Link:
www.lshgreenway.org
The Lower Susquehanna Heritage
Greenway is located at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay and the mouth of the
Susquehanna River, and encompasses portions of western Cecil County, eastern Harford
County, the City of Havre de Grace, Susquehanna State Park, and the towns of Perryville
and Port Deposit. In 1998, the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, Inc., a non-profit
organization formed to direct the process of heritage tourism and greenway development,
contracted a team of consultants led by Redman/Johnston Associates to direct the effort to
develop a Heritage Area Management Plan that also encompasses an ambitious greenway
project. In May, 2000, RJA completed the Heritage Management Plan and in October, 2000 the
Maryland Heritage Areas Authority approved the LSHG Management Plan, making the LSHG the
first certified Maryland State Heritage Area to be created following the adoption of HB1.
The Plan outlines strategies for
enhancing heritage resources, achieving optimum visitations, encouraging compatible
economic development, establishing mechanisms to improve stewardship and insuring long
term preservation and protection of cultural, historic, scenic, and natural resources
within the Heritage Area. In addition to the Management Plan, the team developed an action
plan that outlines implementation tasks and projects to advance the Management Plan’s
strategies, including anticipated partners, priority locations for investment (target
investment zones), and short-, mid-, and long-term priorities. Finally, the team prepared
a physical plan that maps resources and their locations, the boundaries of the Heritage
Area, the hierarchy of linkages between heritage area components, and recommends physical
improvements and design guidelines to enhance the operational aspects of the heritage
area, preserve natural and cultural resources and protect community character. In addition
to incorporating the expertise of architects, historians, economists, and key local
government representatives, RJA has also included the residents of the two counties,
municipalities, villages and districts in the planning process to insure the results
reflect their vision for the character of the region and help to achieve community goals.
