Regional Planning Preserving the best of the Lower Dauphin community for the

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1 Regional Planning futureupdate Preserving the best of the Lower Dauphin community for the Summer 2004 LDARPG chairman stresses benefit of regional planning When representatives of all five Lower Dauphin municipalities, the school district, and other state and county officials all met back in March 2000, I m sure some of us never thought we d be where we are today. We have received about $130,000 from state and county sources to fund our efforts to create a regional comprehensive plan for the 92-square mile Lower Dauphin community. Since January, three of the municipalities have adopted a regional comprehensive plan designed to control the runaway growth of residential housing in Lower Dauphin, protecting farmlands and open space and steering commercial and industrial development to areas where it is most suitable. We have seen a bill pass through the Pennsylvania House of Representatives which will allow municipalities that do not share a common border to plan to control their land uses on a regional basis. Truly, the Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group has seen its share of success since that meeting in East Hanover Township four-plus years ago. We are just a few steps away from finishing our long journey. Conewago Township s Board of Supervisors is still reviewing the plan and we still hold out hope that South Hanover Township will rejoin our efforts at this late date. The Lower Dauphin community has experienced considerable residential growth over the past years. We have seen this residential growth come with the price of a continued loss of available agricultural land and open spaces. This type of growth has another price as well, a financial cost seen in the real estate tax levied by the school district. Clearly, Publication of the Lower Dauphin Regional Planning Group residential use is responsible for a larger drain on the real estate taxpayer than other types of land use and the Lower Dauphin School District has Paul Lutzkanin the highest percentage of residential land use in Dauphin County. While the regional comprehensive plan does not eliminate future residential land uses, it does channel them in such a way as to reduce the impact on our community. By using a collaborative approach to land use planning, we believe that this effort Continued on page 2 Group seeks to preserve region s character for the future Take a drive along a country lane and you re likely to see new residential homes where there were once farmers fields or open space. That is in part what prompted the decision by local officials to develop a comprehensive, regional approach to land development planning. In March 2000, officials from our five local municipalities, the school district, the state and county met to discuss ways to slow the explosion of residential growth in Lower Dauphin. The Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group evolved from those discussions, and the group s first meeting was held in January In November 2001, South Hanover Township withdrew from the group, however South Hanover s current land uses are included within the plan document should they wish to rejoin the effort at this late date. Lower Dauphin residents were surveyed in March 2002 to determine what issues were important to those living in our five municipalities. The results closely matched what elected officials already believed - that there is a strong desire to preserve important natural areas, the scenic character of the region and agricultural lands. Armed with that information, the LDARPG and its consultant Urban Research and Development Corporation began to examine issues toward drafting a regional comprehensive plan. The plan is meant to be a generalized document with a broad outlook which examines land use, housing, and community facilities and services to provide direction for the next years. It is important to remember that the plan is merely a guideline for municipal officials and does not have the force of law. Ordinances which regulate land use will need to Continued on page 2

