Upper Macungie Township Comprehensive Plan Update

On October 3, 2019 the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors passed a resolution adopting the 2019 Comprehensive Plan. This is the culmination of a citizen-driven planning process which included the Upper Macungie Township Planning Commission, a Steering Committee (comprised of residents, professionals and local business owners), planning consultants, Township staff, and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

Purpose of the Plan

As indicated in the Executive Summary, “Upper Macungie Township plays an important role in the region’s economy with respect to manufacturing, warehouse distribution and logistics, farming, natural and agricultural resources, high quality educational facilities, recreation, housing, and an educated labor force.

The Township administration and decision-makers recognize that the population will change, the local and regional economy will fluctuate, the housing stock will age, the environment and natural resources will continue to be threatened by the impacts of development, and the needs of citizens will not be the same today as in the past or in the future.

The Township Supervisors authorized the development of this plan as an update to the 2007 UMT Comprehensive Plan with this new plan built around achieving sustainability. The planning horizon for this plan is 20 years with emphasis on land use, preservation, and growth management.”

Mission Statement

“The mission of this plan and those involved in developing the 2019 Comprehensive Plan was to provide a blueprint to guide future decisions that will enhance the quality of life.

This plan provides a vision, goals, objectives, policies, plan elements, strategies, and tools to assist UMT planners, staff, the Planning Commission, other boards and commissions, and the Board of Supervisors to meet today and tomorrow’s challenges and to assist with achieving a sustainable community vision for 2040.”

Community Issues and Implications

In considering the proposed plan the key issues listed below were found to be priorities gathered from community input. These items are addressed through goals, objectives, policies, strategies, and implementation of the Plan;

• Traffic Congestion
• Community Character and Sense of Place
• Large-Scale Warehouse Distribution
• Housing Quality, Choice, and Affordability
• Community Connectivity
• Preservation and Conservation of Land
• Commercial & Industrial Development/Redevelopment

The Township Supervisors, staff, Boards and Commissions will use this plan as a guide in making decisions that will shape the future of our Township. For more information, view the 2019 Upper Macungie Township Comprehensive Plan Story Map.

The effort put forth by the Township to preserve Farmland was highlighted in the Spring 2019 Newsletter.

Open Land Preservation: A Natural Priority for Upper Macungie

High on the list of Upper Macungie Township’s quality-of-life assets is our wealth of open green spaces — rolling farmlands, woodlands, wetlands and recreational fields. With increased population and pressure for development, your UMT Supervisors have made the preservation of open spaces a leading priority for many years. Far more than an aspirational intent, this focus on preserving large expanses of open land is supported by legal ordinance, as well as an ethical obligation to current and future generations of Upper Macungie residents.

Balancing Progress with Preservation

Back in 2003, your Township leaders enacted the Conservation by Design Ordinance, an enforceable mandate requiring future development to be balanced with considerations for open space and environmental stability. This ordinance was enacted to:

• Preserve forested areas and farmland
• Avoid severe soil erosion and sedimentation
• Encourage development in areas that are more physically suited to the purpose
• Avoid construction on steep slopes
• Preserve significant land areas as conservation areas
• Provide additional active and passive recreation areas and access to open space

Since its enactment, UMT has been able to preserve approximately 323 acres of land (156 acres of farm land and 167 acres of open space), and this legacy is growing. The proposed Lehigh Hills Development will add an additional 105 acres, bringing the total to 428 acres of open space made possible by UMT’s Conservation by Design Ordinance. These expanses are Township-owned and are scheduled to be placed in protective Agricultural Conservation Easements.

Additional Tools Used to Preserve Land

Along with the Conservation by Design Ordinance, UMT leadership is utilizing the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program, Agriculture Security Areas, and the Open Space Preservation Fund as methods to preserve farmland.

The Agricultural Conservation Easements Program, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands. In our case, the USDA teamed with Township government to protect working farmlands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land.

Currently, Upper Macungie Township has 12 farms with a total of 932 acres permanently preserved in Agricultural Conservation Easements. We are on track to preserve 1,089 acres of farmland through this program by 2021. According to the USDA website, this federal initiative has resulted in improved soil health, water and air quality and wildlife habitat.

Agriculture Security Areas (ASAs) are farms entitled to special protection from condemnation, laws and ordinances that would unreasonably restrict farming operations. Local governments in Pennsylvania may establish ASAs but only in response to petitions from landowners interested in enrolling their land in an ASA. UMT has many acres preserved in ASA, which are color- coded in the map below. This acreage number is always changing.

Additionally, in 2017 UMT created the Open Space Preservation Fund to purchase farmland and/or to subsidize land owners who wish to permanently preserve their agricultural lands. This Fund was started using funds received through a right-of-way easement purchased by PPL, and no UMT tax dollars were spent. It currently has a balance of $404,444 and every dollar will be dedicated to sustaining the farming legacy and lands that have been so much a part of our community heritage here in Upper Macungie Township.

Comparison of Preserved Farmland by Municipality

Yes, Upper Macungie Township is a very desirable place for families and commerce to thrive. And, yes, we are home to modern interstate transportation infrastructure, a Fortune 500 corporation (Air Products) and countless additional employers and businesses of all sizes and structures. But because of our determination to preserve open spaces through programs like the USDA Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, your Township compares quite favorably with our neighboring municipalities.

Of the contiguous municipalities in UMT’s population range, our community compares well in acres preserved through the USDA Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, according to the following statistics from the Lehigh County Agricultural Land Preservation Department (See the following table).

Using these 4 preservation tools, Upper Macungie Township is on track to accomplish its mission of preserving as much open space as possible.

Protected Farmland Map

Proposed Recreational Community Center