28—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 11,1978
Developments needn’t choke farmland
LANCASTER - There are ways to keep farmland from
being choked off by sprawling housing developments,
industrial parks, and golf courses, say land-use planning
officials who have an interest in agriculture. The im
portant first step, they say, is to become mvolved at
meetings which are designed to survey the needs of a
given community. Farmers are oftentimes negligent with
such duties, land-use spokesmen say.
At a meeting here two weeks ago at the Lancaster Farm
and Home Center, an estimated 80 people, including
agnbusinessmen and representatives from the press,
listened to ideas which are being implemented m various
townships to guide and control gorwth in their com
munities The primary thrust in each case was the per
servation of farmland and the farmer’s way of life
Taking part in the land-use forum were Robin Ream,
area land-use agent for the Cooperative Extension Ser
vice; Bob Behlmg of the Lancaster County Planning
Commission, and four township planning and zoning of
ficers who consider agriculture a valuable resource. They
are Isaac Eby, Clay Township supervisor; John Heisey,
Mount Joy Township Planning Commission member;
John Keretzman, Salisbury Township zoning officer and
David Schreffler, member of the Millcreek Township
Planning Commission, Lebanon County-
Asked to describe procedures taken in his township to
protect farmland, Schreffler told the group that soils
classification maps would be a very good tool for deter
mining zoning needs in an area. Such surveys would
determine which lands would be best suited for medium
density housing, he explained.
A social studies teacher at Garden Spot High School,
Lancaster County, and a member of his township’s zoning
hearing board, Schreffler proclaimed that land which
stays in farming presents fewer tax problems than land
which is developed. He used that argument, among
others, to push for an agricultural district in his township.
“Farming has changed a bit over the y ears. It’s not just
a way of life anymore, it’s a business ” According to
Schreffler it’s a business which needs more attention from
planners in order to protect it Noting that urban sprawl
wouldn’t push an industry out in order to make room for
houses, he said that neither should housing developments
eliminate farms “They’re a business too,” he em
phasized
Isaac Eby, a farmer from northern Lancaster County,
told the group how farmers m his area were upset when a
local restriction allowed farmers to keep only one animal
per acre The farmers made their objections known and
are now allowed to keep two head per acre in the rural
residential zoning district.
“Why would anyone destroy a natural resource like
land?” asked Heisey, who is not a farmer but claims a
strong interest for protecting it and the farmers who own
it. According to him, farm land is destroyed for one simple
reason: Money.
“Agricultural zoning and the support of the farmer is
the best interest of the consumer,” the Lancaster Coun-
Uan exclaimed.
Lancaster County Agricultural Agent, Jay Irwin, who
served as moderator for the forum, noted the world
famous productivity of the Garden Spot’s farmland and
said: “We have this God-given land...we need to use this
land for agricultural purposes. According to Behling,
Lancaster County lost 8000 acres of its farmland per year
for the period 1964-69. Since then an average of 5000 acres
have been lost annually. Studies show that an average of
200 farms go out of production per year, and currently
only 65 per cent of the Garden Spot’s land is used for
farming purposes.
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“Lancaster County farmland and its farmers are an
integral part of our culture and the preservation of our
lands is for both asthetic and food production values,”
Behling declared. In addition, the planning commission
spokesman aLso noted that Lancaster County is in a
favorable agricultural position because of its close
proximity to marketing areas in the Northeast.
With zonmg ordinances in effect in all but one of Lan
caster County’s townships, the zonmg officers were each
asked how their respective land-use programs stood up
when they were challenged.
Keretzman, who came prepared with several detailed
maps of his township, said that he hasn’t come across any
challenges so far. Eby reported no challenges m Clay
Township. Heisey noted that threats of a challenge have
come from a builder m his township. Schreffler indicated
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provisions were included in the Millcreek Township plan
to keep challenges from coming up after the plan was
announced.
One of the repeated conclusions of the forum was that
agricultural zoning is legal and explicitly authorized by
the Pennsylvania Constitution. Setting aside an area for
strictly agriculture-industry, as was done in Millcreek
Township, Lebanon County, said Schreffler, serves six
purposes:
1. Protection against further environmental
degradation.
2. Protection of the area’s water supplies.
3. Protection of the homogeneity of an area.
4. Prevent undesirable development “just anywhere”.
5. Protects certain lifestyles and religious values of the
population of an area.
6. Protect the value of agriculture itself
r^.
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