THE LAND USE AND HOUSING PLAN
GOAL: Provide highly compatible land uses, with an
emphasis on protecting the livability of residential neighborhoods.
This
Land Use and Housing Plan is intended to make sure
there is compatibility between future development and existing development.
This Plan builds upon the 2001
Existing Land Uses
Map. This map is followed by a map highlighting
Land Use Issues, including proposed developments. A third map, the Comprehensive
Plan Map, is
then provided. The Comprehensive Plan
Map mainly illustrates the Land Use and Housing Plan policies.
The
Palmer Comprehensive Plan strongly endorses continued flexibility within reason
in all Township development regulations in order to allow individual
initiative and innovation to flourish.
GOAL: Promote
light industrial, research and office development in appropriate locations to
provide wider employment choices and additional tax revenues.
GOAL: Allow well-planned commercial uses where
there is suitable road access, while avoiding strip commercial development
along major roads.
GOAL: Avoid residential development in the
northwestern part of Palmer to avoid conflicts between residential and
agricultural uses and business uses.
GOAL: Work to preserve substantial areas of open
space within new development, with a special emphasis upon interconnected
greenways along the Schoeneck and Bushkill Creeks.
GOAL: Continue to stress coordination, regular
communications and close cooperation with neighboring communities and county
and state agencies.
This
Plan encourages continued communication and cooperation between Palmer and the
many neighboring municipalities. This cooperation will build off of Palmer’s
long leadership over the past in many cooperative efforts among area
governments to provide adequate transportation improvements, public water and
sewage services. A good working relationship with the officials of neighboring
governments will be important to avoid conflicts in land uses. Also, the governments should continue to
work together on issues on regional concern. The governments might also work
together to lobby for specific actions by the County, State or Federal
governments.
Coordination with Adjacent Municipalities
The
Palmer Township Comprehensive Plan has been developed with careful attention to
the zoning ordinances, road system and comprehensive plans of the neighboring communities.
Upper Nazareth and Stockertown
along northern Palmer’s border is mainly zoned for industrial and commercial
uses. Tatamy is mostly residentially zoned abutting
Palmer, except that a Light Industrial District adjoins Palmer’s Light
Industrial district. A proposal has been submitted for commercial and apartment
development north of Main Street
in Tatamy. The Lehigh River
and the Bushkill Creek provide significant land use buffers between Williams
and Forks Townships
and Palmer. Forks Township
has established a conservation-type of zoning district along most of its border
with Palmer.
Much
of Wilson along the Palmer border
is zoned industrial and commercial. East
of 25th Street and north of
the Lehigh River, Wilson
is zoned residential. Bethlehem
Township along the Palmer border is
zoned mostly residential, except for an office zoning district north of Farmersville
Road. Lower Nazareth is
mostly zoned light industrial and light industrial/ commercial along Palmer’s
western border. In many cases, Lower Nazareth has light
industrial zoning immediately adjacent to existing homes in Palmer.
The
existing zoning policies of Palmer and adjacent municipalities are illustrated
on the map on the preceeding page. Careful controls upon intense uses, placement
of trucking operations as far from homes as possible, intensive plant
screening, earth berms, buffer yards and larger setback
requirements will avoid conflicts between intensively developed areas and any
adjacent residential areas.
Coordination with the Regional Plan
An
emphasis is needed upon coordinating Palmer’s development policies with
policies of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC). LVPC is charged with
coordinating development, preservation and transportation policies across
municipal borders throughout Lehigh and Northampton
Counties. LVPC is currently
working to update the Comprehensive Plan for Lehigh and Northampton
Counties ("the Regional
Plan").
As
of 2002, the Regional Plan recommends that almost all of the Palmer
Township be planned for "Urban
Development." The term Urban
Development includes what is typically known as suburban development with
public water and sewage services. The
only areas of Palmer where the LVPC does not
recommend Urban Development are: a)
along the Lehigh River, Bushkill Creek and part of the Schoeneck Creek corridors, which are recommended for
Natural Resource Protection, and b) the northwest corner of Palmer, which is
recommended for Agricultural Preservation.
This
Township Plan recommends that the northwest corner of Palmer be changed on the
Regional Plan to recommend "Future" Urban Development conditioned
upon the availability of public water and sewage services and adequate road
capacity, which may include a new interchange of Route 33 at or near Main
Street. It
is understood that these conditions are unlikely to met
for at least ten years into the future.
However, in order to obtain the necessary State and Federal permits and
approvals, it would be helpful if the policy would be endorsed as a long-term
goal in the Regional Plan. This Township Plan also recommends that the Regional
Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Plan recommend the construction of this
new interchange.
Land Use Plan Categories
The
following describes the land use plan categories that are shown on the
Comprehensive Plan Map. In many cases,
these categories are intended to generally related to
zoning districts. More detailed policies
and standards are provided in the Township Zoning Ordinance and more specific
land areas are designated on the Township Zoning Map.
Conservation, Recreation, Schools and Major
Community Facilities - This category includes existing parks,
schools, municipal buildings and areas recommended for creek corridor
preservation.
