Input is vital in creating a comprehensive plan. The data and analyses outlined in this document serve to support and verify the observations, opinions and concerns of the community. Synthesizing the data analyses and community-identified issues will result in logical goals that shape the policies and actions of the Nazareth Area Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, community engagement is a key component of the plan. Residents, business owners and officials all hold a stake in the area, and the community engagement efforts were directed at obtaining a mix of input from a wide cross-section of the community.

Meetings of local stakeholders were held to get early input from community members. The priorities identified during those meetings were consolidated by topic and circulated via an online survey to gain additional input before creating the draft goals.

Listening Sessions

The Nazareth Area Steering Committee developed a diverse list of community experts that were invited to attend a series of three listening sessions, or charrettes. Community experts, or stakeholders, invited to the charrettes included residents, business owners, farmers, emergency service personnel, municipal officials, state legislators, municipal and county representatives, among others. 37 stakeholders attended the charrettes, which were held at the following locations:

• January 14, 2019, 6 pm @ Lower Nazareth Elementary School

• January 15, 2019, 7:30 am @ Hecktown Fire Company

• January 15, 2019, 12 pm @ Hecktown Fire Company

Each session began with a brief presentation about the multi-municipal planning process and included current subdivision/land development data, demographics and transportation data specific to the Nazareth Area.

Following the presentation, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission facilitated hour-long group discussions by asking the stakeholders a series of questions on topics designed to spur open and active discussion. Through this process, all stakeholders were engaged in the dialogue and provided insight on community concerns, which will help inform the direction of the multi-municipal plan. At the end of the hour, each group was asked to select its top five priorities and present them to the larger group. Each attendee was provided three votes to select their priorities from the combined list.

From the three charrettes, the issues were consolidated into similar topics, and 14 overarching issues were identified:

1. Truck traffic continuing to grow, demanding for our infrastructure, roads are at capacity; congestion management (truck routes, maintaining mobility); warehouse traffic

2. Balancing preservation and development (e.g., suburban creep), explore alternative housing options to preserve open space

3. Lack of attainable housing; variety of affordable housing at a variety of times/points in people's lives; housing diversity (age, income, size, cost); lack of desirable housing for new graduates

4. We can’t keep the current generation: brain drain, lack of nightlife, lack of diversity

5. In dire need of re-training workforce, lack of high-end jobs for young people, need skills-based education/higher education

6. Minority of the people vote, vocal minority make the decisions

7. We don’t promote our historic assets

8. Lack of public transit

9. Development stress on existing utility infrastructure, need more broadband/internet capacity, monitor water usage/well and septic

10. Air and water quality; parks, recreation, conservation, trails; maintaining open space, connected greenspace (farms, parks, public lands); support agricultural industry (finance, protection, retention, other)

11. Warehouses – location

12. Education on planning issues

13. Continuing our quality of life

14. Support aging in place (social, financial, maintenance, other)

Community Priorities Survey

The refined list of priorities derived from the charrettes provided the basis for an online survey (SurveyMonkey) that was created for the Nazareth Area governing body representatives and charrette invitees. The purpose of the survey was to narrow the list of priorities and identify any additional priorities that were not considered during the charrettes. Respondents were asked to rank each of the 14 issues in order of priority. Additional priorities could be added and ranked as well. A 30-day response period was established and the survey closed on April 8, 2019.

During the comment period, 23 people completed the survey. The top six issues from the survey responses are listed in order of identified priority. No additional priorities were identified as part of the survey.

Nazareth Area Ranked Priorities

1. Development stress on existing utility infrastructure, need more broadband/internet capacity, monitor water usage/well and septic

2. Balancing preservation and development (e.g., suburban creep), explore alternative housing options to preserve open space

3. Warehouses – location

4. Air and water quality; parks, recreation, conservation, trails; maintaining open space, connected greenspace (farms, parks, public lands); support agricultural industry (finance, protection, retention, other)

5. Lack of attainable housing; variety of affordable housing at a variety of times/point in people’s lives; housing diversity (age, income, size, cost); lack of desirable housing for new graduates

6. Truck traffic continues to grow, demanding for our infrastructure, roads are at capacity; congestion management (truck routes, maintaining mobility); warehouse traffic

Draft Goals

A set of draft goals was developed based on the ranked priorities identified from the charrettes and survey. These draft goals assist in summarizing the concerns of the community and provide further direction for the Nazareth Area Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan. The draft goals cover several important topics that the plan aims to address, including land use, housing, air and water quality, transportation, development, recreational facilities, conservation of natural and scenic resources, and preservation of farmland. A seventh goal was added, based on the economic analysis:

1. Reduce development stress on existing utility infrastructure.

2. Balance preservation and development.

3. Identify the appropriate site locations for warehouses and industrial development.

4. Improve air and water quality.

5. Increase the attainability of housing.

6. Mitigate the impacts of growing truck traffic on roads and infrastructure.

7. Direct investments and resources to maximize the Nazareth Area’s economic strengths and diversity.

These draft goals are grounded in the concerns of the community and will determine the policies and actions that shape the plan, supported by the analyses presented in the Issues and Opportunities Report.

The Nazareth Area is among the fastest growing sub-regions of the Lehigh Valley. It provides a unique quality of life rooted in its history and landscape, as well as its economic strength. As the area’s population grows, new challenges arise in balancing development and open space preservation, while also maintaining and updating aging infrastructure and diversifying the housing stock to ensure attainability for all Nazareth Area residents.

The Nazareth Area Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan will confront these and many other issues, thoughts and concerns of the community. The draft goals will help guide critical decision-making as the planning process continues through 2020, laying out a vision for the area that is balanced, resilient, strong and prepared.