The County must supplement the Consolidated Plan with an Annual Action Plan. The purpose of the 2011 Annual Action Plan is to prioritize goals for the ensuing year in an effort to address the objectives and outcomes outlined in the Consolidated Plan. The Annual Action Plan sets forth the specific projects and activities that will be undertaken in a given year to progress toward meeting identified needs, goals, and objectives.

The provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, and the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, require the annual submission of performance reports by grant recipients receiving Federal assistance through programs covered under these Acts. Additionally, these Acts require that a determination be made by the Secretary that the grant recipient is in compliance with the statutes and has the continuing capacity to implement and administer the programs for which assistance is received.

CDBG-R, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, prioritizes infrastructure improvements activities that can be implemented expeditiously, for the purpose of creating suitable living environments, primarily for persons of low and moderate income . . . more

The purpose of the 2010 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is to review the county's performance and progress in carrying out approved projects and activities of the HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Programs during Fiscal Year 2010. The Report also evaluates actions the County has taken during the program year to address local priority needs and objectives, as well as objectives and outcomes established in the HUD CPD Performance Measurement System as set forth in the Consolidated Plan. The CAPER also informs citizens and citizen organizations on the use of funds for the aforementioned federal programs.

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes $1.5 billion for a Homelessness Prevention Fund. Funding for this program, called the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), is being distributed based on the formula used for the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program . . . more

Housing is a multifaceted issue and numerous past planning endeavors have addressed the many aspects of housing in York County. This plan is different. This Plan is the result of a collaborative effort, joining the talents and maximizing the resources of the York County Planning Commission to produce a joint Housing Component/Consolidated Plan for York County. The first endeavor of its kind in the County, it meets the requirements of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and it will guide the housing decisions of the County by developing specific housing policies that will help to provide an adequate amount of housing, representing a broad spectrum of housing types, densities and price.

York County is anticipated to receive an allocation of $2,017,253.00 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The NSP was authorized under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008, for the purpose of assisting in the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes. Staff of the Housing & Community Development Division of the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) has completed the NSP Substantial Amendment, required by HUD, which identifies the areas of greatest need within the County and specifies the types of activities the County will undertake with these funds. . . . more

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This component of the County Comprehensive Plan will analyze designated rural areas in townships with regard to existing and proposed development, large farm parcels, soil quality, lands adjacent to preserved farms, and use of agricultural protection tools. It will also update and expand upon a prior report prepared by the staff of the York County Planning Commission entitled “A Strategy for Agricultural Land Preservation in York County,” dated February 2000. The end result will be a more detailed action plan for the protection and preservation of agricultural land in township rural areas.

Growth and development inevitably lead to a need for community facilities. Some facilities, like police, fire and ambulance, will be directly related to the protection of public health, safety and welfare. Others, such as education, recreation and library facilities, are more generally related to the overall quality of life. Whatever the case, the availability of adequate community facilities is an important indicator of an area’s desirability as a place to live.

Planning for the provision of new or expanded community facilities needs to be coordinated with existing land uses, proposed land use changes and population projections. The need for a level of service provided will be dependent upon local community desires, public safety considerations, cost constraints and the requirements necessary to promote rural versus urban densities. For example, while a basic level of services needs to be provided to all York County residents in the areas of education and emergency services, planning for expanded and, in some cases optional, services must recognize the cost benefits of providing facilities in locations convenient to the maximum number of residents.

York County, Pennsylvania, situated along the Mason-Dixon Line in the south central part of the State, has long served as a center of industry and grown more rapidly economically than other areas in Pennsylvania. The County also offers a high quality of life with a diverse housing stock and variety of recreational offerings, which has made it a desirable location for residential development. Such trends have led to concern that the County sustain its position as an economic center and avoid becoming a bedroom community to metropolitan Baltimore and Harrisburg.

In 2005, the Federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) decided to shift several thousands of jobs from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Harford County, Maryland. Since APG is within commuting distance of York County, the BRAC decision has increased the need to plan for sustainable economic development in the County.