- A
major objective is to acquire additional public open space and a complete
recreation trail along the length of the Bushkill and Schoeneck
Creeks. As described in the Community Facilities Plan, recreation trails are
particularly needed to connect existing parks and neighborhoods. Therefore, side trails should extend from the
main trails along the creeks. These
trails should not only be provided in residential areas, but also in business
areas, particularly to provide an amenity to employees over their lunch-times.
- In
the Zoning Ordinance, this land use category should be separated into different
zoning districts. One district should
mainly include schools, public buildings and active recreation complexes. A separate conservation zoning district
should address areas that are primarily intended to remain in woodland and
other natural vegetation, as opposed to being regraded
or deforested. Public lands in these
conservation areas should mainly provide for non-motorized trails, nature study
and other types of passive recreation.
- Thick
natural vegetation should be preserved or planted along waterways to filter out
pollutants from runoff, avoid erosion and maintain good water quality. These are known as "riparian
buffers."
- The
Township should work with all property-owners along the Bushkill and Schoeneck Creeks and owners of adjacent woodland to find
ways to preserve the most valuable features of the land. In some cases, where there is a willing
seller, this should involve purchase of parkland. In other cases, parkland could be provided
through the Conservation Design process described below. In additional cases, the Township should seek
that the property-owner provide a "Conservation Easement" (see
discussion under "Recreation and Open Space" below).
Low Density Residential - These areas are
recommended for single-family detached houses at densities of approximately two
homes per acre. Consideration should be
given to allowing one-third acre lots under the Conservation Design option
(described below) if a significant percentage of the tract (such as 30 percent)
is preserved as parkland.
Medium Density Residential - These areas should
primarily provide for single-family detached houses. Side-by-side twin homes and townhouses should
also be allowed with a minimum tract size, to avoid the scattered construction
of attached housing in the middle of established single family detached
neighborhoods. Densities of
approximately three dwelling units per acre should be provided. Consideration should be given to allowing
one-fourth acre single family lots as an option. This option is described in
the "Preserving Open Space in New Development" section on page
22. These one-quarter acre lots should
only be allowed if a significant percentage of the tract (such as 30 percent) is preserved as
open space.
The
current border between the residential and industrial development in the
north-central part of the township runs down the center of Corriere
Road between Tatamy and
Van Buren Roads. Wherever this border
exists, a significant buffer is needed with earth berms,
dense landscaping and large setbacks to avoid conflicts between industries and
homes. If the industrial/residential border
remains along Corriere Road,
then a new east-west road should be constructed parallel to Corriere
Road to handle traffic from the business
development. Corriere
Road is not suitable for industrial traffic,
primarily because of the closeness of homes to the road and the power lines
that obstruct a major road widening. If
the residential zoning district is moved north, then types of residential
development should be emphasized that will result in the permanent preservation
of substantial areas of open space along the industrial district border.
High Density Residential - In these areas, a
variety of housing types should be encouraged.
These land areas should continue to be divided into two different zoning
districts, which are not separately shown on the Comprehensive Plan Map, which
is more generalized than the Zoning Map.
The HDR district should provide for all
housing types at up to 6 homes per acre, while the HDR-2 district should
provide for most housing types except apartments, with densities of
approximately 5 homes per acre.
Particular attention should be paid to preserving the majority of the
woodland along the Schoeneck Creek.
Reasonable
maximum densities should be used of approximately 4 to 7 homes per acre to
avoid crowding, to provide open space and to allow a well-designed layout. High quality site design is essential,
including making sure that garage doors are not an overly prominent feature of
the streetscape, that a majority of the front yards are not covered with
paving, and that a substantial mount of landscaping is provided. Provisions could be made to allow density
bonuses for highly superior site design and amenities. Efforts must be made to
ensure compatibility with adjacent land uses, especially single-family detached
houses.
Allowing
medium and high densities will help to provide affordable housing. This is
especially important for young families and senior citizens. This residential
environment is also designed to help fulfill Palmer’s legal obligation to allow
its “Fair Share” of all housing types.
Housing for Persons 55 and Older - Palmer Township
is particularly concerned about making sure that there are plentiful housing
opportunities for persons age 55 and older.
This includes making sure that there are developments designed for the
needs of existing residents who are no longer able or willing to maintain a
traditional single family home and yard.
Palmer Township
includes an usually high percentage of residents who
are age 65 or older - 21 percent of the total population in 2000. In 2000, 31 percent of Palmer
Township residents were age 55 or
older. This percentage is higher than
all of the neighboring municipalities.
Density
bonuses should be considered for developments limited to persons age 55 and
older and their spouses, with no children under age 18. These density bonuses are logical because the
typical household of older persons generates less traffic, less need for
parking and less water and sewage usage compared to other types of
housing. Housing for older persons also
does not generate additional public school students, thereby avoiding negative
impacts upon school finances.
The
township has recognized this need for housing for persons age 55 and older by
amending the zoning ordinance to allow active adult residential developments in
the Medium Density Residential District.
