From the “Friends for protection of Lower Macungie Twp.” Facebook page posted by Friends board member Scott Bieber yesterday. Friends LMT started as a group that fundraised to fight the Jaindl rezoning. Since then they have expanded their scope to cover local issues in the entire East Penn area with a goal of advocating for smart growth and keeping residents informed. I used to be the chair of the group but stepped down to run for Twp. Commissioner.
In the following post by Scott laments the loss of another historic structure in LMT:
Another barn bites the dust as Lower Macungie leaves behind its agricultural past and moves into the 21st century.
The Morris Stine barn on Spring Creek Road at Route 100 is being dismantled to make room for a commercial development. The Pennsylvania standard barn, made of limestone and oak timbers, was probably built about 1840-1850, according to Greg Huber, a local barn historian.
Most of the timbers and all of the nice stones, especially the square corner stones, are being salvaged and will be recycled into new buildings, according to Ken Muth, who was hired by the owner to take down the barn. Muth is the region’s most prominent barn dismantler and has salvaged hundreds of barns and old buildings throughoust eastern Pennsylvania.
Muth said the Stine barn is structurally sound and in good condition.
I remember the barn being used when the Stine farm was still active in the 1960s. That was when the township was still dominated by agriculture and you could shoot a rifle in almost any direction and not worry about hitting a house.
SCB
The township loses another historic barn. This one off of Spring Creek Rd near Rt. 100.
(Photo Credit Scott Bieber)
These historic structures warrant protection. How do we do it? Do I believe we should mandate their protection? My answer is yes but no. No because in the end regulating isn’t the most effective way to protect. The solution that is best for the community but fair to the property owner is making these barns reflect their true community value through a form of de-regulation. How do we do this? The zoning code. By opening up more by-right uses of these historic structures we can make it a financially smart decision to keep these structures and rehabilitate them. Think about it, If a developer or property owner can rehabilitate these structures (like the new owner of the Lichtenwalner barn on Brookside Rd) and rehabilitation becomes the path of least resistance, then property owners are motivated to value them.
Unfortunately now, in a commercial context the path of least resistance is tearing them down and starting over with a cookie cutter strip. The problem is euclidean zoning limits what you can do with these structures. I would advocate for more permitted uses for historic barns.
So the solution isn’t regulating, but rather de-regulating. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this structure was saved because the developer/land owner could make just as much or more money turning it into luxury lofts or say a high end restaurant? Sadly, what we will get is the townships 3rd Dunkin Donuts, 5th convenience store or perhaps 4th box pharmacy in yet another characterless box.
The answer to keeping our local charm and protecting ALL our property values in this case isn’t regulating, but rather deregulating. This is what the concept of form based codes is all about. Conventional zoning tells you what you can put where. By it’s nature it’s restrictive. Form based zoning addresses the relationship between building and the public realm. It’s more flexible in use as long as the structure fits. It’s not so much the specific use, but moreso the form fits the neighborhood. This approach contrasts with conventional zoning’s focus on the micromanagement and segregation of land uses. It’s unlikely we would ever totally re-do our zoning into a form based code given we just spent money on updating our old euclidean code but we can incorporate some aspects. This is one opportunity.
The end result is something like this: (Which would you prefer living near?)
300 Year Old Barn Renovated Into a Modern Yet Rustic Residence
Instead of this:
Cookie cutter strip