Regional Planning:
A Tool That Can Help Worcester Retain its Rural Character
What is Regional Planning
Regional Comprehensive Planning is a cooperative agreement between neighboring municipalities to formally work together on community issues such as housing growth, economic development, traffic, infrastructure improvements, stormwater management, recreational opportunities and natural resource protection.
In Regional Comprehensive Planning, groups of two or more municipalities collaborate together to create a Regional Comprehensive Plan to shape the direction of their communities.
Each of the participating townships identify locations in the region to be designated as Growth Areas, Future Growth Areas, Rural Resource Areas, Village Conservation Areas and Borough Conservation Areas.
What are the Benefits of Regional Comprehensive Planning for Worcester?
1. Could limit high density development
Right now Worcester has to provide a certain amount of high density zoning to comply with “Fair Share” requirements on a range of land uses:
Under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), communities like Worcester located near large population centers are required to provide zoning for a variety of residential housing types
Worcester’s participation in a Regional Comprehensive Plan, can be a solution to the “Fair Share” requirements
2. Local municipalities work better together on issues
If Worcester is able to work directly with our adjacent neighboring townships in regional planning, there would be collaboration on managing traffic, public sewer infrastructure, economic development, and stormwater management.
Most of Worcester’s highest volume roads: Germantown Pike, Skippack Pike, Morris Road, and Valley Forge Road, cross municipal boundaries.
Will Worcester take advantage of this planning tool?
Regional Planning in Montgomery County
In Montgomery County alone, there are 4 regions where Regional Comprehensive Planning has been taking place for years: the Pottstown Metropolitan Region, Indian Valley Region, Central Perkiomen Region, and Upper Perkiomen Valley Region.
In total this comprises 24 municipalities in Montgomery County.
In each of the 4 regions, there are rural townships that participate in part to maximize open space and limit their development, along with more developed townships and boroughs that participate in part to direct new development and growth to their more urbanized dense communities.
These regions were formed by having townships and boroughs authorize an Implementation Agreement to formally establish their region