Commercial - These areas are primarily intended to
provide for retail, service and office development. In the Zoning Ordinance, the Commercial areas
should be divided into various zoning districts. This should include:
- A
new NC Neighborhood Commercial District should be primarily intended to provide
for light commercial uses in areas that are close to existing neighborhoods. The NC District should not allow for the
heavier types of commercial uses.
- The
GC General Commercial District should provide opportunities for a wide variety
of commercial uses. Along William
Penn Highway, special controls should continue in
place through an overlay district.
- The
PC Planned Commercial District should also provide for a wide variety of
commercial uses, but is designed for larger tracts where traffic access onto
adjacent streets should be very carefully controlled.
- The PIC Planned Industrial Commercial District should provide
for the same types of uses and development as the Light Industrial Office
District described below. In addition,
this district is intended to provide for a range of commercial uses.
- The
current William Penn Highway Overlay District should continue to be used to
make sure that commercial development addresses community concerns, such as
compatibility with homes and management of vehicle access onto major roads.
Commercial
development should be encouraged to occur in well-designed centers that have
the character of an older village. This
includes use of shared parking, coordinated signs and a limited number of
driveways from the development onto adjacent streets. Architectural styles should be encouraged
that are reminiscent of older downtowns, such as pitched roofs, colorful
awnings and display windows.
This
Plan strongly encourages the redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Corporation
industrial tract and adjacent areas along the west side of 25th
Street adjacent north of Freemansburg Avenue for new
commercial uses. Intense commercial
development will only be appropriate if the developer is able to prove that
sufficient road improvements will be made to off-set the traffic impact.
The
potential developer(s) of the Bethlehem Corporation site should be expected to
accomplish a substantial amount of the needed improvements along the 25th
Street corridor.
In addition, County, State and Federal grants should be sought to fund a
reasonable share of the costs of the improvements that are already needed to 25th
Street to handle existing traffic. These traffic concerns extend north through
the Route 22 ramps. Continued
cooperation is needed between Palmer and Wilson to resolve these complex
traffic problems, in a manner that minimizes impacts upon residential
neighborhoods.
Any
redevelopment of the Bethlehem Corporation site should only be allowed in a way
that provides adequate buffers for nearby residents.
Planned
Office/Business - This area primarily encourages business,
professional and medical offices and financial institutions. Certain limited commercial uses, such as
exercise clubs, hotels, non-fast-food restaurants and banks, are appropriate to
complement the office uses. Great care
is needed to address the high peak hour traffic that commonly results from
office uses and to avoid conflicts with any adjacent residential areas.
Nazareth
Road Office Overlay - The current Nazareth Road Overlay zoning
district should continue to allow offices along most of Nazareth Road/Route 248
provided that a set of conditions are met, including proper access controls for
vehicles onto roads and compatibility with adjacent homes.
Planned
Industrial/Office Park - This area provides for carefully planned and
designed light industrial and office parks. This area includes much of the
northern part of Palmer, including the Palmer
Industrial Park.
- Standards
should be strengthened to greatly limit large warehouse/distribution centers
that typically generate enormous amounts of tractor-traffic traffic and only
modest amounts of jobs. Large
warehouse/distribution centers also require special care because they are often
have intensive late night and weekend operations that can cause serious nuisances
to nearby residents. See the discussion
below concerning "Promoting Quality Development."
- Flexibility
should be provided in most business zoning districts to allow business
development to be clustered in the most suitable portions of a tract, while
preserving other areas in permanent open space.
This process can be particularly valuable to provide attractive parks
and trails along the Schoeneck Creek and to provide
large buffers alongside residential development (such as along Corriere
Road). For
example, a subdivision could be allowed to have an increased building and
impervious coverage on certain lots, provided it is offset by permanently perserved open space on other parts of the tract. (The
impervious coverage is the maximum percentage of a lot that can be covered by
buildings and paving.) The goal is not
to increase the total amount of development possible on a tract, but instead to
cluster the development on the most suitable portions of a tract.
Rural/
Future Planned Industrial/Office - This category is
proposed to include large areas in the northwest part of the Township. In these areas, the intent is for the
Township to change the zoning in the future to allow intense new business
development after a developer proves that all of the following conditions will
be met:
a) transportation
improvements will be made, following an overall transportation plan that is
acceptable to the township, that will ensure that sufficient capacity will be
available to handle the resulting increased traffic and that will result in
efficient connections for the business traffic to reach a new and/or improved
existing interchanges with Route 33,
b) vehicle access onto major roads will be properly
coordinated, in order to minimize the number of driveways onto major roads, and
c) public water and sewage services will be provided, in a
manner that avoids increased expense to existing customers.
Once
the Township is assured that the conditions described above will be met, then
this area should be rezoned to allow uses similar to the Light
Industrial/Office Park ( as described above). This could include changing the zoning
district or creating an overlay zoning district with a set of conditions that
must be met if a person wishes to develop an optional set of land uses. These areas should prohibit large
warehouse/distribution centers that typically generate enormous amounts of
tractor-trailer
traffic and only modest amounts of jobs. Most warehouse/distribution centers should be
limited to locations that are north of Main Street.
