Strategy Description:

The strategy explores the process needed to build multi-municipal plans, the advantages and disadvantages of multi-municipal zoning, and the process to undertake multi-municipal zoning.

As the Vision 2020 planning process proceeded, both public and municipal officials placed emphasis on the importance of municipalities and community members working together to resolve common issues and to reach the sustainable future. This priority implies an interest in intergovernmental cooperation. The existing forms of intergovernmental cooperation vary in the Mid-Bald Eagle Watershed. The six communities of the Centre Region have been working together for decades. These communities should ensure their existing plans address the strategies and ideas expressed in the Land Use and Sustainability Plan. Other municipalities have outdated or no comprehensive plans and work independently from adjoining municipalities.

Key Components:

• Learn from the experiences and advice of the Centre Region:

• Look for common features and common factors and build on this commonality. It was pointed out that as the Centre Region has grown and developed, many of the common features that originally held the region together have been lost. Portions of the region have grown differently; therefore, working together in some instances has become harder.

• The ability to "do it right" may be directly correlated to the amount money available. The message is it will take dollars.

• The ability to tie planning with infrastructure may lead to one measure of success.

• The Centre Region may have to face the challenge in the future that the current configuration of the region is not relevant.

• The Centre Region has adjusted, and continues to need to adjust, to changes made to the Municipalities Planning Code. The current issues deal with new definitions regarding the delineation of growth areas, rural resource areas, and future growth areas; the opportunity to look at future land use regionally rather than individually; and the idea of intergovernmental cooperation agreements to work together. The message is that any type of planning effort needs to be maintained and sustained in a changing environment and regulatory climate.

• Initiate the idea of multi-municipal plans. In Pennsylvania locations where multi-municipal planning has been successful, the county planning agencies have played a lead role in helping to provide the resources and personnel to initiate the effort. Often this initial assistance was provided through a local planning assistance program. The county planning agency helps to educate regarding the value of multi-municipal planning, to orchestrate the signing of the intermunicipal agreements, and to provide assistance in obtaining grant moneys (e.g., special county funds allocated for planning assistance or state and federal grant applications).

• Work with the communities on the development of multi-municipal (intergovernmental) agreements outlined in the PA Municipalities Planning Code.

• Provide GIS mapping and data information.

• Help to write the multi-municipal plans.

• Provide assistance with implementation, including the updating or creation of ordinances.

• Determine the municipalities that should be involved in the multi-municipal effort. Generally, the idea of doing a joint plan begins with informal discussions and the recognition of the need to resolve common issues. First priority would be to initiate multi-municipal planning at the County designated regions or subregions.

• Begin with a list of preliminary issues facing the communities.

• Prepare a list of contiguous municipalities which may be facing similar problems (e.g., roadway corridor deficiencies, environmental degradation, insufficient recreation services) or work with similar entities (e.g., school districts, water service providers, sewer service providers). The school district service area is a popular multi-municipal delineator, because it captures a common taxing entity; particularly if the service area follows municipal lines. Some municipalities may choose to complete a test project (e.g., analysis of land use and development potentials) to see if a suitable working relationship can be developed among the communities before embarking on the larger comprehensive plan project.

• Solicit interest and support from the other municipalities that appear on the list.

• Enter into an intergovernmental cooperation planning and implementation agreement in accordance with Section1102 of the PA Municipalities Planning Code (PAMPC).

• Develop a scope of services in accordance with the PAMPC Section 301 and Section 1103. In order to fulfill the 2020 Vision for the Mid-Bald Eagle Watershed, the scope of services must include components which tie it back to the objectives, the vision statement, and strategies of the Land Use and Sustainability Plan. Components of a typical scope of service follows:

• Phase 1: Understand the Community – Complete baseline summary reports on socioeconomics, housing, existing land use, transportation, environment, community services and facilities, and utilities. Complete land development and community character audits. Understand the similarities and differences between the participating municipalities. Meet with the public to uncover assets, issues and expectations.

• Phase 2: Envision the Future – Use the Vision 2020 areawide objectives and vision statement as a framework for public discussions on how the multimunicipal region fits into the 2020 vision. Expand the vision statement for the local situation. Write specific goals and objectives for the multimunicipal area.

