Natural Resource Protection Tools

Maps Sample Ordinances

Several of the goals of Destination 2030: A Vision for the Future is the preservation of farmland, natural resources and open spaces (see Open Space Network). The plan calls for protecting an additional 433,000 acres of open space throughout the nine-county region by 2030. This acreage figure almost doubles the existing 427,000 acres of parkland, preserved farmlands, and land trust owned and eased lands in the nine-county region.

Within the DVRPC region, the goal of protecting 433,000 acres by 2030 translates into 17,320 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 hundreds of millions of dollars, if not 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 vision for open space and natural resource protection by the year 2030.

In 2002, DVRPC completed a comprehensive survey of local resource protection tools presently in use. 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. Since that thorough survey, DVRPC has periodically updated the survey as new information becomes available. The study focused 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.

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.