It
may be appropriate to allow some types of warehouse/distribution centers that
are necessary to support other area industries.
For example, a large refrigerated warehouse may be useful in attracting
major food manufacturers.
However,
any zoning change should occur early enough in the development process to
encourage a developer to spend the necessary funds on engineering. Otherwise, a developer may not be willing to
spend large sums towards meeting the conditions if the developer has little
assurance of being allowed intense business development.
Until
these conditions for intensive business development are met, the Rural/Future
Light Industrial/Office areas should primarily provide for uses such as
campgrounds, agriculture, livestock operations and plant nurseries. These areas should also continue to be used
to meet Palmer’s
obligation under State law to allow locations for certain heavy
industrial uses, such as quarries and solid waste facilities. These heavy industrial uses should be
controlled by a comprehensive set of regulations.
New
residential development should be discouraged in these areas to avoid conflicts
with future business development. New
homes should be limited to a maximum of one home on each pre-existing lot. Also, by avoiding residential development in the
northwest corner of Palmer, “nuisance” complaints against farmers can be
avoided. Also, see discussion about the
preservation of open space on page 40.
Rural/ Future Planned Commercial - An area along Main
Street west of Route 33 is proposed for a new
commercial area. However, business
development would only be suitable in this area if the same conditions are met
that are described above for the Rural/Future Light Industrial/Office
category.
In addition to a planned commercial
area in Tatamy, this area is primarily intended to
serve persons working in the northern part of Palmer
Township. The goal is to avoid the need for employees
to have to travel long distances through congested areas for everyday
needs. This area should provide for
small retail stores, personal services and restaurants. This area could also serve motorists along
Route 33, including gas stations. Any
new commercial development should be required to have shared parking lots and
rear road access. This would allow most
traffic to enter Main Street
at one of two carefully located intersections, as opposed to numerous
driveways.
Light
Industrial - These
areas provide for light industrial development.
All uses will be required to meet careful performance standards under
the Zoning Ordinance. These areas
include land along Hollo
Road north of Route 33 and lands adjacent to
existing light industrial uses in central Palmer.
Heavy
Industrial/ Mixed Use -
This area includes the former Taylor-Wharton plant and adjacent
lands. It also includes smaller areas around existing industries. An emphasis
is needed upon buffering between business and residential uses to avoid
conflicts.
Over the long-run, it may be appropriate
to consider alternative uses of portions of the former Taylor-Wharton
Plant. Any proposed non-industrial use
of this tract should be carefully integrated into a completely planned and
coordinated development. These developments should include safe and efficient
traffic access.
Residential
Development Issues
This Comprehensive Plan promotes a
total living environment, with a balance of quality housing that is near
shopping areas, schools, parks, places of worship and other places to enjoy
leisure time activities. The goal is to
offer a wide range of opportunities for persons of all ages and different types
of households.
New single-family detached houses have
become priced out of the reach of many persons of average income, especially
young couples just starting out and retired persons on fixed incomes. Therefore, this Comprehensive Plan provides
for a variety of affordable housing types in appropriate locations. Efforts
will be made to encourage types of housing that will require reduced maintenance
by the homeowners, especially for senior citizens, including condominiums. Higher densities of homes will be limited to
selected lands that are physically suitable, have good highway access and are
convenient to shopping and community facilities.
Developers should be encouraged to
build subdivisions in patterns that create well-defined neighborhoods. This can
help build community spirit and cohesiveness as residents find it easy to
identify with their neighbors. Neighborhoods can be defined by street patterns
and open spaces, including treelines, drainage swales
and parks.
|
This photo illustrates an earth berm with evergreen
trees that was planted 15 years ago to provide a buffer between a residential
development and a high traffic road. This concept can also be particularly
useful to provide compatibility when residential and industrial uses are
planned for opposite sides of a road.
|
The modification process in the
Subdivision Ordinance can be useful to find ways of logically adjusting
specific requirements to reduce housing costs while maintaining very high
quality construction and design. The
Subdivision Ordinance allows modifications in cases where an applicant proves
to the Board of Supervisors that an alternative would result in a better site
design. In comparison, a provision in the Zoning Ordinance can only be waived
through the granting of a zoning variance by the Zoning Hearing Board. Under State law, a zoning variance can only
be granted if the applicant proves that they have an unnecessary hardship. Therefore, for matters that
affect site design (such as landscaping), it would be preferable to place most
standards in the Subdivision Ordinance and not the Zoning Ordinance.
Business Development Issues
This
Plan provides carefully planned locations for commercial, office, service,
research, light industrial uses and limited heavy industry. These uses will provide wide employment
opportunities close to the homes of Palmer residents, reducing commuting
distances. This development also will
expand the variety and competitiveness of goods and services that can be
conveniently purchased. In addition, these uses can be expected to generate
significantly more in tax revenue than they will require in additional
services, helping to keep Township and School District
taxes reasonable.
