197 Grouse Hill Rd, Barto, PA 19504

Rural Conservation District

In accordance with the objectives of the Hereford Township and Washington township Joint Municipal Comprehensive Plan, and the purpose statements and community development objectives set forth in Article I of this Ordinance, the RD- Rural Conservation District is established to promote the conservation of the rural, heavily environmentally constrained, and largely wooded landscape that characterizes much of Hereford Township, particularly the hilly terrain that constitutes a portion of the federally designated Pennsylvania Highlands and an extension of the Oley Hills, a Berks County conservation priority. The regulations set forth herein are intended to achieve the following specific purposes: To preserve significant woodlands, thereby assuring Township residents of the continued benefits derived from them, including but not limited to natural diversity, stormwater management, groundwater recharge, buffering of human activity, reduction of wind velocity, and production of oxygen; To preserve the quality and quantity of Township water resources, including both surface waters and groundwater; To protect steeply sloped areas from unnecessary disturbance and inappropriate development, thereby preventing the erosion of soils, increase surface water runoff, and siltation of surface waters; To preserve the scenic rural character that is a crucial element of community identity, particularly in the central part of the Township; to preserve open space areas which are not necessarily used for agricultural purposes, but have landscape qualities which support the rural-agricultural character of Hereford Township or have historic features that represent the heritage of the Township; and To further preserve the overall rural character of Hereford Township through the use of Transferrable Development Rights which enable residential development to be directed to more appropriate locations.