2 Chairman: Comprehensive Plan requires citizen input Continued from page 1 should serve to not only provide more efficient planning efforts, but should also produce more effective results than the unconnected planning efforts currently practiced by the thousands of school districts and municipalities across the Commonwealth. It has been my privilege to lead this dedicated and selfless group of individuals as they work for the common good of the entire Lower Dauphin community. Our group Continued from page 1 be developed and adopted by each municipality after the comprehensive plan is adopted using the plan as a guide. Each municipal planning commission has held the required public meeting and has forwarded the plan to the governing body for consideration and adoption. And further, each governing body has held a public hearing on the plan. Hummelstown Borough, East Hanover Township and Londonderry Township have adopted the plan. East Hanover included several changes in their adoption and Londonderry has reserved the right to make changes at a later date. Conewago Township is in its plan review process. (For details on how the plan effects each municipality, please see stories on pages 3 and 6) Why is this important? Unfettered residential housing growth impacts us all. Each new home that is built requires more in governmental services (schools, roads, police) than it returns in local property taxes. Some 2 has been recognized as unique and progressive and our model has been used as an example elsewhere in Pennsylvania to encourage other municipalities and school districts to collaborate. The goals of LDARPG are to preserve the character of our municipalities while providing tools to foster healthy, tax-friendly growth, both residential and commercial. Growth is inevitable and having an up-to-date comprehensive plan in place helps estimates suggest that a new home costs $1.26 in services for each $1 in taxes paid. New homes also mean more students in the school system. The school district estimates that for every 10 new homes built, they receive four new students. This means that a 125-home housing development will add two new classrooms of children to the district. Increases in enrollment require more staff, more classrooms and eventually, higher school taxes. Lower Dauphin School District has the highest percentage of residential housing in Dauphin County. More than 75 percent of the development in the school district is residences and only 14 percent is commercial or industrial. The Lower Dauphin region s population grew by 7.5 percent in the past decade which is higher than the county average. Plan consultant Bob Kreibel explained that the key points of the plan include the following: Strong support for agricultural preservation Tools for municipalities to to prevent growth from occurring without thoughts of the impact on local services, infrastructure and taxes. Paul Lutzkanin Chairman, Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group LDARPG: Comprehensive plan maps region s future More Growth Expected in Future control the location and rate of development, such as transfer of development rights, the open space development concept, and agricultural preservation zoning. Increased area for commercial and light industrial development in appropriate places, particularly around interchanges. Strong support for the Hummelstown Improvement Program. Suggestions for design standards in local ordinances. This regional effort is unique to Dauphin County and the LDARPG is confident that its regional comprehensive plan meets its goal to make the Lower Dauphin area an even greater place to live, work, learn, visit, shop and play, with a strong sense of community, scenic preserved open space, an attractive historic character, a vibrant economy and a high quality of life. The LDARPG meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Hummelstown Borough Offices, 136 South Hanover Street, Hummelstown. The population of the Lower Dauphin School District increased 1,576 from , a jump of 7.5 percent. East Hanover Township experienced the most growth with a 753-person increase or a 16.5 percent change. Countywide the population grew 5.9 percent in the same time period. By 2010, officials estimate the Lower Dauphin population will grow another 1,675 or 7.4 percent increase. Officials estimate that East Hanover will continue to experience the most growth, increasing 10 percent by In the same period, the county population is expected to grow 5.0 percent.

3 Conewago Township Supervisors continue plan review Conewago Township Supervisors have held several meetings to discuss the regional comprehensive plan and expect to discuss the issue again at their August 11 meeting. We ve been talking about it and we re still discussing it and kicking it around, said township supervisor Jay Brandt. In Conewago Township, the plan calls for strong agricultural preservation provisions, including such tools as transfer of development rights and actual agricultural preservation zones. More than 95 percent of township residents who responded to a LDARPG survey said that preserving agricultural lands was important or very important. The plan also limits intense residential development to areas within the township with access to public water and sewer systems. The plan also allows for a potential business park along Route 743 in East Hanover Township adopts regional plan in April East Hanover Township Supervisors adopted the Lower Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Plan at their April 6, 2004 meeting. In East Hanover, the plan calls for a continued support for agricultural preservation, especially considering that the township has prime agricultural soils south of Route 22 in the southcentral part of the township. Among these preservation efforts are the introduction of new tools for municipalities to control the location and rate of development, including clustering of homes, the transfer of development rights and agricultural preservation zoning. The regional plan also plans for commercial and light industrial development around the Interstate 81 interchange with Route 743 as well as creating safer access to commercial development along Route 22. This plan gives us a goal, a direction for land use issues, said The regional comprehensive plan would seek to avoid potential conficts between agricultural and residential land uses. the southern part of the township to help diversify the tax base to allow for a better mix of residential and commercial properties. Some people think we re going to lose local control if we adopt the Becki Oller, township facilitator. It heads us in the right direction for the future. East Hanover has experienced the largest population gain in the Lower Dauphin region in the past decade, growing by 16.5 percent. The Tri- County Regional Planning Commission predicts that it will continue to grow faster than the rest of the school district, increasing by an additional 10 percent in the next decade. However, township officials are optimistic that the regional plan, Brandt said. But I don t really see it that way. My personal thinking is that we can and should modify it to suit us and then adopt it. Historic sites like this old schoolhouse in East Hanover Township would be preserved under the regional plan. comprehensive plan will help to slow that rapid development. This plan gives us some tools to focus growth in appropriate areas, Oller added. And we ve incorporated some of this into our new zoning to help us better manage our growth. 3

4 4 Lower Dauphin Area Regional Comprehensive Plan LEBANON MAP 3.1 Draft Land Use Plan October 2003

5 COUNTY YORK COUNTY LANCASTER COUNTY Community Planning Consultants Urban Research & Development Corporation 28 West Broad Street Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Source: Urban Research & Development Corporation 5