Where
possible, traffic from business development in northern and central Palmer
should be directed towards Route 33, through the Nazareth
Road and Stockertown
interchanges, and hopefully a new interchange near Main
Street.
This will help avoid additional congestion on roads in southern and
central Palmer. The extension of rail
spurs from existing rail lines to industrial areas could help attract employers
and decrease truck traffic.
See
the discussion below about "Attracting Quality Development."
This
Plan seeks to direct commercial development into well-designed shopping areas,
preferably with fully coordinated traffic access that allows a person to visit
multiple businesses without having to re-enter a major road. This Plan avoids uncontrolled “strip”
commercial development along major roads to: a) minimize conflicts with
adjacent homes and b) allow the efficient and safe flow of traffic. As discussed in the Transportation Plan, if
traffic access is not carefully controlled, serious safety hazards will
result. The William
Penn Highway and Route 248 Overlay Zoning
Districts were specifically written to make sure that new business development
along these roads is compatible with nearby homes.
Traditional Neighborhood Development
This
Plan encourages forms of “traditional neighborhood development.” This involves recreating the best features of
the older areas of desirable boroughs in new neighborhoods. This concept is
illustrated on the sketch on the following page. Traditional neighborhood
development primarily involves the following:
• Street trees should be planted to eventually
provide a canopy of shade over streets. Studies show that mature street trees
can increase the value of homes up to 10 percent.
• Sidewalks
should be provided. There should be an orientation to pedestrians, with an
ability to walk or bicycle to stores, schools and parks.
• A
modest density should be encouraged that is similar to the typical development
that occurred during the 1930s through 1940s.
This density (such as 4 to 8
homes per acre) will make best use of available land, while avoiding overly
dense development and parking problems.
• Whenever
practical, parking should be located to the rear or side of buildings, so that
the front yard can be landscaped. At
best, parking and garages would be placed to the rear of lots, with access
using alleys. This design avoids
conflicts between sidewalks and vehicles backing into the street, and allows
the entire curbside to be available for on-street parking.
- Care is needed to discourage new twin and
townhouse development that has numerous driveways entering directly onto a
street from the front. Garage doors
should not be an overly prominent part of the views of housing from the
front. Where garages and parking cannot
be avoided in the front yard, larger lot widths should be required to make sure
that there is green space in the front yard.
Regulations are needed to make sure that the majority of the front yards
of housing developments are not covered by paving.
- Where garages cannot be accessed from alleys,
narrow driveways should be encouraged along a side of a home to reach a garage
back behind the home. In this way,
driveways can widen out closer to the garage.
• Buildings
should be placed relatively close to the street, with front porches, to
encourage interaction among neighbors. If residents spend time on their front
porch, they can help oversee the neighborhood and report suspicious activity to
the police.
A
density bonus could be provided if a development incorporates the features of
a
“Traditional Neighborhood."
In
Palmer, Traditional Neighborhood Development could work particularly well in
the higher density residential neighborhoods.
For example, developers could use this option to build single family
detached houses on relatively narrow lots in place of building townhouses. Traditional Neighborhood Development can be
promoted through modest density incentives, such as those already in place in
the Palmer Zoning Ordinance.
Traditional
Neighborhood Development can be particularly attractive to developers by
allowing single family lots that are more narrow than
would otherwise be allowed. This
reduction in lot width can result in dramatic reductions in the average costs
of improvements per housing unit.
The
following photos illustrate the Traditional Neighborhood Development for residential
development. These photos are from the largest Traditional Neighborhood Development
in Pennsylvania - Eagleview, which is west of Route 100 south of the Pennsylvania
Turnpike.
| This
photo illustrates how the Traditional Neighborhood Development concept
can also apply to commercial development. |
|
Throughout
the nation, there is increased emphasis in permanently preserving important
open spaces as part of new development.
This concept has been promoted by the Natural Lands Trust and the State
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Attractive
incentives are needed so that any development of the large open tracts of land
in the Township would be developed with substantial areas of preserved open
space (such as 35 to 50 percent), as opposed to standard "cookie-cutter" type
lots.
The
intent is to design development in a manner that conserves the important
natural, scenic and historic features of a site. Large percentages of a tract are permanently
preserved in open space. The Natural
Lands Trust refers to this concept as “Conservation Design Subdivisions.” In
comparison, “Conventional Subdivisions” typically involve very little or no
open space preservation. Conventional
Subdivisions are also known as “Cookie Cutter Subdivisions” because every lot
is typically the same size and shape, regardless of the features of the
land.
Advantages
of Conservation Developments - Based upon the work of the Natural
Lands Trust, the following are some of the major advantages of Conservation
Subdivisions:
- Important natural features can be preserved. Conservation subdivisions should include
standards that direct buildings away from steep slopes, wetlands, waterways and
other important natural features. As a
result, homes are placed on portions of the tract that are most environmentally
suitable for development - as opposed to being evenly spread across the
land. Large contiguous areas can remain
in woods and other natural vegetation - which are important as wildlife
corridors. Thick natural vegetation can
be preserved along creeks - which is essential to
filter out eroded soil and other pollutants from runoff before it enters the
creek. This vegetation along creeks is
also important to maintain high quality fishing habitats.
