Open Space

The theme of "Keep Worcester Green" has been heard for decades in our municipality.  Preserving open space is a core initiative in Worcester, reflected in the types of development one sees when traveling through the Township.  Through gifts, outright purchases of property, or acquisition of development rights, Worcester has preserved tracts of land which otherwise would be developed into homes.  In the long run, it is more advantageous to preserve land than to pay the costs development brings; educational, infrastructure, and support services.

In 2003, Montgomery County voters voiced their support for a new county Open Space Program by approving a $150 million program called Green Fields-Green Towns.  This money is earmarked to natural and water resource areas offering towns and boroughs options for "re-greening" their communities, and preserving open space and farmland over the next ten years.

The preservation of properties in Worcester enhances our living environment while producing some very practical results. Neighboring open space makes our community a more desirable place in which to live, work, own a home, and retire. Residents and business owners who stay in such communities help maintain tax bases and reduce the pressures of sprawl. Strategic, planned growth in general reduces traffic problems and mitigates the burdensome effect of development on local school districts and municipalities. Open space also assists in maintaining a stable tax base because it requires minimal infrastructure and few support services.

Studies conducted across Pennsylvania show that controlling development reins in the costs associated with it, resulting in lower, long-term tax burdens. All in all, Worcester is working to maintain the quality of life to which its residents have become accustomed.