Protect. Preserve. Conserve.

On November 3, 2026, Upper Allen Township (UAT) residents have the opportunity to vote on a referendum that will enable the township to purchase conservation easements or interest in land for preservation.

Protect Upper Allen is a political action committee (PAC) that has been formed to advocate for the Land Preservation Referendum on the November 3rd ballot. Almost all UAT neighborhoods are under threat of future / nearby development unless the Township has a preservation option to offer landowners. See the map (olive green areas) for 1,500+ unprotected areas near you.

Browse through this website to hear from township neighbors in favor of preservation, learn more about the initiave, see how saving land = saving money, and why we are asking you to VOTE YES on November 3!

Protect Upper Allen Township PAC is a political action committee.

You CAN stop overdevelopment
in Upper Allen Township!

A letter from Neal Schier
UAT Resident / Webercroft Neighborhood

Does it seem to you that every time you drive around the Township there is more and more construction and more and more loss of open space?

Sadly, it is not just a feeling—Upper Allen has indeed lost a great deal of its open space as developers seek out even the smallest parcels of land on which they can plop down another building, car wash, fast-food joint, or another warehousing operation.

My name is Neal Schier, and I am a long-time resident of Webercroft. Webercroft, along with Sunnyland and other homes, is located one mile south of Mechanicsburg’s town square and just north of the Turnpike. You probably have passed this area many times without realizing that it is among the oldest developments in the Township…but while it maintains a low profile, its residents are an integral part of Township life and, most importantly, its future.

In fact, we have been vigorously fighting to save the horse farm next to Webercroft from becoming a 60,000-square-foot warehouse and trucking terminal. We are experiencing firsthand what it is like when a predatory developer takes clear aim at one of Upper Allen’s last green and open spaces.

What does this have to do with you? What can you do about it?

Well, the developers never rest. They hire the best lawyers in order to challenge what feeble protections that we, as residents, believe we have to save our open areas. Be assured, if they are trying to erase the open space next to Webercroft, they will undoubtedly continue until nothing remains in the Township except roads, buildings and traffic. It is that serious.

This is why I urge you to vote “Yes” on the land-preservation referendum that will be on the November 3rd ballot. This is your chance, as a resident, to help the Township fund efforts to preserve open space by assisting landowners in placing their lands in trusts and easements.

This is a proven way to preserve open space. We only need to look at our neighbors in Silver Spring Township and the success they have had in preventing a large data center from taking up even more farmland. You might have seen the national prominence that a Silver Spring farmer gained in refusing 15 million dollars to allow his farmland to be used for a data center.

No doubt you have many questions and are curious about exactly how preserving open space, in the long run, saves you money. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it will. Land preservation is a win-win for all residents and to help answer your questions I have, below, provided links to the most Frequently Asked Questions as well as various supporting documents.

I fully understand you might not wish to spend your valuable time leafing through endless documents, so please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us. We can then chat one-on-one with you about the referendum and what you can do to save our remaining open spaces.

For those who are concerned that this is a political football, I assure you it is not. It is a true bipartisan effort and a grassroots effort among residents like yourself who simply have had enough of the rampant development that is changing our township.

Very respectfully,

Neal Schier

How Does Land Preservation Work?

Sources:

Land preservation protects open spaces, natural habitats, and working farms from future development primarily through voluntary legal agreements known as conservation easements.

Voluntary Agreement: A landowner chooses to place a permanent restriction on their property. They work with a government agency or a non-profit land trust to set the terms.
Separation of Rights: The landowner keeps ownership of the property, but permanently sells or donates the development rights. Future building or commercial subdivision is restricted or prohibited.
Binding in Perpetuity: The agreement is recorded in the official property records. It stays with the land forever, legally binding all future owners.
Monitoring: The holding organization or agency visits the property periodically (such as annually or bi-annually) to ensure the restrictions are followed.
Compensation: For agricultural or resource lands, governments or land trusts often purchase the easement. The payment usually equals the difference between the land's fair market value and its restricted (agricultural) value.
Tax Incentives: Donating an easement—or selling it below market value—can yield major federal income and estate tax advantages. Property taxes may also drop because the development potential is removed.
Continued Use: Property owners can still live on the land, farm it, pass it down to heirs, or sell it, provided future uses align with the easement rules.