- In comparison, if an entire tract is divided
into lots, it is likely to mostly be in mowed grass - which is a “mono-culture”
that does not have the same environmental benefits.
- With open space preservation, stormwater runoff
can be managed in a more natural manner that encourages recharge into the
groundwater.
- Scenic features can be preserved. Conservation subdivisions can place homes on
less visible portions of a tract, while maintaining scenic views. For example, many
conservation subdivisions setback homes from main through-roads and limit
placement of homes on major ridgelines.
As a result, the main angle of vision along major roads involves green
space.
- Mature woods can be preserved in locations that
hide views of development. The
preservation of open space also provides visual relief from seeing continuous
development.
- Stormwater runoff can also be managed in a more
attractive manner - as opposed to within deep man-made channels and detention
basins.
- Recreational opportunities can be increased. Conservation subdivisions typically include
attractive areas for walking, jogging, cross-country skiing and nature
study. In some cases, active recreation
facilities can be included. These open
spaces can also increase interaction among neighbors.
- Developers can achieve lower costs for
grading, lengths of roads, lengths of utilities and other improvements.
- Developers
may also be able to save time and money by avoiding wetland alterations and
waterway crossings.
- Conservation Subdivisions can provide the
flexibility in layout to move homes off of steep slopes, which are more
expensive to build upon. Avoiding steep
slopes can also reduce the need for blasting.
- By allowing flexibility in placement of
buildings, it is easier to find suitable sites for septic systems.
- Municipalities can save on maintenance costs. Shorter lengths of roads, utilities and other
improvements mean there is less to maintain.
It is expensive to maintain and plow snow from steeply sloped roads. Conservation Subdivisions can result in roads
being placed at more modest slopes.
- Developers can often achieve higher sales
prices. More and more developments
are stressing in their advertising that homes are adjacent to preserved open
spaces. Developers can often receive a
premium price for lots that are adjacent to or overlook preserved open
space. The presence of trails and other
open space amenities can also spur sales.
- Studies
have also shown that homes near preserved open space are likely to increase in
value faster than other homes.
The
following major policies will be emphasized to encourage Conservation
Subdivisions:
1. Strong incentives and disincentives are
needed to encourage open space preservation in new development. It typically is not sufficient to allow the
same density for a Conservation Subdivision as for a conventional
subdivision. This is because developers
prefer to build what has been successful in the past, as opposed to trying new concepts. Also, developers may feel (often
inaccurately) that the homes on larger lots may have a higher market value that
homes on smaller lots with open space.
Therefore, density bonuses are needed for open space preservation. A community needs to trade-off a modestly
increased number of dwelling units in return for substantial open space
preservation.
2. The
process for approval of a Conservation Subdivision must not be much more
burdensome or time-consuming than the process for a Conventional
Subdivision. Where practical, the
process to gain approval for a desirable type of development will be easier
than the process for a Conventional Subdivision. Discipline is needed in writing Conservation
Subdivision standards to make sure that they are not overly restrictive. If Conservation Subdivision standards are too
detailed or too extensive, they may not allow enough flexibility for a good
design. If the standards get in the way
of a developer’s marketing plans or cause excessive costs, a developer may
choose to do a Conventional Subdivision.
3. Proper
standards are needed to make sure that the preserved open space is well-located
and improved so that it serves important public functions. In many cases, mature woods, steep slopes and
creek valleys should simply be preserved in their natural state. In other cases, the open spaces may be
intended for active recreation. In still
other cases, trees should be planted in the open spaces and trails should be
installed. The key is to avoid a process
in which the “open space” is simply the land that is left over after the most
economical set of lots
and roads are laid out. Narrow strips
of open space will be avoided, unless they would preserve a scenic tree line or
provide an important trail link.
A
description of the four-step Conservation Design site planning process is
included in the Appendices.
Promoting Home Ownership
To
promote neighborhood stability and property maintenance, the Township should
promote home ownership. A variety of
programs are available through area financial institutions, non-profit agencies
and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to assist first-time homebuyers in
financing the initial settlement costs in purchasing a home. The Zoning Ordinance should also work to promote
types of housing that are most likely to be owner-occupied. For example, twin housing units that are
separated by a vertical wall and that have each housing unit on its own lot
should be encouraged instead of one housing unit above a second housing unit.
Care
is also needed to make sure that the maximum density allowed for single family
detached houses is not much stricter than the density allowed for other housing
types. Otherwise, the Township’s
policies would be working to discourage detached housing. This is currently the case in the High
Density Residential zoning district where the maximum density for apartments is
twice as high as the maximum density for singles.
Care
should be taken to make sure that excessively large side and rear setbacks are
not required in older residential neighborhoods. Large setbacks can make it difficult for a
homeowner to expand an under-sized older home, or to add amenities such as
decks. If homeowners cannot expand their
home, they are more likely to move out of an older neighborhood.
