Experts spell out conservation zoning

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

LACKAWAXEN, PA — Recent grants from the Upper Delaware Council emphasize subdivision planning as a priority among townships in the scenic and recreational river valley.

Shohola Township in Pennsylvania and the New York towns of Lumberland, Tusten, Highland received technical assistance grants to create new zoning to protect the Upper Delaware ridgeline. Other towns, including Cochecton, received funds to review and modify current zoning laws to meet the challenges of growth.

A recent article in the Times Herald-Record describes Sullivan County as “a playground of wealthy Manhattanites.” Large tracts of affordable land along with less “onerous” zoning restrictions compared to neighboring Orange and Ulster Counties are aspects apparently drawing developers to Sullivan County.

It is with all this in mind that the Visioning Committee for the Upper Delaware River Corridor is working to facilitate efforts among municipal officials, landowners and developers, conservation planning experts and residents to encourage the strengthening of subdivision codes to require careful analysis and protection of an area’s unique environmental features.

To that end, the committee held a special forum where two experts discussed how growth-pressured communities in Pennsylvania have taken opportunities to prevent over-development, or sprawl, by rewriting comprehensive plans and subdivision zoning laws.

“It’s never someone’s vision to over-develop, but without well-written zoning regulations, wooded stream corridors and scenic views will fail to remain the natural areas that make our communities special places to live,” guest speaker Ann Hutchinson of Natural Lands Trust said.

Hutchinson presented “Growing Greener: Conservation by Design,” a subdivision design approach created by Randall Arendt.

She used examples of subdivisions that have followed an open space conservation model to cluster houses and reduce the characteristic density of development sprawl in southeastern Pennsylvania. She referred to the neo-traditional urbanist look, a model that clusters colonial homes on 8,000 square-foot lots. Instead of dividing the entirety of a large parcel into two-acre lots, conservation subdivision sets aside a large percentage of the parcel, preserving its natural quality for recreational use by homeowners.

Caring for the land can involve the homeowners, the township or county, a land conservation organization or the original owner.

Hutchinson said she has seen a three-percent-higher rate of home value appreciation in conservation subdivisions in Pennsylvania when compared to densely populated communities.

Diane Kripas from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources discussed state open space programs with a presentation of Monroe County’s newly created open space plan.

From DCNR sources, Kripas outlined facts of Pennsylvania’s development trends: development consumes 350 acres of PA open space every day; 20 percent of PA’s unprotected open space lands will disappear in 20 years; 80 percent of PA’s undeveloped land lack “real” protection; with a 65 percent growth rate between 1990 and 2000, Pike County is PA’s fastest growing county; with a 19 percent growth rate, Wayne County is PA’s third fastest growing county.

For more information visit dcnr.state.pa.us, pagegreenways.org or natlands.org.