One of the more complicated struggles to referee as a municipal planner is the
tug-of-war between economic development and environmental preservation.
That
struggle grows to a fever pitch when development starts to encroach upon
prominent -- in and in this case, historic and nationally-known -- environmental
attractions.
The
Appalachian Trail runs for 229 miles
through Pennsylvania. In some
spots throughout the state, residential and commercial development pushes
against the trail's viewscapes, a common lament among
trail enthusiasts.
The trail
itself is part of the National Park Service, and already protected by state and
federal statute. But those protections end at the trail's borders, which noise
and light pollution tend to disregard.
A state
representative, Bob Freeman, D-Bethlehem, introduced an amendment to the
Appalachian Trail Act of 1978 that gives supervisors an
ability to zone township land solely within the vicinity of the trail
corridor. Normally, zoning must apply to all of a municipality's land.
Zoning in
rural areas can be a highly divisive issue, but it is without question the best
way to control development. Many township supervisors who would otherwise
support additional protections for Appalachian
Trail environs may pass on the issue if their only choice is to zone
an entire township.
So we think Freeman's amendment -- which has passed the
Pennsylvania House -- offers some much-needed flexibility to municipal planners
when it comes to stewarding the
Appalachian Trail.
According
to David Masur of PennEnvironment, a Philadelphia-based environmental advocacy
group, three FranklinCounty townships may benefit from the
amendment now pending in the state Senate --
Guilford, Quincy and Southampton.
Much of the
local Appalachian Trail runs through state
forest land, where development is already tightly controlled. But should this
amendment become law, we encourage these municipalities to at least review their
options for whatever controls they can contribute.
The
Appalachian Trail is indeed a national
treasure, and we're lucky it passes so close to our communities. It deserves
whatever protections we can afford.
-- By Matthew Major, on behalf of
Public Opinion's editorial board