Maintaining Strong Neighborhoods
Much
of the housing stock in Palmer is over 40 years old and will need increasing
amounts of maintenance and repair. At
the same time, much of this housing stock is occupied by older persons who may
have difficulty affording proper home maintenance and/or may not be physically
capable of accomplishing home repairs.
In addition, many of the older housing units are relatively small, and
may not be attractive to families. As
current older residents move out of these older homes, it will be desirable to
attract new homebuyers to avoid a major increase in the percentage of rental
units.
A single blighted property can severely
discourage new investment on an entire block and can cause responsible
residents to move out or not invest in improving their own homes. A single problem property can also become a
cancer in a neighborhood that drives away prospective homebuyers. A problem property can also become a fire
hazard or an attractive nuisance to children.
To stop deterioration before it occurs,
Palmer Township
should continue to enforce its Basic Property Maintenance Code. This Code primarily emphasizes important
matters that affect the structural soundness of a building and basic health and
sanitation issues.
The enforcement of a basic property
maintenance codes is intended to require property-owners to: a) properly
maintain their buildings or b) sell the buildings to another party who will
make the needed improvements. The goal
in code enforcement is to intervene before buildings deteriorate to the point
where it is no longer cost effective to repair them. If property-owners are
forced to complete basic maintenance and repairs in a timely manner, severe
deterioration can be avoided.
Consideration should be given to
additional methods for code enforcement.
For example, the City of Bethlehem
requires that every building be inspected before it is sold. This inspection is particularly aimed towards
identifying safety hazards, and requiring that the problems be corrected before
the deed can be transferred. For
example, these inspections often find dangerous electric wiring or unsafe
venting of wood burning stoves.
Some communities, such as Allentown,
target inspections towards rental properties, which are the primary source of
most code enforcement problems. Allentown
now requires a codes inspection of all rental properties once every three
years.
Some communities only require
inspections of rental properties prior to a change in the tenants. This method targets the properties with high
turnover rates of tenants. Those
properties are most likely to have code enforcement problems. This method also avoids intruding upon
existing tenants, particularly stable long-term tenants.
Traffic
Impacts
A major consideration in reviewing any
development proposal that would generate significant traffic should be whether
the existing road system can handle the traffic and what improvements are
proposed to be made at the expense of the developer. Specific requirements and
conditions concerning traffic impacts are addressed within the Zoning Ordinance
and the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
Ensuring
Quality Development
Palmer will require that all
development be well-planned to prevent future problems for the developer, the
Township and neighboring uses. Palmer
will seek highly attractive industrial and office parks. Standards will be used to make sure that new
development is compatible with existing development, particularly to avoid
nuisances to neighboring uses. The heights
and sizes of signs will continue to be carefully controlled.
Palmer is committed to land use
regulations that insure that all new development will involve the highest
quality of site design and landscaping.
The Township will also work to encourage attractive architectural
designs, although that cannot typically be controlled through zoning.
Quality residential development
attracts new quality homes nearby.
Moreover, a quality business development in a well-landscaped
campus-like setting is important to attract additional desirable types of
business development. Many offices, for
example, are seeking prestigious and attractive locations that will benefit the
image of the company and help attract the highest quality of employees to their
firm. Therefore, an emphasis should be
placed upon proper site design of new businesses, particularly involving
substantial landscaping.
Sub-dividers should be strongly
encouraged to place deed restrictions on each lot to control the appearance of
new buildings, such as the standards that are used by the Lehigh
Valley Industrial Park. LVIP’s standards
emphasize minimize the visibility of truck loading docks and truck parking, and
requiring that the majority of the front of each building include glass and
decorative masonry (such as brick). Metal sides and
trucking activities are typically required to be placed in less visible
locations, including in the middle of "U-shaped" buildings.
Attracting
More Jobs to Palmer
To attract more light industries and
offices to Palmer will require a great deal of organization by the Township and
the business community, cooperating fully with many institutions and agencies.
A major leader in this area has been the Business Industrial and Professional
Association of Palmer. Close cooperation is needed with the Lehigh Valley
Economic Development Corporation, the Easton Area Industrial Development
Corporation, the Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania
Department of Community and Economic Development, the Ben
Franklin Technology
Center and Lehigh
University’s Small
Business Center.
The business community and Township
officials should periodically study Palmer’s greatest strengths and most
serious constraints in attracting new employers. The goal is to build upon these strengths
and minimize the constraints.
It is essential that attention be paid
towards helping existing employers to stay in business in Palmer and to expand.
In this area, regular communication is important between major employers,
Township officials, business lenders and economic development agencies in the
area. At times, an employer may be suffering from problems that could be
reduced by local effort. For example, an employer may be suffering because a
rail spur closed down, or because it cannot find enough employees in a certain
skill area, or it is suffering flooding problems. Close communication with
Palmer’s employers will not only help them resolve problems but it will help
them know that their community cares about their concerns. This is a major
component of ensuring a healthy “business climate” in Palmer.