6 Hummelstown Council adopts regional plan in January With nearly all of Hummelstown s available open space developed, the regional comprehensive plan focuses on different objectives in the borough compared to the surrounding townships. The plan calls for programs to rehabilitate older Londonderry Township adopts comprehensive plan Londonderry Township Supervisors voted to adopt the regional comprehensive plan at their July 6 meeting. However, as part of their adoption vote, the supervisors reserved the right to make changes to their portion of the plan at a later date. The board s action was similar to that taken by the East Hanover Board of Supervisors except that it calls for the changes to be made at a future meeting. The plan is about smart growth, said Supervisor Andy Doherty. It ll bring us into the future. The plan calls for strong agricultural preservation provisions in Londonderry Township. More South Hanover Township s solo effort moving forward South Hanover Township officials formally withdrew from the LDARPG and the regional planning discussions in November However, the LDARPG remained optimistic that South Hanover might rejoin the group and incorporated the township s existing land uses into the draft of the Lower Dauphin regional comprehensive plan Since their withdrawal from the LDARPG, the township s planning commission has reviewed the township s own land uses and it is 6 housing within Hummelstown and to examine ways to prevent the conversion of single-family homes into apartments units. The plan also calls for the continued development of a strong, mixed-use town center. Borough Council adopted the regional plan on expected that they will present a finalized township comprehensive plan to South Hanover supervisors by the end of summer. January 15, 2004 and it has recently adopted ordinances to control the demolition of older and historic buildings as recommended in the regional plan. The plan contains lots of things which coordinate with our Hummelstown Improvement Plan, said Mike O Keefe, borough manager. For us, it is more about preserving and maintaining and we ve already adopted a number of these suggestions into ordinances. than 90 percent of township residents who responded to a LDARPG survey said that preserving agricultural lands was important or very important. Additionally, the US Soil The regional comprehensive plan will seek to preserve Conservation farmland and open space in Londonderry Township. Service ranks the soils in the areas with the greatest potential western part of the township near for public water and sewer systems the Susquehanna River as prime. and imposing tighter control of The plan also calls for limiting commercial development along intense residential development to Route 230. The regional plan would attempt to steer residential development to areas where infrastructure already exists. We re not looking at wholesale changes, said Brian Engle, township manager of engineering and community services. We ve made some recommendations for what is logical along with lowering allowed residential densities. Engle added that the township is working on its comprehensive plan and its Act 537 sewer management plan at the same time as well as taking part in a study group for the Route 39 corridor. It s an ongoing process, he said. When you plan for the future, you need to look at where you ve been and where you want to go and try to reconcile the two.

7 Superintendent discusses school perspective toward regional planning I think we can all agree that the Lower Dauphin community is a special place to live, work and raise a family. Maintaining this high quality of life is a challenge that our municipal officials struggle with year in and year out. As the Superintendent of Schools for the Lower Dauphin School District, my role in keeping Lower Dauphin special is by providing the best possible educational program for our community s young people. We live in a diverse community covering some 90-square miles from the Susquehanna River in the west to the Lebanon County line in the east and from Blue Mountain in the north to the Lancaster County line in the south. We live in small villages like Deodate and Shellsville, in housing developments like Greenbriar, in Hummelstown s quiet neighborhoods, in rural and farm settings. What do we all have in common? Lower Dauphin. Our school system is the thread which binds us into one community. While our children attend neighborhood elementary schools in each municipality, they join together in Hummelstown for their secondary education at the middle school and high school. We are justifiably proud of our schools and our students and the excellence which they achieve. To keep that high standard of education for which Lower Dauphin is known and maintain the lowest tax levels possible, we found that we needed to work with our townships and borough to develop a land development strategy that diversified our tax base while protecting farmland and open space. That is why the school district and municipal officials created the Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group (LDARPG). Working in partnership with our local municipal officials, the LDARPG has created a plan which limits residential housing development to areas where existing infrastructure is in place to best sustain this growth. The plan also calls for more commercial and industrial development to diversify our tax base. It also provides mechanisms to allow for the preservation of farmland and open space which surveys of district residents found to be important. It is important to point out that the comprehensive plan is not a zoning plan; it merely provides local officials with a framework and suggests tools to be used to guide future zoning decisions. The value of a regional approach is that it provides greater opportunities to pool resources without surrendering any local autonomy. In no way do local municipalities give up any local control over zoning decisions through the regional planning process. If anything, regional planning provides local officials with more options to control unrestrained residential development. I applaud the four municipalities who have stayed the course and seen the process through to its completion. At the same time, I am sure I speak for all the representatives in the LDARPG when I say that we would still welcome South Hanover Township back into the process. Even at this late date, we would be able to seamlessly fold South Hanover Township into the regional comprehensive plan. Further, I am pleased to see that Hummelstown Borough Council and the Londonderry Township Board of Supervisors have already approved the plan and that East Hanover Township supervisors have approved the plan with a few modifications. We eagerly anticipate action in Conewago Township in the coming weeks and months. I firmly believe that a regional approach will provide our municipal officials with the tools to preserve farmland and open space while planning for future growth and development. When community hearings are held on the plan, I urge you to attend and learn more about the regional comprehensive plan and its importance for the Lower Dauphin community. Sherri L. Smith Superintendent, Lower Dauphin School District Did You Know? Lower Dauphin has the highest percentage of residential property in Dauphin County. The following chart shows how Lower Dauphin compares to neighboring school districts: District Residential Commercial & Industrial Agriculture Lower Dauphin 74% 14% 8% Central Dauphin 65% 33% 2% Middletown 62% 36% 2% Derry Township 57% 41% 2% 7

