Kidder Township Adopts PennFuture Model Logistics Ordinance Over Objections of Distribution Center Developer

Kidder Township in the Poconos, home to state parks and special‑protection waters, has recently seen proposals for enormous distribution centers that would pave over hundreds of forested acres. Community groups LOVE Kidder Township and Save Carbon County mobilized to oppose unchecked logistics development. They organized residents, reviewed plans with engineers, and pushed officials to strengthen the township’s permissive zoning.

Working with PennFuture’s model logistics use ordinance as a guide, they convinced the Board of Supervisors to adopt a zoning amendment on September 12, 2024. The new ordinance makes warehouses and distribution centers conditional uses limited to the business/light industrial district. It requires public hearings, allows officials to impose conditions, restricts woodland clearance, mandates riparian buffers and environmental impact statements, and includes provisions for parking and driver facilities. Despite opposition from Blue Ridge Real Estate, the company proposing multiple projects, the ordinance passed, showing how organized residents can shape land‑use decisions to protect natural resources.