In Upper Allen Township, land preservation appears in the public record through Township planning documents, zoning regulations, and Pennsylvania’s agricultural preservation framework. The clearest documented local tools are the Township’s Agricultural Security Area (ASA), conservation and open-space provisions in the zoning code, conservation easement requirements in certain development settings, and long-range planning documents addressing environmental resources, parks, recreation, and open space.

Upper Allen Township states that it established its Agricultural Security Area in 2002 and that, as of 2024, more than 902 acres are enrolled. The Township also maintains an Agricultural Security Area Advisory Committee. 

At the state level, Pennsylvania describes Agricultural Security Areas as a farmland-protection tool created under the Agricultural Area Security Law. The Commonwealth explains that an ASA requires a combined minimum of 250 acres, may include certain qualifying non-adjacent parcels, is re-evaluated every seven years, and can help land qualify for consideration under Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation program if the area has at least 500 acres enrolled. Pennsylvania also states that ASA participants receive certain protections relating to nuisance challenges and condemnation review. 

Because Upper Allen reports more than 902 acres in its ASA, the Township’s ASA exceeds the 500-acre threshold that Pennsylvania identifies as relevant for consideration under the state farmland preservation program at the landowner’s request. That does not mean every parcel is automatically preserved by easement; it means the area meets one state program threshold described by the Commonwealth.

Upper Allen Township’s Plans page states that its Comprehensive Plan is a long-range guide for legislative decisions and policy changes. The Township says the plan addresses environmental and cultural resources, existing and future land uses, public utilities, transportation, parks and recreation, and adjacent and regional planning. The Township also publishes a Park, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. 

These documents matter because they show that preservation in Upper Allen is not limited to farmland. The Township’s published planning framework also includes open space, environmental resources, and recreation land planning. 

Upper Allen Township’s zoning code includes a Conservation Design Overlay District. The code states that this district is intended to provide greater design flexibility and options for conserving open land, protecting unique and sensitive natural features, and reducing infrastructure needs associated with development. The ordinance also says the district implements objectives in the Township’s Comprehensive Plan and Comprehensive Recreation and Open Space Plan. 

The Township code also includes conservation subdivision options. One option requires a minimum of 50% of the tract to remain in open space. 

In the Agriculture District, the Township code also states that designated conservation areas are to be permanently protected through a conservation easement in accordance with the zoning ordinance.  

Two Pennsylvania legal frameworks are especially relevant to understanding preservation in Upper Allen Township.

First, Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Area Security Law governs ASAs and related agricultural preservation tools. The Commonwealth describes this law as part of the state’s farmland-protection structure. 

Second, the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code provides the legal framework for municipal planning and zoning. Pennsylvania’s published code materials identify open-space preservation, agricultural preservation, and natural and historic resources as subjects that municipal planning and zoning may address. 

That state-law backdrop helps explain why Upper Allen’s local preservation efforts appear primarily through planning, zoning, open-space design, and agricultural-security tools rather than through a single standalone “preservation ordinance.”

At the federal level, the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA) is relevant background, but it is narrower than local zoning. USDA states that the FPPA is intended to minimize the extent to which federal programs contribute to the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses. Federal agencies are required to review farmland impacts in certain federally assisted or federally undertaken projects. 

The FPPA does not operate as Upper Allen Township’s local zoning code, and it does not by itself create a general local ban on development. Instead, it is a federal review framework that can apply when federal actions or funding are involved. 

Based on the official materials reviewed, land preservation in Upper Allen Township is most clearly documented through:

Upper Allen Township’s Agricultural Security Area and ASA Advisory Committee. 

Township planning documents that address environmental resources, open space, parks, and future land use. 

Zoning tools that expressly conserve open land and sensitive natural features. 

Conservation easement provisions tied to development and agricultural/conservation areas. 

Residents looking for primary-source information can start with Upper Allen Township’s ASA page and Plans page, the Township zoning code, Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Security Area materials, the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, and USDA’s Farmland Protection Policy Act materials.