Development of a Richland Township Official Map 

 

Article IV of the PA Municipal Planning Code puts forward specifics on creating an Official Map for Townships. It is also recommended in our Comprehensive Plan in Chapter 12-2. These maps can identify areas of need in Richland Twp. for road upgrades, parks, etc. which developers can be requested to help with. The township also has a one-year right of first refusal after a proposal is made on a property, for our township to act on an "identified need". Since it is an ordinance, creating the Map must be done by the same procedure as passing any other ordinance.

 

The Municipal Planning Code requires comments from adjacent municipalities in the formation of our Map. It is my hope that this would further inter-municipal cooperation and collaboration. Our township appears to be a center for growth in our area. I would be receptive to ideas from our neighboring municipalities as to how our growth affects them, including the possibility of inter-municipal zoning.  In this regard, our growth might, for example, help neighboring municipalities preserve their open spaces, by planning together. Our Comprehensive Plan also identifies the creation of an Official Map as a strategy for controlling growth.

 

Our township boards could have specific uses for this map. The Park and Rec Board could identify future locations for community facilities and public grounds. The Preservation Board could identify valuable parcels for historic preservation and for preservation of natural resources such as identifying open space corridors, greenways, riparian corridors and watersheds, as identified in our Comprehensive Plan under "Objectives and Strategies for Open Space Preservation". The Trails Committee could incorporate potential locations of trails, also promoted in our Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission could incorporate portions of our Comprehensive Plan.  Our Map should also incorporate our traffic study. Road improvements are typically the prime element of Official Township Maps, identifying existing problems and proposed improvements. We can even work with the school district on specific growth areas to locate new schools. Although some townships Official Maps focus on just one area, usually traffic improvements, the trend now is to identify valuable natural resources.

 

Using our new GIS system, we would have the ability to create multiple maps for specific uses by our various boards and committees, and/or create transparent map overlays so that we could view the entire map with all its components or just one component.

 

Developers funds are allowed to be directed to off-site projects specified on an Official Map. Since there is currently a slow-down of development because we have run out of sewage capacity, I believe it would behoove us to complete an Official Map before we are once again a prime target for developers; this way we can be prepared to negotiate with them for the improvements we desire anywhere in the township.

 

 ----Mike Zowniriw, 7-10-06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example of Official Map from Bushkill Township