8 LDARPG Board Members Paul Lutzkanin, Chairman (Hummelstown) Sherri Smith, Vice President (Lower Dauphin SD) Jay Brandt, Treasurer (Conewago) Rick Hoover, Secretary (East Hanover) Kent Bachman (Conewago) Patience Basehore (Londonderry) Andrew Doherty (Londonderry) Jerry Kling (Hummelstown) Rodney Nissley (East Hanover) Keith Oellig (Lower Dauphin SD) Timothy Reardon, ex officio (TCPC) Mary Ellen Rutter, ex officio (Rep. Marsico) Nancy Whipple, ex officio (Rep. Payne) LOWER DAUPHIN AREA REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP 291 EAST MAIN STREET HUMMELSTOWN, PA NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID HARRISBURG, PA PERMIT NO. 583 Lower Dauphin School District Office: ConewagoTownship Office: East Hanover Township Office: Hummelstown Borough Office: Londonderry Township Office: South Hanover Township Office: Edited by: Jim Hazen, Coordinator of Communications Designed by: Linda McPhillips, Secretary to the Coordinator of Communications The Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in Hummelstown Borough Hall, 136 South Hanover Street. For more information about the group, please contact the Lower Dauphin School District office at Municipal Profiles 8 Conewago Township 16.7 square miles 2,847 (2000); 3,116 (2010 est) Median Age: 38.6 Population Density: persons per square mile Median Family Income: $65,195 Median Home Value: $146,300 Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 76.2% Single-Family Attached 4.0% 2-4 Unit Structure 4.5% 5-plus Unit Structure 0.4% Mobile Home & Other 14.9% East Hanover Township 39.9 square miles 5,322 (2000); 5,867 (2010 est) Median Age: 38.1 Population Density: persons per square mile Median Family Income: $60,674 Median Home Value: $137,300 Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 69.8% Single-Family Attached 2.7% 2-4 Unit Structure 3.3% 5-plus Unit Structure 0.3% Mobile Home & Other 23.9% Hummelstown Borough 1.3 square miles 4,360 (2000); 4,471 (2010 est) Median Age: 37.8 Population Density: 3,062.3 persons per square mile Median Family Income: $50,572 Median Home Value: $99,400 Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 2.8% Single-Family Attached 10.0% 2-4 Unit Structure 17.0% 5-plus Unit Structure 18.4% Mobile Home & Other 1.8% Londonderry Township 22.8 square miles 5,224 (2000); 5,608 (2010 est) Median Age: 38.3 Population Density: persons per square mile Median Family Income: $52,650 Median Home Value: $107,500 Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 66.4% Single-Family Attached 2.8% 2-4 Unit Structure 4.9% 5-plus Unit Structure 0.0% Mobile Home & Other 26.0% South Hanover Township 11.4 square miles 4,793 (2000); 5,159 (2010 est) Median Age: 37.8 Population Density: persons per square mile Median Family Income: $67,288 Median Home Value: $148,400 Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 83.6% Single-Family Attached 2.8% 2-4 Unit Structure 6.8% 5-plus Unit Structure 3.6% Mobile Home & Other 3.3% Lower Dauphin School District 92.1 square miles Student 3,950 (2000); 4,500 (2010 est) 22,546 (2000); 24,221 (2010 est) Median Age: 35.7 Population Density: persons per square mile Housing Type: Single-Family Detached 68.8% Single-Family Attached 4.5% 2-4 Unit Structure 7.5% 5-plus Unit Structure 4.8% Mobile Home & Other 14.4%