Montgomery County, PA

All over Montgomery County new single-family housing developments are going up, drastically changing the character of existing communities without necessarily creating desirable or attractive neighborhoods that evoke the character residents long for. People often move into these new developments because the homes are bigger, are closer to work, or offer more amenities and conveniences. In southeastern Pennsylvania, people almost never move into a development because they especially like the neighborhood or the amenities it provides. That’s because developments are rarely required to emphasize the atmosphere and feeling of a true neighborhood. Instead, the house and its features, not the neighborhood, are designed to sell. But surveys continuously show that people also want to live in safe, friendly communities with a small-town atmosphere, if they can find developments with these amenities.

New home buyers aren’t the only ones questioning the character of typical new single-family detached development. Municipal officials are too. They often find that new single-family detached developments have a repetitive and unimaginative appearance and lack community character. These new developments define the future landscape of a community. When taken as a whole, many communities find this future landscape lacking and not what they had envisioned. It is too dependent on the automobile, too isolated, and too characterless. There is no "there" there.

Perspective view of an NR development showing an eyebrow in the foreground, an extra-wide lot across the street from the eyebrow, and a portion of a central green in the background

From a regional perspective, too, new single-family development has problems. Much of this development consists of half-acre or larger lots, creating a sprawling landscape that makes it difficult to efficiently provide many of the services people need,such as uncongested roads, affordable schools, nearby recreation and conveniences, and low infrastructure costs.

So, what can be done about these problems? How can we encourage new development that provides the kind of character that people say they want? One answer is a new zoning district—the Neighborhood Residential (NR) District—designed to create a better sense of community for single-family detached development.

This district addresses the problems of typical single-family detached development. First, the NR district is written for quarter-acre lots. Because these lots are smaller than many new single-family lots, they help reduce suburban sprawl and cost less for municipalities to serve over time with roads and other

"Every town needs a center: a plaza, square or green that is a geographical reference point and focus of civil life—even if that just means a place to push a stroller or throw a Frisbee." —"15 Ways to Fix the Suburbs,"

Newsweek, May 15, 1995

infrastructure. From the homeowner’s perspective, quarter-acre lots are, in most cases, large enough to fit a good-sized home and maintain privacy yet small enough to be relatively affordable and easy to maintain. In addition, when quarter-acre lots are placed near destination points, such as schools and shopping centers, they are small enough to make it easy for a large number of people to walk to these destinations.

Second, the NR district requires central, usable open space. This open space provides a focal point and gathering place for the neighborhood where people can get to know each other. For the municipality as a whole, this central open space provides usable, accessible recreation land, which means the municipality won’t have to provide the parkland. And because the open space has to be centrally located, it is more visible to the community at large.

Finally, the NR district has provisions designed to create a safe and pleasant walking environment. These include creating a character that is more human in scale and less dominated by the automobile. This can be accomplished by controlling the location of garages, so garages and automobiles do not dominate the streetscape; by requiring various sized lots, to create visual breaks within the streetscape; and by establishing building setbacks that provide privacy yet encourage human interaction. A walkable environment, with sidewalks required on both sides of the road, transforms a development into a neighborhood. It also cuts down on vehicle trips, reducing congestion and making it possible for those without cars, such as children and some elderly, to walk to their destinations.

The NR district will help create attractive single-family detached neighborhoods with a true sense of community. These neighborhoods will be walkable, safe, and private. They'll provide usuable open space and will improve the well being of residents by fostering a sense of community and belonging.

Central Open Space within a

Neighborhood Residential Development

Typical Development No Open Space

Typical Development Unuseable,

Hidden Open Space

Keeping Tabs on Small-Lot Singles

We’ve created a data base of newer small-lot single developments throughout the county. Small-lot single developments are those with densities around 2.5 to 4 dwelling units per acre. The average lot size is approximately 10,000 square feet. All data base entries are compiled from development proposals submitted to our office between 1985 and the present.

