New Model Ordinances Now Available.

Growing Greener: Conservation By Design is a state-wide program that helps municipalities and developers build new homes and businesses while protecting important local open space.

Participating municipalities learn how to make straight-forward changes to basic land-use documents in order to protect open space through their municipal land development process, making it possible for builders to design, and municipal leaders to approve, new subdivisions that leave more than half of the proposed development as open space.

Important benefits to this approach include:

• No controversial or legally vulnerable “downzoning” or “takings” of property
• Permanent protection of more than half of each parcel
• Creation of open space networks within the built areas of a community
• Less costly than buying land or acquiring and monitoring conservation easements on private land
• Economic growth in the community can continue

Growing Greener is a collaborative program of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR); the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services and Natural Lands Trust. Guidance is provided by an advisory committee comprised of officials from state and local agencies including the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, and other non-profits and the private sector.

• Introduction to Growing Greener (PDF-2.4 MB)
• Growing Greener Model Ordinance
• Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Codes (Book. Purchase at Amazon.com)