• Phase 3: Develop the Technical Analysis – Use a community advisory committee process to work with members of the community on developing specific strategies to meet the vision. To meet the objectives and vision of the Land Use and Sustainability Plan, outcomes of the activity must include:

• The delineation of growth areas and resource areas (see Strategy 1: Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation)
• The integration of interchange area planning, where appropriate (it is expected that the planning for interchanges will occur prior to completion of the multi-municipal plan (see Strategy 3: Interchange Area Planning Process)
• The development of a future land use plan which applies the future land use categories (see Strategy 2: Future Land Use) and is supported by transportation, community service, and utility components
• The inclusion of the region’s functional roadway transportation classification system (component developed as part of the long-range comprehensive plan and county comprehensive plan) and access management, traffic calming, and context sensitive design measures (see strategies 6, 7, 9, and 8)
• The inclusion of environmental protection, conservation, and visual management strategies (see conservation, preservation, and protection strategies, Strategies 13-16)
• The selection of appropriate design types and standards and inclusion of guidelines for their use (component completed with the region as part of the design strategies, Strategies 27 and 28)
• The inclusion of economic development strategies (see the plan’s economic development strategies, Strategies 17-26)
• The inclusion in rural areas of agriculture preservation measures (see Strategy 5: Agricultural Preservation)

• Phase 4: Prepare a Policy and Action Plan – compiles the strategies into one policy document and prepares an implementation schedule which describes roles, responsibilities, costs, funding, and timing.

• Phase 5: Adoption Process – Adopt the plan in accordance with the PAMPC.

• Seek technical assistance and complete the planning process. A community-based planning process is recommended to provide opportunity for the public to be a part of the planning process. The process will take between 18 months to 15 years and will cost between $20,000 to $30,000 for participating municipalities. A comprehensive plan for one municipality would cost between $40,000 to $50,000 – the municipalities save by working together.

• Build community capacity. The most important aspect of the multimunicipal planning process is the building of the new relationships to work together. It takes time to build relationships that work, the planning process provides this time. It is important that the municipalities meet once a month for the length of the process.

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of joint municipal zoning:

• Municipalities do not need to provide for every type of use individually but may provide for them collectively.
• Zoning regulations are uniform; that is, each municipality regulates land uses in the same manner.
• The economic base in the downtowns and villages may be preserved by reserving specific commercial uses for these areas and reducing the ability of competing activities to locate in other areas.

• Boroughs may be preserved by eliminating the need to allow incompatible land uses to locate within borough limits.
• Rural areas may be preserved by eliminating the need to provide higher density or intensity land uses that would be more suited for boroughs, villages and urban centers.
• The cost of infrastructure may be reduced by concentrating high intensity and dense use in fewer areas.
• Municipal and administrative and enforcement activities and costs may be reduced if one entity is chosen to provide this service for several municipalities.
• Barriers to communication will be reduced for the development community by having fewer sets of regulations within the region.


Disadvantages:
 

• Perception of giving up individual identity and losing municipal boundaries.
• Reaching consensus on regulatory language.
• Organizing a fair and equitable review, administration, and enforcement system.
• Limited history of use in Pennsylvania.
• Reaching consensus on how to share tax revenues and establishing a legal framework.

• Determine if joint municipal zoning makes sense for the multi-municipal area. Article VII-A of the PAMPC outlines the process for developing a Joint Municipal Ordinance (see the Strategy 1: Growth Area and Resource Area Delineation Appendix). Important to note: the ordinance may be administered through a joint zoning hearing board or individual zoning hearing boards of each municipality.

Regional Application:

In many cases, the multi-municipal planning effort will be the vehicle that jump starts the implementation of strategies set forth in the Land Use and Sustainability Plan. Through these efforts growth and resource areas will be delineated, future land uses will be designated, and infrastructure will be coordinated with land use.

Implementation:

The PAMPC provides for comprehensive planning 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 key components describe the implementation process.

Indicators:

• Number of multimunicipal comprehensive plans that are consistent with the Land Use and Sustainability Plan
• Number of joint municipal zoning ordinances

Planning process funding in Pennsylvania may come from a variety of sources including general funds at the local and county level, State grants (Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Grants), Community Development Block Grants, and a special county fund designated for multi-municipal planning and implementation efforts (case studies in Chester and Lancaster counties).