While Our Future Lancaster is focused on the cross-cutting systems that shape life in Lancaster City, this Plan also has the regulatory authority to direct growth and development. Chapter 4 includes the City’s official Future Land Use Map, showing the types of land uses allowed in different parts of the city in the coming years. Definitions of the land use categories presented in this Chapter provide the framework for the City’s zoning map and land development regulations.
As a well-established, historic city, land use changes in Lancaster must be strategic and context-sensitive. Most future development will occur on sites that are being repurposed rather than on vacant land or open space. Infill development presents an opportunity to enhance neighborhoods and business districts, but without proper guidance and coordinated public investment, it also has the potential for adverse effects. The Future Land Use Planning Chapter strives to avoid such effects by setting specific parameters for development and revitalization. It also strategically directs change and provides guidance on the character and form of new development.
Chapters 3 and 4 work in tandem so that future land use decisions are coordinated with transportation, housing, historic preservation, infrastructure, resource management, and economic development plans. The maps and policies in this chapter provide a physical planning framework to achieve the community development objectives in Chapter 3.
