(June 2002, #002)

For Immediate Release

CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR CORRIDOR PRESERVATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SUMMARY

The following is a summary of the steps to be undertaken by the Brandywine Conservancy and its consultants in carrying out a new year-long project devoted to corridor preservation and community development along Pennsylvania State Route 41 within western Chester County. The project focuses on the communities and private lands of London Grove, Avondale, Londonderry, West Fallowfield, Highland, Atglen, and West Sadsbury.


Research of Existing Conditions within the Corridor

Obtain and assess the strengths and weaknesses of current municipal plans and zoning ordinances in addressing current and future growth pressures within the corridor.
Perform a build-out analysis of each of the eight municipalities based on current zoning when applied to land potentially available for development and document the findings to assess these same strengths and weaknesses.
Chronologically depict the build-out of the Route 202 corridor in an effort to better understand and to define the casual relationships between land use and transportation improvements in an area pressured by intensive growth, and develop that study into a visual presentation.
Conduct a comparative analysis of the fiscal costs of development (infrastructure, public services, and schools) versus the financial costs of open space preservation within the Route 41 corridor communities and report on the findings.

Research of Successful Rural Transportation Corridors

Research transportation improvement projects throughout the country where successful land preservation and land use planning have occurred as a purposeful outcome or mitigation of the project and report on the findings.
Assess, as part of the effective conservation strategies, the application of relevant approaches from the above case studies to the Route 41 corridor communities and other stakeholders in anticipation of a PennDOT Route 41 improvement project.

Community Presentation of Findings

Present the relevant findings of the existing conditionsí research and successful rural transportation corridorsí research to the eight communities within the Route 41 corridor in an effort to engage them in further efforts to develop effective conservation strategies for land preservation and community development.

Effective Conservation Strategies Development

Develop and promote private landowner actions for land preservation, including the sale or donation of an agricultural or conservation easement, preferential tax programs, participating in other federal, state, or county programs, etc.
Develop growth management and other community development strategies for municipalities, including but not limited to comprehensive plan updates, regulatory ordinance enhancements, regional cooperation, open space planning and funding for acquisition purposes, consideration of a combination of private landowner actions and zoning incentives, etc.

Identify and promote federal, state, and county funding opportunities for land preservation and community planning actions. Promote the establishment of attractive financial incentives for landowners and municipalities to work toward preventing adverse land use and resource impacts as a result of Route 41 improvements and rapid population growth within the Route 41 corridor.
Develop an understanding of transportation planning needs within the Route 41 corridor and through that understanding, work to successfully integrate our identified land use and resource conservation strategies and innovative transportation improvements to effectively increase the chances for corridor preservation and community development.

Community Presentation of Strategies

Present our effective conservation strategies to the communities and other stakeholders within the Route 41 corridor, and work closely with those communities who express an interest in further exploring the successful implementation of one or more of these strategies over time.

Media contacts:
Halsey Spruance at (610) 388-8337 or
Bruce Mowday at (610) 873-0727


Note: Conservation Opportunities will not result in a single study or document for publication at project completion. Conservation Opportunities, instead, is a series of focused efforts by the Brandywine Conservancy to effectively engage Route 41 corridor communities, landowners, farmers, and other stakeholders in furthering land preservation and good planning within this area to avoid sprawl and to help implement the recommendations of Chester County's Landscapes policy element in its Comprehensive Plan.