What is the Impact of Uncontrolled Growth?
For more than twenty years, Pike has been the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania. Because of our proximity to New York and Philadelphia, analysts predict that our population will double or triple within the next 20 to 30 years.
"At its current rate of growth, Pike County will become the home for another 180,000 people in the next 20 years. If the increase is only half that amount, it will represent a 200-percent increase in population," Pike County Commissioner Richard Caridi said.
from "Pike Pushing for Public Input on Growth Plan," River Reporter, June 24, 2004
Without an effective strategy to contain these population pressures, Pike County is likely to lose much of its rural character and scenic beauty by the same process that has overwhelmed so many towns in nearby New York and New Jersey.
Pike County has long been a major draw for summer tourists and outdoor sportsmen. The 1970s saw a significant increase in communities for second family homes. Land surrounding Pike County's lakes developed into vacation towns. Hemlock Farms, Pocono Ranchlands, Gold Key Lakes, Mast Hope, and Tanglewood Lakes now dwarf Milford and Matamoras both in size and number of house-lots. Up until now, this dense development allowed us to keep the rural nature of Pike County intact.
However, times have changed. The economic boom of the 1990's and a new period of urban flight driven by 9/11 have led to increasing numbers of new residents from New York and New Jersey. Land that seemed relatively secure from development for the last decade is now rising rapidly in value as it attracts new interest from developers. Without dramatic changes in conservation planning, and infrastructure improvements, doubling our population will consume 6-9 times as much land as is currently developed.
The results of uncontrolled growth could be:
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