September 2008 -- Cooperation makes the difference

Dear Friends,   

When communities work together, the benefits can be quite extraordinary and often extend far beyond municipal borders. In Berks County, a series of communities stretch along Route 422, or Penn Avenue. It's a busy corridor that serves as the main artery for towns like Robesonia, Heidelberg Township, Wernersville and Sinking Spring. Several years ago, these communities and others joined together to discuss the increasingly problematic traffic on Route 422.  

Each town had at least one or more traffic lights that caused vehicles to back up, particularly at heavy commute hours. Working with PennDOT assistance, borough officials developed a plan to synchronize the lights so traffic could flow more smoothly. The project is in the process of being implemented.  

Certainly, the residents of the towns will benefit from the improved traffic flow, but so will the residents of the surrounding subdivisions outside of the towns and the commercial vehicles who serve the businesses along Route 422. Each community could have attempted to resolve this vexing problem on their own. However, a cooperative working relationship based on a shared desire to improve a quality- of-life issue for their residents made life better for many more people -- some of whom may not even know the name of the towns they are traveling through! Cooperation made the difference.  

Communities that plan together can also experience far-reaching benefits. 10,000 Friends learned this in the research and case studies for our latest report, Plan Regionally, Implement Locally: An Evaluation of Multi-municipal and Implementation in Pennsylvania. The report summary provides a comprehensive look at the use of multi-municipal planning in the state, highlighting a wide variety of regional planning initiatives throughout the Commonwealth. These case studies provide helpful information for community planners who are working to create a multi-municipal plan or are progressing toward the implementation of a plan.  

More than 29 percent of our municipalities are engaged in a regional planning effort representing a quarter of Pennsylvania's population. Why is this significant? Regional planning permits communities to share land use, allocating specific land uses like commercial and industrial or parks and recreation over a larger region rather than each municipality planning for every possible land use. When communities fully implement multi-municipal plans by coordinating their zoning ordinances through inter-governmental agreements, they are protected from legal challenges from landowners.  

In addition, other tools are available to communities that engage in multi-municipal plans, such as the ability to transfer development rights from one municipality to another, allowing better siting of specific land uses. The authority to share tax revenues and fees is an additional benefit. Perhaps one of the first benefits recognized by communities that plan together is the grant funds that become available through state and county government and other regional sources.  

Take the time to read this report, to learn about the unintended benefits as well. Communities that plan together are working together better in other ways. The communities in the Edinboro, Franklin, Washington Multi-Municipal Plan moved beyond the land use plan to prepare a joint sewage facilities plan that will result in improved water quality for Edinboro Lake.  

We at 10,000 Friends have a special interest in multi-municipal planning as we played a key role in advocating for the legislation, Acts 67 and 68 of 2000, that made it easier for regional planning to take place under Pennsylvania's Municipal Planning Code. We are pleased with the progress that has been made -- 116 completed plans in the seven years since the legislation has been enacted.  

While we recognize the accomplishments of the past, there is more work to be done. The recommendations in the report acknowledge some of the challenges that lie ahead. More communities need to consider how the plans can be fully implemented to best reflect the goals of the region they represent. Reading the case studies in the report and learning about how great communities throughout the commonwealth are using multi-municipal planning effectively and working cooperatively gives me hope that more municipalities will soon join them.  

Thanks, and always, please feel free to contact me in the Harrisburg at the central office of 10,000 Friends. My email is jschwank@10000friends.org, or call me at 717-234-6070.