Balance: Growth Management Plan

Balance

Balance, the growth management element of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan, was updated in 2006. This update is a guide for growth and preservation in Lancaster County through 2030. The growth management element establishes a framework for future land use and development in the county and its municipalities consistent with the vision and key focus areas set forth in ReVisions, the policy element of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan.

The growth management element establishes the overall direction, tools, and an agenda for action by municipalities and the county to work together to realize the future to which Lancastrians aspire. Key policies and objectives build on the two previous versions of the growth management element (1993 and 1997) while setting some significant new directions for the management of growth in Lancaster County over the next 25 years.


Growth Management Framework

Balance combines two complementary strategies, urban growth area and rural area, into a growth management framework for Lancaster County. This framework is further complemented by an implementation strategy; a set of tools to make the vision depicted on this map a reality. This framework map will be the basis for the continued implementation of urban growth areas and the establishment of rural areas as proposed in Balance.
  • Urban Strategy - areas appropriate for urban growth and reinvestment
  • Rural Strategy - areas that should be maintained in agriculture, natural resources, and similar uses

Key Message

This update to the growth management element of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan is designed to help achieve and sustain Lancastrians’ vision of a balanced community where urban centers prosper, natural landscapes flourish, and farming is strengthened as an integral component of our diverse economy and cultural heritage.

Documents