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<br />Since 1993, the commission has worked
<br />with townships and boroughs (~illages) to des-
<br />ignate 18 village growth boundaries. Each
<br />boundary provides enough land around a vil.
<br />'Iage to. accommodate e~pected new popula-
<br />tion growth and development over the next 20
<br />years. During this time, sewer and water lines
<br />will not be extended beyond the boundai)'.
<br />Village growth areas with acCess to public
<br />sewer and water have a minimum density of
<br />five dwelling units per acre. In crossroads
<br />hamlets without central sewer or water serv-
<br />ice, the maximum density is two dwelling units
<br />per acre.
<br />The purpose of a village growth boundary
<br />is to phase growth, not stop it. Ideally, a vil-
<br />lage and one or more townships can enter into
<br />an intergovernmental agreement to establish a
<br />growth boundary. But in Lancaster County, the
<br />villages and adjoining townships have entered
<br />into unwritten "handshake" agreements to
<br />create the growth boundaries. And so far, the
<br />boundaries have held.
<br />One reason 'for this is the widespread use
<br />of agricultural zoning at one building lot per
<br />20 ormore acres. Many village growth bound.
<br />aries are adjacent to agriculturally zoned land,
<br />which makes expanding a 'growth boundary
<br />difficult. Lancaster County has gone far beyond
<br />other jurisdictions that use growth boundaries
<br />. by purchasing conservation easements on
<br />farmland next to growth boundaries. This has
<br />been a fairly common practice in Lancaster
<br />County, and the conservation easements in
<br />effect make parts of a village growth boundary
<br />pernianent and help to direct future boundary
<br />expansions away from good farming areas.
<br />Growth boundaries originated in
<br />Lexington and Fayette County, Kentucky,in
<br />1958 and have been used in Oregon for more
<br />than 30 years. A number of other states, such
<br />as Washington, California, Tennessee, and
<br />parts of Aorida have used growth boundaries
<br />for more than a decade. But in those places
<br />growth boundaries have been employed to
<br />control urban sprawl rather than promote the
<br />orderly expansion of villages.
<br />To accommodate growth within a village
<br />growth boundary, it is necessary to maintain
<br />ariadequate amount of developable land.
<br />Equally important is the sequencing of de vel-
<br />opment within a growth area to avoid a
<br />leapfrog pattern of development within the
<br />growth boundary. An agricultural holding zone
<br />orvillage holding zone can limit development
<br />until a landowner .can show that the property
<br />
<br />
<br />is adjacent to fairly dense development and
<br />hence ripe for rezoning to commercial, resi-
<br />, dential, or mixed use.
<br />
<br />CONCLUSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS
<br />Over the years, many Americans have told
<br />pollsters that they would prefer to live in a
<br />small town cirvillage.ln metropolitan regions,
<br />villages are especially vulnerable to large and
<br />sudden population increases and waves of
<br />development. In rural areas, village residents
<br />may be hungry to expand the property tax or
<br />sales tax base and accept almost any kind of
<br />new development.
<br />Between now and 2050, the U.s. popula-
<br />tion is projected to grow by more than 100 mil-
<br />lion people. Intergovernmental cooperation
<br />and form.-based zoning codes in village dev~l.
<br />opments will be needed to focus rural zoning
<br />on promoting development in and adjacent to
<br />villages and to protect important natural areas
<br />and working farm and forest landscapes.
<br />It is often said that, if a village burned
<br />down, the village could not be rebuilt to look
<br />as it did because of "modern" zoning. As in
<br />Old York Village, a village comprehensive plan
<br />can'call for traditional neighborhood design
<br />tl:1at blends land uses, building types, and
<br />housing for different income levels, along with
<br />a pedestrian-friendly block and street network
<br />and a significant amount of public open
<br />space. And a village zoning ordinance can
<br />include a form-based code that regulates the
<br />appearance of buildings, rather than uses. A
<br />village growth boundary, as in Lancaster
<br />County, can help maintain village edges and
<br />control the expansion of public services. And
<br />
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<br />the consolidation of local governments as in
<br />the case of Richmond, Vermont, can give
<br />greater control over the location of new devel.
<br />opmentto the benefit of the village.
<br />
<br />
<br />VOL 15, NO. 11.
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