According to Upper Allen Township, the Comprehensive Plan dated December 2013 is a long-range guide for legislative decisions and a reference for needed policy changes. The Township states that the plan provides data on the following subject areas: population and housing; environmental and cultural resources; existing and future land uses; community facilities and services; public utilities; transportation; parks and recreation; and adjacent and regional planning.

The Township identifies the 2013 Comprehensive Plan as a planning document used to guide future decisions. Township zoning code also states that the zoning ordinance seeks to implement the Upper Allen Township Comprehensive Plan of 2013, and that the zoning chapter is based on the community development goals and objectives contained in that plan.

The 2013 plan covers these categories:

• Population and housing

• Environmental and cultural resources

• Existing land uses

• Future land uses

• Community facilities and services

• Public utilities

• Transportation

• Parks and recreation

• Adjacent and regional planning

The Township’s official maps page states that the Future Land Use Map is Figure 4-4 of the Comprehensive Plan and says that it provides visual guidance for the planned or future character and location of land uses.

Upper Allen Township code states that the zoning ordinance is enacted as part of the overall plan for the orderly growth and development of the Township and seeks to implement the Comprehensive Plan. The code also states the zoning chapter is intended to be generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

Upper Allen Township’s Comprehensive Plan (December 2013) states that it serves as a long-range guide for legislative decisions and a reference for needed policy changes. The Township also states that the plan includes environmental and cultural resources among its subject areas. 

Upper Allen Township’s Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) exists to help protect the historic character of the Township’s four historic districts. The Township states that HARB operates under the Historic District Act 167 of 1961, as amended, and that the Certificate of Appropriateness process for improvements to historic properties is governed through HARB and Chapter 155 of the Township Code. 

Chapter 155 states that HARB reviews certain proposed work within Historic Districts, including the erection, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, demolition, or razing of buildings and structures, and provides recommendations based on the historic and architectural character of the district. 

Factually, the alignment is that the Comprehensive Plan addresses cultural resources as part of Township-wide planning, while HARB carries out review of certain property-level changes within designated Historic Districts under the Township’s historic-district ordinance.