Prompted by this need, the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) and the York County Economic Development Corporation (YCEDC) joined forces to develop a ten-year Economic Development Plan to serve as an element of the York County Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of the Plan is to assess the local and regional context, including the potential impact of BRAC, determine types of growth and target industries suitable for the County and its unique five planning regions, and delineate strategies to pursue such growth and industries. Essentially, the Plan is meant to combine strategies for both comprehensive economic development and growth management.

In creating the York County Comprehensive Plan to provide a framework for future land use
development, the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) requires that several different elements be taken into consideration. The Plan is required to include a statement of objectives, a land use plan, a housing plan, a transportation plan, a community facilities and utilities plan, a plan for the protection of natural and historic resources, a water supply plan, an historic preservation plan, and a plan for the protection and enhancement of prime agricultural land. It is also required to identify land uses as they relate to important natural features, utilization of existing minerals, and land uses of regional impact. The basis for this planning is the existing environmental features. These features have and will continue to influence land use and various other planning elements in York County.

Comprehensive planning is the process of formulating the basic policies which will guide and chart the future growth and development of an area. The purpose of this “Growth Management Plan” is to present an overall Countywide framework for growth, and then to provide a mechanism for working with municipalities to determine the specific location, pattern, and timing of future development through the delineation of growth areas, and the identification of important agricultural and resource areas.

This Report provides a review of overall growth management issues as they relate to planning in Pennsylvania, including the structure of government and planning code requirements (Chapter II), a discussion of the need for growth management, including historic development trends and growth versus preservation issues (Chapter III), and a presentation of the Future Land Use Plan for York County, including a Countywide vision and discussion of the delineation of growth areas and rural designations (Chapter IV).

This report provides information and statistics that summarize existing conditions and past and projected trends in York County. Chapter 2 begins the report, with general background information regarding the County's location, natural features, history, and government. Subsequent chapters present trend information relative to population, housing, income and other interesting subjects.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines Hazard Mitigation as “any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event. The primary purpose of mitigation planning is to systematically identify policies, actions, and tools that can be used to implement those actions.” Hazard mitigation originally referred to natural hazards, but after September 11, 2001, many plans now include manmade hazards.

Guidance for hazard mitigation planning comes from the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, (DMA 2000), which amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. This amendment placed a new emphasis on the coordination of state and local planning by requiring the development and submission of a hazard mitigation plans by not only the state, but also local municipalities as a condition of receiving various types of pre- and post- disaster assistance for mitigation efforts.

Housing is a multi-faceted issue and numerous past planning endeavors have addressed the many aspects of housing in York County. This plan is different. This Plan is the result of a collaborative effort, joining the talents and maximizing the resources of the York County Planning Commission to produce a joint Housing Component/Consolidated Plan for York County. The first endeavor of its kind in the County, it meets the requirements of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and it will guide the housing decisions of the County by developing specific housing policies that will help to provide an adequate amount of housing, representing a broad spectrum of housing types, densities and price.

The purpose of this plan is to develop a long range integrated water resources planning document that will be used by the entities who share watershed boundaries within and around York County. The plan ties together the issues that are related to water resources, provides a usable and understandable process which incorporates existing laws, data, reports, plans, and organizations, as well as providing the user with data, information and analysis concerning the future of York County water resources. This Plan also serves as the County’s Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan which includes model ordinances. It is the goal of this plan to provide water management information, integrate water organizations, laws and issues, accomplish York County’s water planning regulatory obligations, and essentially tie everything dealing with water issues together without repeating what already exists.

The 2009-2035 Long Range Transportation Plan was adopted by the YAMPO on June, 25, 2009 and adopted by the York County Board of Commissioners on July 8, 2009, following a 32-month planning process. The purpose of this Plan is to develop a coordinated effort to implement transportation improvements that attempt to achieve York County’s future goals that are supported by public consensus of York County’s physical, social, economic, and institutional environments. It is also a requirement of the U.S. Department of Transportation which is charged with certifying MPO plans and programs.

