Land use
(Continued from Page 1]
.’these discussions and let
their views be known.”
Two more land-use
meetings are scheduled in
Lancaster County this
coniing week. The first will
be held at the Brownstown
Vo-Tech School on Monday,
7:30 p.m., the second in the
basement of the Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster,
also at 7:30 p.m. The
program will include
presentations and
discussions on “The Penn
sylvania Land Policy
Program,” “Lancaster
County Land Use Planning,”
and “Public Interest in Land
Use.”
Very similar meetings are
scheduled for other counties
in Pennsylvania. Some have
already taken place. While
this particular meeting in
Quarryville had a low far
mer turn-out, it is important
to note that this is not always
the case.
Lancaster Fanning’s York
County correspondent, Joyce
Bupp, indicated in a
telephone conversation on
Thursday afternoon that a
similar meeting in her area
was attended by ap
proximately 100 people, of
which three-quarters were
working farmers.
According to opinions and
observations made at the
meeting here, the public is
somewhat reluctant to ac-
cept further government
control of any kind. A
questionnaire was passed
around at the end of the
meeting, and one individual
wrote down a message in
dicating he was not in favor
of further government
programs until the govern
ment could prove it was
capable of handling what
powers it now has.
Similar remarks were
voiced by others, definitely
indicating that some
resistance to the program is
present.
This kind of an attitude is
not in the farmers’ best
interest, according to
spokesmen who are close to
the program some farm
leaders.
At the Tuesday night an
nual meeting of the Lebanon
County Farmers
Association, for example,
member Gene Hoffman
announced that: ‘‘Land use
planning is very important,
it is important for us to get
out and put our personal
input into it.”
Informative bulletins are
available from County
Extension Services, the Soil
Conservation Service, the
Soil Conservation District,
and some planning com
mittees. In addition, two
films and a film strip will be
made available free of
charge to any group in
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Resource Agent, John B.
.Munson, who made the
announcement, said that the
, audio-visual material would
be available soon from most
County Extension offices.
Aside from two formal
presentations made here on
behalf of the interim land
use program, a represen
tative from the League of
Women Voters also spoke.
Mrs. Judy Armstrong,
Lancaster, encouraged
greater participation in
these meetings by saying:
“Now is the time to speak -
before legislation is written
and plans are made.”
But in spite of these and
other encouraging words,
some individuals in at
tendance here were vocally
pessimistic and-or in
different to the proposals.
None, in fact, expressed a
true positive attitude.
Highlights of the meeting
at Solanco High School
follow; Munson spoke on the
Pennsylvania land-use
policy program, which in
essence is a study prepared
and published by state
agencies. Findings and
proposals were published
recently by the Governor’s
Office for State Planning and
Development.
The Lancaster Countian
noted that “farm taxes
really aren’t that great of a
burden in Lancaster County
yet.” He emphasized the yet,
hinting that it could possibly
change. Proper land-use
legislation is supposedly
designed to avoid bur
densome tax developments.
County Extension Director
Smith revealed that the
County’s assessment values
in use today date back to
1962, when the average acre
of land was valued at far less
than it is now. He pointed out
that just five years ago the
average acre of land in
Lancaster County was
valued at $954, compared to
$1698 today. The average
size of a Lancaster County
farm is 84 acres.
It is strongly and widely
assumed that once new
assessment rates go into
effect in Lancaster County,
the recently enacted Penn
sylvania Clean and Green
Law will play an important
role in taxation here. The
Clean and Green Act is not
yet in effect in the Garden
Spot.
Munson explained a
number of proposals in his
presentation, one of them
being what is termed the
“agrizone concept.” This
proposal would in effect limit
the power of eminent domain
(the right of the government
to take private property),
eliminate special
assessments, and encourage
joint development.
The plan, as currently
suggested and considered,
would set some land aside
for agricultural uses, while
, other tracts go for
developments. A part of the
development program,
which raised considerable
interest among those
present, was the idea known
as “transfer of development
rights.” This concept would
theoretically bring
everybody into the “high
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Oct. 23,1976
priced land” action if he so
desired. The example was
cited whereby a farmer in an
area zoned for development
can sell his property to a
developer. Someone out in
the “boondocks,” however,
may not have the proper
zoning to do likewise. In
order to give such a land
owner the opportunity to
cash in on some of these real
estate proceedsngs, he might
be given a certain number of
theoretical development
units which he in turn can
transfer to property of one
who is in the development
zone. The responsible real
estate agency or developer
would have to make
arrangements to buy such
development rights and
compensate the other fellow
for them.
The southern Lancaster
County gathering was quick
to jump on this concept,
pointing out that a number of
problems would or could
arise if it were implemented.
The question was brought up
as to how a limit for
development rights would be
determined, and how many a
developer could use on a
given area of land. If such a
plan were actually put to
use, development rights on a
farm which had them
transferred would be gone
for possibly 100 years.
Another idea brought forth
by Munson was “urban
revitalization,” which would
allow cities to be improved
from within their present
boundaries. He noted that
this would be an important
step towards preserving land
for agricultural purposes
and “other values” such as
scenery, recreation,
ecological balance.
“The wise use of urban
land will alleviate a large
number of problems in our
rural land,” the resource
agent remarked. Munson
also pointed out that present
tax laws are presently such
that when an urban real
estate owner decides to
make improvements, his
taxes increase noticeably.
This often gives the land or
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building owner an incentive
to “let things go” in order to
avoid higher taxes.
Developers consequently
move outside of the city to
build.
Munson advocated that
land-use should stress an
approach to both rural as
well as urban problems.
Some of the listeners in the
group voiced some
disagreement, claiming that
the best policy for them was
one which would leave them
alone. One Quarryville area
contractor protested that the
country was on the road to
socialism and received the
only applause handed out
that evening.
Not only should towns and
the countryside be included
in a land-use policy, but
“transportation corridors”
as well. Munson noted that
too often unplanned or un
called for building projects
come along as the result of a
new road or highway having
been built.
Also being considered in
the re-organization on
Pennsylvania land-use, is a
parallel tax reform package.
This might bring about what
planners call “Uniform
assessments, or 100 per cent
market values. Annual
assessments are also being
considered.
Special assessments, such
as those imposed on a far
mer when a sewer line or
road goes thru his property,
may be done away with.
A different tax rate for
buildings and land might be
in the future for Penn
sylvania real estate owners.
“The present tax structure
is unfavorable because
higher taxes are imposed if a
land owner upgrades his
property,” Munson said.
Stretching his pomt back to
run-down tenements in
down-town cities, the land
use spokesman said; “The
theory is to make in-city
development at least as
attractive as out-of-city
development.
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[Continued on Page 24]
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