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Welcome to Latimore Township
Zoning Hearing Board
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Steve Gotwols Chairman |
Jim Gragg Vice-Chairman |
Wilma Lentz Secretary |
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"Zoning is a method a community may use to regulate the use of land and structures. It is initiated by the adoption of a zoning ordinance designed to protect the public health, safety, and welfare and to guide growth. When zoning was first utilized, its primary purpose was to prevent a property owner from using his or her property in ways which were a nuisance or actually harmful to neighboring property owners. However, over the years the scope of zoning has expanded. Municipal governments and the courts no longer look upon zoning only as a "negative" tool to keep certain land uses out of a neighborhood, they also recognize its value as a "positive" tool for encouraging certain development and for creating an attractive community. In addition, zoning now frequently attempts to control development in areas subject to flooding, to preserve natural features (i.e. wetlands, forests, aquifers) and historic features and to save farmland. The zoning ordinance is composed of two parts, the text and the zoning map. The text of the ordinance contains the community development objectives and the necessary technical provisions to regulate the use of land and structures and to establish bulk, height, area, setback and other standards. The zoning map delineates the boundaries of the specific districts or zones created in the ordinance." Pennsylvania State. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Planning Series #4 Zoning. Harrisburg: State of Pennsylvania, 1999. |
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