How can the Municipalities Planning Code be used to preserve historic resources?
Zoning is intended to provide a legal means of channeling growth and regulating the use of land by means of designating specific areas for commercial, residential, industrial, or mixed uses. In Pennsylvania, zoning is authorized under the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act 247 of 1968 as amended. The zoning ordinance should reflect the municipality’s comprehensive plan. A historic preservation overlay zone can be used to serve as a supplement to the underlying zoning provisions in a historic area. An overlay zone can work even in areas having different uses and zoning districts since it supplements, rather than replaces, the existing zoning regulations. For example, a historic district may cover areas zoned commercial and residential. Since the historic overlay zone provisions do not normally contain land use provisions, but rely on the underlying zoning provisions, the residential and commercial zoning of these two distinct areas will be maintained upon the creation of a historic
