The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) in 2019 released FutureLV: The Regional Plan. It’s the region’s fifth comprehensive plan for the region and in 2023, the Long-Range Transportation Plan portion of FutureLV was updated after an additional public engagement campaign that included a second regionwide survey, and meetings with all 62 municipalities, community organizations, government agencies and residents. FutureLV, with the updated Long-Range Transportation Plan, is provided below. That document was open for public comment September 6 through October 6. Based on those comments, changes were made and a second comment period was open from October 25th through November 8th. The final document was adopted by the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study on November 15th.
FutureLV is among the first comprehensive plans in the nation that merges the land use, economic, environmental, housing, preservation and farming policies with the transportation planning and investment policies of the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study (LVTS). FutureLV covers both Lehigh and Northampton counties, creating a forward-thinking strategy that leads the region into the future, while addressing the needs of today.
Grid-Scale Solar Energy Production facilities are an emerging and rapidly growing segment of the energy production sector of the economy. They pose unique land use and other regulatory challenges for local municipalities. Representatives from Penn State University’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research presented a slide show entitled Grid Scale Solar in Pennsylvania on August 2, 2022, to a group of Lehigh Valley municipal officials, staff from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and others. The slide show includes a background on grid-scale solar production in Pennsylvania, potential land use impacts and sample zoning ordinance language from Montour County and Lycoming County.
The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) has also created a Model Ordinance for Large-Scale Solar Electric Energy Facilities in PA. This guide includes sample language to be included in a zoning ordinance, subdivision and land development ordinance, or as a free-standing ordinance.
Before adoption, all model ordinances should be carefully reviewed by the municipal government and its solicitor to ensure that the ordinance language reflects and implements municipal planning goals.
Municipal Official's Guide to Grid-Scale Solar Development in PA
Conservation subdivisions are residential developments in which a significant portion of the overall acreage of a property is set aside as undivided, permanently protected open space, while houses are clustered on the remainder of the property.
The guide provides an introductory history of conservation subdivision design in the United States and in Pennsylvania, an examination of benefits and drawbacks of the approach, and an annotated model regulation and example worksheets for Lehigh Valley municipalities to use in writing their own regulations for conservation subdivision in their municipality.
One way to address the region's environmental sustainability and housing affordability issues is to build smaller houses. Cottage housing is an innovative style of development based on the idea of "better, not bigger." Although it faces the same obstacles as other higher density development types, cottage housing's advantages could make it more acceptable to neighbors. This development type would be a useful option for developers, fitting between the detached single-family house and the condo or townhouse. It makes more efficient use of the land, is more affordable and offers better energy efficiency than traditional single-family detached housing, while providing more privacy than attached housing.
This report looks at two Smart Growth zoning options available to municipalities. A density bonus system lets developers voluntarily contribute valuable amenities in exchange for increased residential density. Density bonuses can be offered for a number of amenities of value to a municipality, such as affordable housing, infrastructure improvements or increased open space preservation. The report also examines minimum density regulations, which allow a municipality to ensure that development is fully consistent with the comprehensive plan. Minimum density regulations can be useful when planning for a transit corridor, where a higher concentration of transit riders can help make transit viable.
Inclusionary zoning describes a variety of techniques that either encourage or require developers to incorporate a certain percentage of affordable units in their developments. A development subject to or participating in inclusionary zoning must scatter units within that development that are priced to be affordable to and are reserved for income eligible households. The construction is undertaken by the developer/builder, not by a government agency or government hired contractor.
Inclusionary zoning is a means of both helping to fulfill the Lehigh Valley’s need for affordable housing and meeting community development objectives. This guide provides an explanation of inclusionary zoning, its components and associated issues. This material can help a community decide whether to pursue the drafting and adoption of inclusionary zoning provisions. Model zoning provisions including commentary are provided to assist those that are interested.
Connectivity is an analysis of the number and variety of connections serving origins such as residential neighborhoods and destinations like schools and shopping areas. Connectivity relates to the number of intersections along a segment of streets and how the entire area is connected to the system. Good street connectivity means providing a variety of ways to get from Point A to B, from using the car to walking. The recommendations in this report are geared toward improving the efficiency of mobility and accessibility.
Connectivity is an analysis of the number and variety of connections serving origins such as residential neighborhoods and destinations like schools and shopping areas. Connectivity relates to the number of intersections along a segment of streets and how the entire area is connected to the system. Good street connectivity means providing a variety of ways to get from Point A to B, from using the car to walking. The recommendations in this report are geared toward improving the efficiency of mobility and accessibility.
Mixed Uses is one of a series of guides and model regulations prepared by the LVPC. These guides and model regulations explore a multitude of smart growth techniques that can be used to help create the type of community fostered by FutureLV: The Regional Plan. The guides and model regulations explain the techniques and make recommendations for their use. Draft zoning provisions are provided to help municipalities that might be interested in using the technique.
Mixed uses refer to situations where two or more basic land use types are located near each other so that they interact. These types include residential offices, commercial/retail, public/quasi-public and business uses. Mixed uses take place in three contexts: mixed -use buildings, mixed- use communities and planned mixed- use developments. Social, economic, transportation and transportation-related benefits can accrue from mixed use development.
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