The Planning Commission updated their growth management plan and created a countywide blueprint for future growth and preservation called Envision Lancaster County. American Farmland Trust, as part of the team assembled by Wallace, Roberts and Todd, developed the plan’s rural strategy to protect farmland, ensure agricultural adaptability and viability, and promote environmentally sound farming practices.

Under this strategy, the county’s rural areas are delineated and preserved for agriculture and conservation, while rural centers will be focal points for any future needs for housing, commercial and agricultural support uses. American Farmland Trust’s specific farmland protection strategy built on the tremendous success of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board and Lancaster Farmland Trust, which together have permanently protected about 82,000 acres of farmland.

“I offer congratulations to Lancaster County for making healthy farms and protected farmland integral parts of their smart growth efforts,” said Jon Scholl, President of American Farmland Trust.

“Even counties like Lancaster, with a long history of farmland protection, continue to be threatened by sprawling development,” added Julia Freedgood, American Farmland Trust’s Managing Director for Farmland and Communities. “We applaud Envision Lancaster County for showing that with careful planning and growth management, these important agricultural communities can meet their housing and commercial needs by recognizing that a healthy agricultural sector not only preserves community character, but is, in fact, at the heart of solutions to their most pressing environmental and economic concerns.”

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