INTRODUCTION

 

 

A community can only be strong and stable if it is willing to continuously improve.  To continuously improve, it must accept and address change.  As conditions and trends change over time, the community must be in a position to make thoughtful decisions that are framed by the changing situation.  

 

To deal with these changes, Palmer Township needs a strategic Comprehensive Plan that addresses  the challenges and opportunities that come with growth.  This Plan builds upon a history of over 50 years of community planning in the Township.  This Plan is consistent with provisions of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code that state that  a municipal comprehensive plan must be updated every 10 years.    

 

The process of updating the Comprehensive Plan followed a well-designed process to make sure that the work was completed in an efficient and timely manner.  This process is illustrated with a flow-chart in the Appendices. 

 

As part of this Comprehensive Planning Program, a focus group of 30 Township officials and residents was brought together.  This committee had two main tasks:

 

• to analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) that affect Palmer Township’s future; and

 

• to challenge the content of the Comprehensive Plan recommendations as they were prepared, to make sure that the Plan addressed various viewpoints and the best thinking that could be brought to bear.

 

The conclusions of this SWOT analysis are included in the Appendices of this Plan.  This analysis was an integral part of the preparation of this Plan.

 

The members of the Palmer Township Board of Supervisors sincerely express our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the citizens who participated in the preparation of this Plan.

 

 

Interrelationships of the Plan Elements -  The various elements are this Comprehensive Plan are closely inter-related.  The Land Use and Housing Plan was designed to respect the natural features of different areas described in the Natural Environment section.  The improvements described in the Transportation Plan section are important to support the new development projected in the Land Use and Housing Plan.  The Land Use and Housing Plan proposes incentives to preserve buildings described in the Historic Preservation section.  The Community Facilities and Services Plan section describes projects that are needed to support the Land Use and Housing Plan.

 

Palmer's Location within the Region

 

Palmer Township is located in the eastern portion of Northampton County, as few miles west of the New Jersery border. Two major expressways, Route 22 and 33, pass through the Township providing connections to Interstate 78 and 80. Palmer has an elongated shaper stretching from the Lehigh River to the south towards the boroughs of Tatamy, Stockertown, and Nazareth to the north.

 

Three major arterials roads pass through Palmer: Freemansburg Avenue, William Penn Highway, and 25th Street/Nazareth Road/Route 248.