provides a listing of land use types and categories. The list provides categories that depart from the typical land use classification schemes in order to accommodate a mixture of compatible uses rather than the isolation of uses from one another. A written description clarifies the characteristics of each category. The infrastructure needs help to determine the best location. The development suitability ranking ties the category into the broad range of environmental, socio-economic, and infrastructure variables used in the development suitability analysis (see Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation Strategy Appendix. It will need to be reassessed based on the values of specific communities). The last assumption shows the type of area most suited for the land use category. Note: not every community will use all of the land use categories but will use a mix of residential and non-residential categories that meet its community’s goals and objectives.

Generally, land use categories suitable for rural resource areas are:

Conservation
Agriculture
Rural Residential
Regional Recreation Centers

Land use categories suited for village and small town growth areas are:

Residential Neighborhoods
Residential Centers
Neighborhood Business Centers
Educational Centers

Land use categories appropriate for urban growth centers are:

Conservation
Residential Neighborhoods
Residential Centers
Neighborhood Business Centers
Regional Business Centers
Industrial Centers
Regional Recreation Centers
Education Centers

Land use categories suitable for interchange areas are:

Neighborhood Business Centers
Regional Business Centers
Industrial Centers

Designate and map areas (GIS recommended) within each community or multi-municipal region.

Calculate the number of acres and the residential development potential (more detailed analysis than completed for the growth area delineation) based on the list of assumptions. Determine if the distribution and development potential will meet the twenty-year projections.

Adjust the land use boundaries based on the analysis of acres and development potential. To sustain the community, a balance of residential and nonresidential uses is needed.

The future land use map and assumptions in combination with other strategies of the Land Use and Sustainability Plan form the basis for adjustments to land use regulations. Regional Application:

To reach a sustainable future, the entire region would embrace a common set of land use assumptions. The acceptance does not imply that every municipality needs to have similar land use controls, but must operate with a common understanding of important considerations:

Preserving rural settings for conservation, agriculture and rural residences;
Protecting villages’ and boroughs’ mixed use cores and residential neighborhoods;
Introducing new development patterns in growth areas that provide a mixture of uses in residential and business centers;
Understanding the business attraction of interchange areas.

Implementation:

The PAMPC provides for the planning of land use at the multi-municipal level. The Plan strongly recommends that the region use this planning approach, which allows municipalities the opportunity to provide a full range of land uses across municipal borders. The ideal implementation technique would be to ensure that each planning area includes designated areas for rural and village or urban land uses. See the Multi-Municipal Planning and Zoning Strategy.

Indicators:

Number of multi-municipal comprehensive plans
Number of future land use maps based on the regional framework
Number of designated land use categories

Funding:

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.