Additional efforts need to be made to
market Palmer as a business location. Also, Palmer needs to increase
recognition of its name throughout a wider area. In addition, Palmer should
seek ways of making best use of the area’s technical and educational resources
through close relationships between schools and businesses. This especially
refers to Lafayette College,
Lehigh University,
Northampton Community
College and the Career and Technology
Center.
Attention must be paid not only to
attracting major employers from outside the area, but also to helping local
entrepreneurs get started. A major factor in this area is helping small
business persons to develop basic business skills to let them make the most of
their initiative. This can be accomplished by sponsoring workshops in areas
such as accounting, marketing and crime prevention.
The goal is not only to create large
numbers of jobs, but also to create types of jobs that provide incomes
sufficient to support a family and that provide important benefits. Too many Palmer residents find that they must
commute long distances to find employment that generates sufficient income and
benefits to support a family.
Timing
of Development
The timing of development will depend
upon many factors, including mortgage interest rates, migration of persons from
New Jersey, employment growth in
the region and the availability or unavailability of competing development
sites in neighboring municipalities. Any
construction of a new interchange on Route 33 in the northern part of Palmer is
not likely to occur until at least 2012, if not 2020. This Comprehensive Plan recommends that
intensive business development not be allowed in the northwestern part of the
Township if adequate transportation infrastructure is not in place.
Promoting
Use of Public Transit
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s
report Community Planning and Transit includes recommendations to
promote use of public transit. Many of
these recommendations can also promote walking as an alternative to short
vehicle trips. These recommendations are important to reduce traffic congestion
and air pollution. These recommendations
include:
- considering
allowing higher intensities of development near bus routes, so that the bus
routes are more convenient to more persons,
- allowing
residential development in close proximity to business development, so people
can live close to their work,
- promoting
the placement of buildings relatively close to roads served by public transit,
as opposed to forcing persons to walk long distances across parking lots to
reach the building,
- improving
pedestrian access so people can easily walk from their homes, workplaces or
other destinations to bus stops, including:
- providing well-maintained sidewalks or
pathways, particularly to complete "missing links" between existing
safe pedestrian routes,
- installing sufficient lighting for security and
for motorists to see pedestrians,
- avoiding unsafe conditions in crossing roads
(such as "walk" signals and well-marked crosswalks),
- avoiding excessively wide intersections that
are difficult for pedestrians to cross and which promote high speed turns by
vehicles that are a hazard to pedestrians,
- considering raised islands in the middle of
wide roads, which provide a safe refuge for pedestrians crossing the road,
- providing safer conditions in crossing large
parking lots,
- minimizing the number of cul-de-sac streets
and/or providing pedestrian connections at the end of cul-de-sacs, to avoid
long circuitous walks,
- providing pedestrian entrances to businesses
and stores as close to transit stops as possible,
- providing wheelchair accessible curb cuts,
- encouraging
the placement of transit shelters, which are particularly important during
periods of snow, rain, high winds and extreme heat, or at least shade trees at
transit stops, and which are typically funded by advertising,
- carefully locating transit stops as part of road
improvements and major new developments, in consultation with LANTA and in coordination with sidewalks,
- publicizing State laws about when motorists
must allow pedestrians the right-of-way,
- publicizing
the availability of public transit services and how persons can obtain
information about schedules, and
- considering
incentives for employers that commit to long-term subsidies of public transit
or vanpooling use by their employees, such as reduced parking requirements.
Historic Preservation
Palmer
includes a significant number of historic buildings, many of which were
farmhouses. These include a number of
stone farmhouses that are well-preserved.
One notable example of a sensitive expansion of a historic building for
a modern use is the bank on the east side of Nazareth
Road at Northwood Drive Extended.
Most
of the historic buildings are scattered throughout the Township along older
roads, such as Tatamy Road,
Greenwood Avenue, Newlin’s
Mill Road, Stocker
Mill Road, Chain Dam Road,
Freemansburg Avenue
and Van Buren Road. One of the oldest buildings in the Township
is the 1818 Tavern in Seipsville. The Palmer Township Historical Society has
prepared a book about the Township’s history and is currently completing an
inventory of historic buildings.
A
summary of the history of Palmer Township
is included in the Appendix.
Palmer
Township should consider providing
incentives in the Zoning Ordinance to promote the sensitive rehabilitation and
preservation of important historic buildings.
This could include adopting a list of Township-designated historic
buildings in the Zoning Ordinance.
Within these buildings, an additional set of land uses could be allowed
if the exterior building was sensitively rehabilitated and if a permanent
preservation easement was established on the outside of the building. In return, an owner of a historic building
could receive approval to convert a historic building into a bed and breakfast
inn or an office, even if the property is within a residential district. A building in an industrial district might be
allowed to be converted into a restaurant or an antique store.
The
Township could also adopt regulations that would prohibit demolition of
historic buildings that are identified in the ordinance. An applicant would have to prove that there
is no reasonable alternative to demolition.
Or, the Township could simply require a delay of up to 90 days before a
historic building could be demolished.
This delay is intended to provide time to convince the owner that there
are alternatives to the demolition.
