Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/04/2013

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The overarching goal is to protect Lancaster County's individual resources in addition to entire landscapes through a holistic approach to conservation. ing criteria, performance standards, and mitigation standards for each of the specific resources. The overarching goal is to protect Lancaster County's individual resources in addition to entire landscapes through a ho- listic approach to conservation. The protection standards and model zoning district go far beyond what is typi- cally included within municipal zoning or- dinances, which primarily address federally designated floodplains, wetlands, and areas with steep slopes. The guide also includes recommended protections for forest blocks and interior forests, areas with karst topog- raphy, riparian corridors, and unique geo- logic features. As an example, the guidelines use the Strahler method to categorize streams. First - order streams are the smallest streams that typically feed into larger streams. First -order streams have no tributaries or branches. When two first -order streams merge, a second -order stream is created. Any stream ordered higher than six is considered a river. Streams ordered one and two together represent the headwaters of the stream. The recommended protected riparian corridor widths are based on the stream order (see illustration). Riparian corridors shall, at a minimum, encompass the entire soo -year floodplain and any wetland areas. The Rural Centers guide was created to help local communities define, plan for, and better regulate the historical unincorporated communities within their municipal bound- aries. One of the unique characteristics of Lancaster County is that, by and large, these rural communities are still recognizable places. Too often in communities across the nation these places have been swallowed up in the ever - expanding creep of highway commercial development. The first part of the guide helps local communities research why a place came into being and investigate the spatial form of its early development. The second -and per- haps most important —part of the guide as- sists with a community inventory. Municipal officials and citizens are advised to form teams and walk the streets observing the development pattern. A community inven- tory cheat sheet is included in the guide for team members to check boxes and write notes while they are walking. The guide also includes an identification guide to il- lustrate key concepts, such as good and bad examples of on- street parking, a strong and poor gateway presence, and complete or incomplete sidewalk connections. The guide Stream Order 1 or 2 Stream Order 3 or 4 ® Lancaster County recommends increased buffer widths for higher -order streams, as classified using the Strahler method. recommends that team members take time to sit down for coffee or lunch immediately following the walking inventory to compare notes. This allows team members a chance to discuss the findings of the walking tour while it is still fresh in their minds. The final step in the creation of the rural center guide is to take all of the assess- ment information gathered in the second step and answer some basic questions: Do we want our rural center to grow? If so, should it expand outward or only through infill and redevelopment? Questions for mu- nicipalities with older small towns include the following: Do we have the infrastructure to permit additional development? Do we already have existing problems with failing on -lot sewer systems or inadequate well water quantity? Finally, what will the new development look like? For instance, if the original form of the rural center is character- ized by one - third- or one - quarter -acre lots with houses built up to the road, the munici- pality may wish to use architectural form or lot dimensional standards in conjunction with lot size requirements to maintain the distinct character of the town. The munici- pality should only permit commercial and industrial uses that serve the needs of the surrounding community. Because these rural centers are often located on roads that have evolved into major thoroughfares, the mu- nicipality should avoid permitting highway strip nonresidential uses that detract from the local orientation of the rural center. In addition, the municipality needs to coordi- nate the delineation of the rural center with planning for existing or future infrastructure needs. In many areas of the country, rural centers are characterized by older homes with older, often deficient on -lot sewage disposal systems on lots too small to ad- equately provide an alternative. Stream Order Greater Than 4 Too often in the past, rural communi- ties have adopted "off the shelf' zoning ordinances and other land -use regulations that were written primarily for post -World War II rural subdivisions. The building setback and density requirements, street widths, and accessory building standards bear little resemblance to the actual com- munities that were built prior to the adop- tion of zoning ordinances. Communities have to identify the specific elements of the community they have and ensure they don't get a community they don't want. OTHER EXAMPLES OF RURAL AREA PLANNING The state of Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA) has also focused on providing direction for counties in plan- ZONINGPRACTICE 3.13 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 6