Comprehensive Plan

Conewago Township recognizes the necessity of developing a plan that is comprehensive in nature to guide the township through the next ten to fifteen years. Planning is not a new concept to Conewago Township. This plan will serve as an update to the 1981 Comprehensive Plan, and the township has also adopted a zoning ordinance, subdivision and land development ordinance, and an Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan.

However, the comprehensive plan, which serves as the township’s primary policy document, does not adequately address the current growth pressures that the township is facing.

Conewago Township is part of the Lower Dauphin School District, and recognizes the effectiveness of planning on a regional level. The township was initially part of the Lower Dauphin Area Regional Planning Group (LDARPG), a steering committee for the Lower Dauphin Area Regional Comprehensive Plan. However, as the plan was developed, the goals set forth in the plan did not accurately reflect the desires of Conewago Township in the future, and as such, the Township did not adopt the Lower Dauphin Area Regional Comprehensive Plan.

The Conewago Township Comprehensive Plan will take into consideration the influences of the Lower Dauphin Area as a region, but will work to form a plan that focuses on the protection and preservation of the township’s rural heritage, while encouraging and implementing smart growth policies recommended and supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The comprehensive plan is a policy guide for decisions and for the orderly development and redevelopment of the township. The plan’s primary objective is to promote and improve the quality of life, health, safety, and conveniences for residents of Conewago Township, as reflected in the following mission statement for the plan:

The Conewago Township Comprehensive Plan will encourage and maintain the preservation and continuance of the agricultural and rural character that has defined the township, while maintaining the quality of life for all Conewago residents through improvements to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

The plan is intended to organize and coordinate the interrelated collection of people, ideas, land, facilities, services, infrastructure, agricultural preservation efforts, land uses, and environmental elements that comprise the township as a whole. Thus, the term “comprehensive” is used to express the scope of the plan’s content.