Natural Resource Protection Tools

One of the four key strategies of DVRPC's Long Range Plan Connections is to protect the environment through open space preservation. Connections calls for protecting an additional 500,000 acres of open space throughout the nine-county region by 2035. This acreage figure more than doubles the existing 475,000 acres of parkland, preserved farmland, and land trust owned and eased lands in the nine-county region. For more information on the region's open space, see DVRPC's Protected Open Space Inventory

The goal of protecting an additional 500,000 acres translates into 20,000 acres per year over the next 25 years, a seemingly aggressive target for the region. Accomplishing this goal through the acquisition of land alone could cost the region billions of dollars. Purchasing conservation easements and development rights is only slightly less expensive. Other tools, such as municipal land use planning and municipal land use regulations, play a critical role helping the region achieve DVRPC's sustainable vision for open space and natural resource protection.

Survey of Local Tools

In 2002, DVRPC completed a comprehensive survey of local resource protection tools presently in use. DVRPC systematically updated the survey in 2006 and continues to periodically update the survey as new information becomes available. The purpose of the survey is to determine the role that land use planning and regulations play in protecting the region's natural resources, since purchasing all the land identified for preservation by county and regional plans would be prohibitively expensive, and focuses on the following open space and natural resource protection tools:

1. Environmental Resource Inventories;
2. Open Space Plans;
3. Stream Corridor Protection Ordinances;
4. Wetlands Management Ordinances (Pennsylvania only);
5. Wetlands Mapping (New Jersey only);
6. Steep Slope Ordinances;
7. Cluster Development Ordinances;
8. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Ordinances;
9. Net-Out of Resources Zoning (Pennsylvania only);
10. Agricultural Zoning;
11. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Standards; and
12. Locally Funded Open Space Programs.

Maps and Ordinances

The results of the survey are presented on a set of maps. In most cases, each map indicates whether or not municipalities have the given ordinance in their municipal code or possess a land use tool. The maps do not record the details of individual ordinances. In the case of cluster development ordinances, only municipalities with ordinances that require greater than 50% preservation of a tract as open space are shown. For agricultural zoning, the map only displays those municipalities that possess a minimum lot size of ten acres and up.

In addition to the survey results and maps, DVRPC has posted outstanding sample ordinances of the zoning techniques featured in the survey and found in our region. These sample ordinances can be used as detailed models by municipalities that choose to adopt new ordinances or update current ordinances to protect their open space and natural resources. Planning and environmental commissions can also use the survey results and sample ordinances to "audit" their own municipality, proposing change and improvements as necessary.

By highlighting the use of municipal natural resource and open space preservation tools, DVRPC hopes to enable more municipalities in our region to become active partners in achieving the vision presented by the 2030 plan for open space, natural areas and greenways.