Goals for historic preservation in York County

Every plan needs goals, because goals are the desired end results that the plan should help pave a way toward achieving.  The York County Historic Preservation Plan has six goals that are based on preservation planning guidance provided by the Pennsylvania Historic & Museum Commission and refined through talking with our Steering Committee members.

These goals are: 

1. Identify, protect, and promote York County’s unique historic and cultural resources – the communities, landscapes, buildings and traditions – that make up the fabric of the York County landscape. 

Knowing the location and extent of the County’s historic and cultural resources will allow the County to better protect and promote them.  There are quite a few existing historic resource inventories of varying age and quality out there.  It is important that we figure out how useful these inventories will be moving forward.   This Plan will also look at ways to support the many individuals and groups who already work toward this goal, and look for gaps in existing preservation activities. 

2. Create a simple and realistic set of indicators that will pinpoint the most valuable historic resources, and also the historic resources most in danger.  Indicators and critical areas will help target the limited and changing financial resources that are available to implement preservation goals. 

 Funding for historic preservation is decreasing in both the public and private spheres.  That means it is important that decision makers have a straightforward way to evaluate historic resources.  This Plan will also identify geographic areas where historic and cultural resources are under pressure, places where unprotected resources may be lost quickly. 

3. Promote coordination and consensus in the conservation of historic and cultural resources across the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

 York County is fortunate to be home to a large number of local preservation and historical groups.  When private groups, non-profit groups, and governmental bodies coordinate their priorities and activities, the entire community benefits. 

4. Link conservation and preservation of historic and cultural resources to economic opportunity, sustainability, and revitalization of York County's towns, villages, and rural landscapes. 

Historic preservation works best when it contributes to the economic vitality of communities, the sustainability of landscapes, and the quality of life of residents.  Preservation for preservation’s sake is a legitimate activity, but gaining full community support requires that preservation helps to build better communities.  

5. Create a catalog of historic preservation tools and resources that local municipalities can reference. 

This Plan will be a resource for York County’s local governments.  Many of these municipalities find themselves in a reactive mode when a local historic resource is threatened, searching for solutions when time is of the essence.  This Plan will include a wide variety of preservation tools and resources that can be used proactively by municipalities countywide, including regulatory measures, public and private preservation groups that operate locally, and educational opportunities. 

6. Educate citizens about their heritage, its value, and the variety of tools available for protecting historic and cultural resources. 

An involved public results in a stronger Plan.  However, it is often hard to involve residents in historic preservation unless and until a nearby or high-profile resource is in danger.  Citizens who understand that preservation is not just saying “No,” but is instead a way to blend the past into the present, and who understand that it is an economic development tool and a significant contributor to quality of life, are citizens who will become involved with their local historic and cultural resources in a variety of ways.

A context for historic preservation in York County

When anyone plans for an activity, the values they hold will be very important in shaping the end product.

For example, many historic preservation plans focus on buildings.  And while historic structures are important, this Plan will also look at cultural traditions and the urban, small town, and rural landscapes that make up the quintessential York County.  This focus is a result of the values we’ve identified as being important as we undertake a historic preservation plan for the County. 

These values are based on sound planning principles and preservation best practices: 

• Place making – recognizing and maintaining a unique sense of place, and connecting residents and visitors to that sense of place;

• Building better communities –concentrating on historic preservation’s contribution to the economic and social well-being of communities;

• Looking forward – a focus not on bringing back the past, but on integrating it into the present;

• Attention to scale – protecting resources that are locally significant, as well as nationally and regionally;

• Sustainable development – enhancing the long-term sustainability of growth in York County through rehabilitation and reuse, and;

• Education and involvement – getting community members to know and care about historic and cultural resources.

Our goal is for the planning process, conducted with the principles above in mind, to result in a plan that is meaningful and useful to the County, its residents, and its local municipalities. 

Why do we preserve old buildings and places?

It turns out that there are a lot of reasons!

Many important and interesting things have happened in York, and records of them are found all over the County.  These historic and cultural resources are important to us for their historic value, because they link us to the past in a very real way.   

But historic preservation makes sense in other ways, too.  One reason is that York’s history is a large part of its identity, and that is something that should be shared with future generations.  York County wouldn’t be, well, York, without the Shoe House, or the snack food factories, or the rotating weightlifter at York Barbell, or the small town streets lined with historic homes.  And how different would our comfort foods be, without our Pennsylvania German roots?

And when a place has a unique identity, people like to live there, and people like to visit, too.  Places that attract people have strong housing markets, and can support a wide variety of homegrown businesses and industries.  

Heritage tourism pumps a lot of money into the local economy, and residents benefit.  Visitors boost businesses and local tax bases, while everyone can enjoy the many parks, celebrations, arts venues, museums, and businesses located in historic buildings and areas.     

There’s rarely enough money to save everything that is deserving of it, but it’s good to keep in mind that preserving often pays off. 

How we got to this point

Interesting fact:  York County does not have a countywide Historic Preservation Plan.  It does have a comprehensive plan, which contains a number of elements and resource components, but it does not have an element that specifically addresses historic preservation.

The Dover Blacksmith Shop in Ketterman Park on Butter Road

This is a state of affairs that the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) has actively been trying to change for years, but challenges with timing and funding have kept a preservation plan off the table.  In the meantime, the County Commissioners have been asked to take action - or not take action - on several contentious questions involving historic preservation, and this has kept the topic at the forefront of everyone's minds. 

To overcome funding issues, the Planning Commission is drafting an Historic Preservation Plan with in-house staff.  A Steering Committee was created to provide technical assistance.  The Plan will serve multiple purposes.  One is in line with the traditional emphasis of many historic preservation plans, that is, to identify, protect, and promote the County's historic resources.

A second plan purpose relates to the Planning Commission and the State legislation that outlines our duties and powers.  The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) requires that county planning commissions address historic preservation in their comprehensive planning efforts.  The Plan being developed will fulfill our duties under the MPC. 

Our third, and most singular, purpose is to come up with a way for decision makers to assess historic resources in light of both historic value to the County and other relevant costs and benefits that may be associated with given courses of action.  Our goal is to develop an evaluation method that will allow elected officials to prioritize actions based on a standardized set of criteria rooted in good planning practice.

As the Plan progresses, YCPC staff and Steering Committee members will be posting updates here.  Please follow along with us!