Lancaster County is growing. Over the next 25 years, our population is projected to grow by 100,000 people. In this time frame, fifty thousand homes are expected to be built. How best to manage the costs associated with this growth is a challenge that impacts all county residents.

Growth creates demands for expanded infrastructure such as public sewer systems, public water supplies, roads and public transportation. Growth creates demands for community services such as schools, police protection and fire protection. This growth creates pressures on preserving our agricultural and historic resources.

The Coalition for Smart Growth was organized to help our community better deal with these challenges. As a diverse group of individuals and organizations who have come together to create a set of smart growth policies and goals for a balanced future for Lancaster County, the Coalition supports the exchange of information that makes such goals achievable.

The 2009 Smart Growth Summit asks several fundamental questions. How do the decisions we make about how we grow affect the costs of providing needed infrastructure and public services? How do such decisions affect our agricultural and historic resources?

The Coalition for Smart Growth has assembled two panels of experts to address these issues:

1. What are the costs for public infrastructure and services in rural areas, traditional suburban residential developments, mixed use communities and urban areas?
2. What effect does the density of development have on infrastructure and public service costs?
3. What are the impacts upon our community’s agricultural, environmental, and historic resources?