This Plan is the umbrella document that serves as the basis for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a capital program of highway, bridge, and public transit projects. In addition to providing a basis for construction projects, this Plan is used to identify special projects to utilize planning funds.

The York County Natural Areas Inventory (NAI) is a document compiled and written by the Pennsylvania Science Office (PSO) of The Nature Conservancy. It contains information on the locations of rare, threatened, and endangered species and of the highest quality natural areas in the County; it is not an inventory of all open space. It is intended as a conservation tool and should in no way be treated or used as a field guide. Accompanying each site description are general management recommendations that would help to ensure the protection and continued existence of these rare plants, animals and natural communities. The recommendations are based on the biological needs of these elements (species and communities). The recommendations are strictly those of The Nature Conservancy and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the state or the policies of the County or municipalities for which the report was prepared.

The plan provides a “greenprint” for developing a statewide network of greenways to be enjoyed by current and future generations. Reacting to the state, the York County Open Space and Greenways Plan examines the way in which the County can create greenways and protect open space and natural resources.

York County obtained a Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to develop this plan as a component of the York County Comprehensive Plan.

The goals and objectives to create greenways and protect open spaces in York County are defined in this first chapter of the York County Open Space and Greenways Plan. The planning process, related to the York County Comprehensive Plan’s goals to protect and preserve important natural resources and to direct growth and development to appropriate locations, is also detailed. The chapter continues with York County’s strategy for creating the Open Space and Greenways Plan. This first chapter concludes with a review of related plans and studies, findings of which can be applied or should be considered in York County’s open space and greenways planning endeavors.

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This report has been compiled by the staff of the York County Planning Commission to advise local governments of a variety of existing tools available to plan for and manage growth within their communities. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has given municipalities the primary responsibility for regulating land use and managing growth through the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act 247 as amended. The MPC empowers municipalities “to plan their development and govern the same,” either individually or jointly, by . . . more

Please see the Planning Perspectives page for details on each edition.

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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PA DEP) regional report of Pennsylvania's watershed management status.

An Ordinance establishing rules, regulations and standards governing the subdivision and development of land within the County of York, Pennsylvania, pursuant to the authority granted in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247) as enacted and amended, setting forth the procedures to be followed by the York County Planning Commission applying and administering these rules, regulations and standards and providing penalties for the violation thereof.

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The York County Planning Commission became involved with the problem of declining agricultural land in 1975 following a particularly heavy growth spurt in the County during the early 1970's. The staff researched the problem as the basis for a publication entitled Agricultural Land Preservation, A topical Study for York County, which was published in June of 1975. Findings indicated that the main threat to farmland in the County was, and still is, not weather related or soil quality depletion, but rather the subdivision of working farms into smaller tracts for the purpose of creating residential developments.

The 2005 Congestion Management System takes a county-wide look at congestion in York County. Through the process of measuring our transportation system’s performance, it identifies congested corridors and recommends a range of strategies to minimize congestion and enhance the mobility of people and goods within the system. The YAMPO Congestion Management System is designed to connect the long-range planning strategies of the LRTP with the shorter-range efforts of the TIP.

The York County Planning Commission, on behalf of the York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (YAMPO), with the help of it’s consultant Transportation Resource Group (TRG) worked with the City of York, Spring Garden Township, York Hospital, York College of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University of York and the neighborhood association along the corridor to complete a study to identify improvements along the Country Club more . . .

The purpose of this feasibility study is to examine the possible reconstruction of the existing SR 0083 (Interstate 83) and SR 0851 (PA Route 851) interchange (Exit 4 – Shrewsbury). The study area for this interchange was one (1) mile long by one-half (0.5) mile wide centered around the existing interchange (Figure 1). Findings from this study will be presented to the York County Planning Commission for possible inclusion in the York County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Improvement Program and/or Long Range Plan. In the development of options, this study considered environmental issues, traffic issues, as well as engineering constraints.

The findings of this feasibility report are intended to be used for programming purposes only. More detailed studies including needs analysis, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, and further preliminary engineering will be required once programming decisions are made.

