Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/04/2013

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Planning Outside the Growth Boundary By Dean S. Severson, AICP What is a rural area, and how do you know when you get there? Planners have attempted to define and label rural in a number of ways. All photos courtesy Lancaster County Planning Commission usual to see Amish students commuting to school on in- line. County. One of the most common is to indirectly de- fine these areas as "not urban." Implicit in this indirect definition is that rural areas are those places beyond the suburbs that we haven't subjected to close scrutiny. These areas have been called the urban fringe, exurbia, or even the hinterlands. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has adopted a strategy intended to define the rural character of the county and to sus- tain and connect the rural community, re- sources, and economy. The rural strategy is based on three basic principles: minimize the amount of new residential development and employment growth and direct ap- propriate forms of development to existing rural centers; maintain the viability of the traditional rural economy; and protect rural resources. The key to this strategy is the creation of designated rural areas, which are equiva- lent to and complement the county's desig- nated growth areas where future growth is to be directed and managed. The following sections will detail the policies and implementing actions Lancaster County has adopted, as well as provide examples from around the country of other places that have also adopted a more fine- grained approach to rural planning. RURAL AREA PLANNING IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Lancaster County has long been a leader in agricultural production. The value of agricul- tural products produced in the county is the highest among all nonirrigated counties in the United States, and its total output would place it among the top 15 states in many agricultural categories. This productivity, combined with the county's large population of Amish and other Plain Sect communities, creates an instantly identifiable image of Lancaster County. What's not so readily apparent to county visitors is the more intricate, varied, and inter- connected rural landscape supporting these agricultural activities. There are numerous un- incorporated small towns, some dating back to the Revolutionary War, that were initially laid out as railroad stops, mill locations, or markets for the surrounding farms. The county also has exceptional resource areas, admit- tedly greatly reduced over the last three cen- turies, reflecting the original Penn's Woods. Postwar residential subdivisions and rural economic centers dot the landscape as well. ZONINGPRACTICE 3.13 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION page 2