Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/04/2013

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suitable for additional development if public sewer service and water supply are avail- able. However, the county's comprehensive plan calls for 85 percent of new dwellings and 66 percent of new employment in the county to be located in the county's Urban Growth Areas (which includes the City of Lancaster and the 19 incorporated bor- oughs). Therefore, VGAs are only intended to capture a portion of the development that would otherwise occur in rural areas and are not meant to spur new areas of rural resi- dential growth. Crossroads communities are, like vil- lages, historical in character but smatter than villages and are not usually appropriate for additional growth. The final two types of Rural Centers are rural neighborhoods and rural business areas. Typically, these areas have been developed post -World War II, prior to effective planning and zoning controls. The rural strategy for these areas is generally to acknowledge the development that has oc- curred and to permit some limited additional development to occur only on undeveloped infill lots. Once again, the intent of these areas is not to attract additional rural resi- dential and business development but to acknowledge their existence and plan for any utility or infrastructure needs. Designated Rural Area Adoption Once a community's rural resources have been identified and delineated, the second step is to formally adopt a DRA. The DRA concept, while similar to a future land -use designation found in all comprehensive plans, is intended to convey a longer -term perspective for rural land use. There is a sense of permanence to the rural resource and historical development patterns that won't be affected with the next update of the comprehensive plan. Ultimately, the intent is to assure citizens that agricultural and natural resources aren't on hold until something better comes along. However, this doesn't mean that a community can't include areas for future IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DESIGNATED RURAL AREA Once the resources in the DRA have been identified, delineated, and adopted by a municipality as part of its comprehensive plan update, the next step is to take action on policies that will sustain and support these resources. The Lancaster County Planning Commission has created a series of implementing tools to provide guidance to municipal planning commissions and governing bodies. These tools have been placed on the commission's website (www .co.lancaster.pa.us /planning) and have also been distributed via CD -ROM to each of our municipal planning commissions with a sampling of model ordinances, com- 0 In addition to preserving prime farmland, Lancaster County resource areas, such as the forests along the Susquehanna protecting natural development in their DRA. These areas may lack a concentration of higher -value natural or agricultural resources. They may be located next to an existing DGA and be a logical place if future expansion of the DGA is warranted. Alternatively, lands located next to rural centers may be appropriate to accommodate some of the future residential needs of the DRA. The undesignated area may also be determined to be appropriate for expansion of neighboring farm uses. At present, however, the preferred future use is undetermined. prehensive plan elements, and links to the website. Two examples of local planning as- sistance prepared by the LCPC are (1) the Natural Resource Protection Standards and Model Conservation Zoning District and (2) Planning Strategies for Lancaster County's Rural Centers. The protection standards and model zoning district are a direct outgrowth of Greenscapes discussed above. Once a municipality has identified the hubs and corridors of natural resources within its com- munity, the model ordinance provides defin- ZONINGPRACTICE 3.13 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage5