Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal
Comprehensive Plan

The purpose of the Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan is to enable the Borough of Slatington and the Townships of Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill, Washington and Weisenberg to shape their collective vision for the future. A multi-municipal comprehensive plan allows each municipality to keep autonomy and control but allows the communities as a region to take advantage of geographic similarities, address common priorities and better manage an evolving development landscape. The multi-municipal plan determines common goals and objectives for areas of land use, housing, air quality, transportation, development, recreational facilities, natural and scenic resource conservation, farmland preservation and economic development. This joint planning effort also facilitates the sharing of resources in support of the long-term sustainability of the municipalities.

This update to the 2004 multi-municipal comprehensive plan is intended to specifically protect the unique characteristics of Northern Lehigh, while addressing existing challenges and opportunities and preparing for a resilient, sustainable and vibrant future. Land use and development are contentious topics for any community, but in an area like Northern Lehigh, where the development pattern has remained largely the same for over 200 years, growth pressure is more acute. But a multi-municipal plan, such as this update, reinforces appropriate and balanced land use choices that preserve character and the economy, expand opportunities where they are supportable, and reinforce existing assets and community pride. Most importantly, a regional shared vision allows Northern Lehigh to plan and prepare for managed change, rather than having to react and respond to it.

Since the first comprehensive plan, nearly two decades ago, a special connection to the rural character of the Northern Lehigh region continues to define its history, its economy, its roadways, its recreational activities, its opportunities for growth, and its residents. It is a feeling beyond the feeling of home, it is a connection to the land that has cultivated a culture that is unique to the Lehigh Valley and shaped a way of life for residents new and old.

Northern Lehigh adopted one of the state's first multi-municipal comprehensive plans in 2004, which set the course for maximization of regional assets within each of the six communities for the shared betterment of the region. The 2004 Plan covered eight goals regarding natural and scenic resources, historic and cultural resources, agricultural resources, economic development, transportation, housing, and community facilities and services. Protecting and preserving natural resources, farmland, and village character, while providing for responsible growth, expanded transportation mode choice and equitable housing supply, remain essential goals for Northern Lehigh residents and stakeholders more than 17 years after they were introduced in the first plan.

These timeless goals reinforce the need for continuous planning efforts and support the notion that comprehensive plans are intended to be living documents. Beginning in 2019, through the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Slatington Borough, and Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill, Washington and Weisenberg Townships committed to developing a robust and meaningful comprehensive plan to guide the Northern Lehigh area through the next several decades. The municipalities’ commitment required thoughtful coordination, deep consensus building and a collective open mind to work as partners in the pursuit of health, safety and general welfare of the Northern Lehigh Region.

The Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2022. The Individual Zoning Ordinance Amendments that were drafted as a result of the Plan for the Borough of Slatington and the Townships of Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill, Washington and Weisenberg were adopted in 2024. The Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan Committee continues to meet every 2nd Tuesday of June and December to review the Plan and Zoning Ordinances.