The purpose of this study is to pinpoint strategic locations for Park-N-Ride lots to facilitate the use of rabbittransit’s Express Bus Service to Maryland and to compliment the alternative transportation advocacy efforts of Commuter Services of Pennsylvania. This study was funded through PennDOT’s Pennsylvania Communities Transportation Intitiative (PCTI) grant program.

The 2009-2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) was adopted by the YAMPO on June, 25, 2009 and adopted by the York County Board of Commissioners on July 8, 2009, following a 32-month planning process. The purpose of this Plan is to develop a coordinated effort to implement transportation improvements that attempt to achieve York County’s future goals that are supported by public consensus of York County’s physical, social, economic, and institutional environments. It is also a requirement of the U.S. Department of Transportation which is charged with certifying MPO plans and programs.

This Plan is the umbrella document that serves as the basis for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a capital program of highway, bridge, and public transit projects. In addition to providing a basis for construction projects, this Plan is used to identify special projects to utilize planning funds. more . . .

The Northern York County Region Comprehensive Plan Transportation Amendment is an update to the 2005 Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of the Amendment was to look at the Route 15 Corridor in the northwestern area of York County and into Adams County. This study was a two-year combined effort of Carroll Township, Dillsburg Borough, Franklin Township, Franklintown Borough, the York Area Metropolitan Planning Commission (YAMPO), the York County Planning Commission, Adams County, and Pennsylvania's Department of Economic Development. After taking a thorough inventory of existing conditions along more than nine miles of this four-lane roadway with varying characteristics, the study offers a multi-project improvement strategy focused on safety and mobility for both the surrounding community and pass-through travelers.

The Public Involvement Plan (PIP) was developed to provide guidelines for public participation for transportation activities conducted by the YAMPO. After evaluating the activities consistently used by YAMPO to solicit public comment on projects, plans, and programs, this plan lays out a “toolbox” containing a variety of ideas and activities to reach out to the public to encourage their participation in the transportation planning process, to garner their opinions concerning transportation projects, and to keep them informed of current and future happenings at both YAMPO and PennDOT.

In 2003, goods valued at nearly $1.3 trillion flowed to, from, and through the eight counties comprising South Central PA. These goods consisted of consumer products heading to retail outlets, international trade, food and farm products, coal, nonmetallic minerals and other construction materials, petroleum products, automobiles, and many other types of freight. A total of 14% of the goods (measured by tonnage) were consumed in the region, 17% were produced in the region, and 69% passed through the region. Trucks handled 88% of the tonnage, rail handled 12%, and air cargo had a negligible, yet important, amount of the total tonnage.

The large percentage of goods passing through South Central PA is due to the region’s proximity to several major population centers and its excellent transportation network. Goods staged in South Central PA are within easy reach of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, and even Boston, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Erie. The area has excellent north-south access with I-81 and 83, and east-west access with the Pennsylvania Turnpike and access to I-78 and I-80. Rail service is also strong. The Harrisburg area is home to three major Norfolk Southern Railroad yards and acts as NS’s northeastern intermodal hub. Harrisburg International Airport provides air cargo services, mostly small package service from UPS, Federal Express, and DHL.

This list reflects project requests or comments regarding the 2011 Twelve Year Program submitted at public hearings and through other written and electronic submissions to the State Transportation Commission during the fall of 2009. This list is sorted alphabetically by Planning Organization.

Stated in the upper left corner of every page is the name of the Planning Partner. The County for which the testimony pertains is located along the left side of the page. The next line in the body of the report contains the name and organization of the testifier. After each testifier are a specific project(s) requests or comments.

The TIP identifies the priority highway and transit improvements programmed for advancement within a four-year period. Individual capital improvement projects must be included on the TIP in order to receive federal funding. Small-scale or undefined projects, in some cases, have not been identified individually, but have been grouped into representative line items based on the type of project.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) signed into law on August 10, 2005 requires that a coordinated plan for transit be developed for each region. A coordinated public transit-human service transportation plan identifies the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes, and provides strategies for meeting those local needs and prioritizes transportation services for funding and implementation. more . . .