The data base gives the project name, its location, tract size, number and size of lots, density, open space requirements, zoning, utilities, developer’s name and address, and the status of each entry. Currently, the data base includes more than 40 projects. To keep up with new projects, our staff updates the information periodically. Planners use the data base to identify small-lot single developments and to assess which planning and zoning regulations create successful and livable communities.

Additional Resources

•Best Development Practices by Reid Ewing, APA.

•Re-Creating the Neighborhood:

Model Ordinance for Single-Family Development

by the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

•Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character by Randall Arendt, APA.

•Visions for a New American Dream by Anton Clarence Nelessen, APA.

Most suburban houses "give the appearance that they are first of all places to park, turning to the world the blank and desolate face of a garage door."

—"15 Ways to Fix the Suburbs,"

Newsweek, May 15, 1995.

PLANNING NEWS • PLANNING NEWS •

Harrisburg Responds to

Growth Management

Growth issues—traffic congestion, loss of farms and open space, revitalization of older towns, location of new houses and jobs, and air and water quality—are all statewide issues. Although our county is one of the fastest growing in the state, other parts of Pennsylvania are also seeing and feeling the pressures that come with new development. In response, there are now four bills in the state Assembly and a blue-ribbon commission appointed by Governor Ridge which address these and other growth issues.

House Bills 1613, 1614, and 1615 (all introduced by Representative Steil of Bucks County) and Senate Bill 270 (introduced by Senator Gerlach of Chester and Montgomery Counties) are being considered and may be acted upon this year. We have provided testimony on the House Bills. (See the special supplement in this issue of Planning Perspectives for our policy views on all four bills.) The 21st Century Environment Commission has been holding roundtables across the state and will issue a draft report this summer. For more information on all these activities, contact Steven L. Nelson (610) 278-3730 or the environment commission at www.21stcentury.state.pa.us.

Kudos to Us!

We’ve won an Outstanding Planning Award from the Pennsylvania Planning Association (PPA) for our report, summary brochure, and presentation on "Creating Transportation Choices in Montgomery County." The report also won an APEX Award for Publication Excellence from Communications Concepts.

The report focuses on creating options to taking the car everywhere. It discusses that in addition to driving, people need to be able to walk, bike, or take the bus to destinations. The report looks at the two main elements needed to create transportation choices—planning and site design. We also have a summary brochure and presentation on the topic.

"Creating Transportation Choices in Montgomery County" received the PPA award for concisely explaining the clear link between land development and transit. The award committee noted that the report strongly presents its concepts in an easy-to-read format, can be used as an educational device for local officials, presents new material and fills a gap in planning documents, and has readily transferable concepts and approaches.

For information on the report, summary brochure, or available slide presentation, contact Steven Nelson at (610) 278-3730.

New Assistant Director for MCPC

Michael M. Stokes has been promoted to assistant director. Many of you may be familiar with Michael who, as an associate director, managed MCPC’s environmental planning programs (open space, solid waste, water quality, storm water and flooding, air quality, and water supply).

Prior to joining Montgomery County in June 1988, Michael held a number of environmental planning, engineering, and management positions. He has a master’s degree in water resource engineering from Villanova University and a master’s degree in regional planning from the University of North Carolina. His undergraduate studies were at Vanderbilt University.

Michael is on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Resources Council, the Perkiomen Valley Watershed Association, and the Perkiomen Creek Watershed Improvement Corporation. He lives with his wife and three sons on a farm in Limerick Township.

If you know an individual or organization interested in receiving Planning Perspectives please let us know. Call Rita McKelvey at (610) 278-3753 or write to:

Montgomery County Courthouse

Planning Commission

P.O. Box 311

Norristown, PA 19404-0311

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Mario Mele, Chairman

Richard S. Buckman

Joseph M. Hoeffel III

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

PLANNING COMMISSION BOARD MEMBERS

P. Gregory Shelly, Chairperson

Gloria M. Calise, Vice Chairperson

Morris J. Dean

Scott Exley

Dulcie F. Flaharty

Catherine M. Harper

J. Ross Pilling II

Luis V. Rivera

Charles J. Tornetta

Kenneth B. Hughes, Director

If you know an individual or organization that would be interested in receiving Planning Perspectives,
please let us know.