Plan today or regret it

DINGMANS FERRY - Pike and Monroe counties are facing destruction from the sprawl of unplanned or poorly development, Edward McMahon claimed. Over 100 elected officials and guests came to hear Edward McMahon, a nationally renowned authority on sustainable development, in a recent appearance at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. “The counties and townships can easily be destroyed by development,” said McMahon. “Open space plans are needed in townships. You can’t force it, you need to do it through education.” He added, “Communities that set standards for development will be places people want to live in, retire in, and raise their children in.” State Representative John Siptroth cited the resource strain caused by the area’s growth. He called for cluster housing; grouping single family homes tighter to leave more open space. People from bigger cities won’t find this intolerable. The public needs to demand that developers design wiser use of the land, he said. Jeanette McBryan of the Pike County Planning Office said “I hope people will learn something tonight. I want to show them what we have done and our future plans for Pike County. There are many challenges facing us.” No township supervisors from Dingman or Milford Townships attended.