Who will hold the conservation easements?

Upper Allen Township would consider working with any of the three following companies regarding the conservancy easements:

Silver Spring use Natural Lands out of Media, PA, and Lancaster Farmland Trust out of Lancaster

Examples of Properties in Upper Allen Twp Already Protected Under Land Preservation

Letter From Vince DiFilippo, Former Cumberland County & Silver Spring Commissioner

Earlier this year, the commissioners from Upper Allen Township voted to approve placing a referendum that will appear on the November 3 general election for residents of Upper Allen Township. The referendum will be asking Upper Allen Township voters if they would like the township to start a municipal land preservation program. The program will be funded by an incredibly small amount of earned income tax (EIT) and property tax. For example, if you earn wages of $80,000 per year, the amount of EIT you would have to pay would be $40 annually. Yes, annually, not weekly or monthly. Social security, pensions, annuities, etc. are not subject to the additional EIT. If you own property, the additional property tax would equate to about $35 per year for the average homeowner.

So, if you work and own an average home, you can help fund Upper Allen Township’s own land preservation program for less than $80 annually. These taxes will not be increased, and they will be repealed once there is no land in the township left to preserve. Compare that to your school property taxes (which go up every year and are in thousands of dollars annually), county property taxes and township property taxes. The cost of land preservation is miniscule compared to other taxes most of us pay and the benefits it will provide will last forever.

The program would use what are known as conservation easements which permanently preserve land. In fact, they are the only option to truly preserve and protect land permanently. The program is completely voluntary and is meant to give landowners another option regarding the sale of their land. As part of the process, landowners willingly give up the development rights on their property in exchange for a one-time payment based on easement value of the property. The landowner maintains ownership and continues to enjoy their property. If the property is sold at some time in the future, the conservation easement remains with the property. In other words, the property remains preserved.

These municipal land preservation programs are very popular and there are over 100 municipalities in the state that have such programs. Silver Spring Township’s residents voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to form their own municipal land preservation program, and it has been an incredible success with nearly 1500 acres of land preserved and more acreage in the pipeline. I hope that the voters of Upper Allen Township will vote to pass this referendum and use the program as a method to permanently preserve some of the remaining farmland and open space. I suggest that voters look at www.protectupperallen.com for the facts of the program and other good information. Also, be aware that a small number of naysayers are spreading a large amount of misinformation on social media garbage dumps. Be careful of these posts, because most of them are not based on facts, but more on scaring voters. Whether you vote yes or no on the referendum, get the facts first then decide! This is a golden opportunity for the good people of Upper Allen Township to help save some of the remaining farmland and open space in their township.

Vince DiFilippo
Silver Spring Township

Examples of Other PA Townships With Land Preservation Programs

Within Pennsylvania, 102 other municipalities have approved similar land preservation referendums. Below, just a few of them are listed.

Silver Springs Township (Cumberland County)
Manor Township (Lancaster County)
Lower Salford Township (Montgomery County) - just passed referendum in May 2026
Solebury Township (Bucks County)
Plumstead Township (Bucks County)
Upper Makefield Township (Bucks County)
Solebury Township (Bucks County)
Williams Township (Northamptom County)
Moore Township (Northampton County)

A majority of Chester County's townships have enacted local taxes or established dedicated committees to participate in open space and agricultural preservation, often partnering with the Chester County Preservation Partnership Program.

Honey Brook Township: Operates a dedicated Land Preservation Committee (formed in 2006) and maintains a local Land Preservation Plan to protect agricultural and conservation areas.
West Vincent Township: Actively preserves farmland and open space corridors, utilizing county partnerships and local trusts like the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust
West Bradford Township: Participates in local open space acquisitions, such as the creation of the Embreeville Preserve.
Willistown Township has a highly active, robust land preservation initiative driven by its dedicated Willistown Township Open Space Fund, its Open Space Review Board, and its unique partnership with the Willistown Conservation Trust.

This NOVEMBER 3rd, another township has a referendum on their ballot:

Hatfield Township (Montgomery County)

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