Open Space Plan

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Open Space & Environmental Resource Protection Plan
Township of Lower Merion
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Fall 2005
Hypertext Version

How to Read the Hypertext Version of the Open Space Plan

This version digitally presents the Township of Lower Merion’s Fall 2005 Open Space and Environmental Resource Protection Plan, which was originally prepared as a very large and graphically-rich print document. Translating complex print resources for web viewing presents many challenges.

We have chosen to present this Plan as an HTML text document with JPEG images rather than as a PDF document or other digital format for several reasons. First the printed document was designed to read as an 8.5” wide x 11’’high ‘portrait’ book, which is a completely different size and orientation from most computer monitors. Reproducing portrait pages on the web results in a lot of dead space around the page and often requires readers to zoom in and out and scroll up and down to follow the narrative. Second, regardless of your connection, large graphics take a long time to download, especially on older, slower machines. The hypertext version follows the same ‘tab’ and chapter organization as the print document for faster online viewing, downloading and printing.

Both the print and hypertext documents are both broken into three tabs (Background, Analysis and Recommendations) each containing individual chapters. The cover, credits and table of contents appear before the first tab, just as they do in the print version.

This website has optimized the plan for online viewing. The maps, graphs and photographs occur in the same relationship to the narrative as they do in the print form, but have been reformatted into single column text rather than the three columns from the print document. The chapters and sections are the same, but the page numbering has been eliminated.

Online presentation of public documents have several advantages, including allowing anyone with internet access to view and print the document at any time. Online publication reduces production costs and relieves the Township of the need to make copies available for all of its 59,000+ residents. Hyperlinks have been added throughout the document to allow viewers to jump between referenced sections and graphics.

Comments regarding viewing or using this hyperlinked document should be addressed to the website. Comments regarding plan content can be sent to the Township’s Assistant Director of Building and Planning – Planning Supervisor, Christopher Leswing at 610-645-6116.

Cover and Frontpiece

Table of Contents

List of Tables, Maps and Charts

Executive Summary (How to Read this Plan)

BACKGROUND

Introduction

Audit of 1995 Open Space Plan

Community Profile

Goals and Objectives

ANALYSIS

Inventory of Existing Protected Land

Inventory of Potentially Vulnerable Resources