WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Land development plans under review by the Washington Township (Pa.) Planning Commission usually come with locator terms like "Mason" and "Diller."
They refer to the last names of farmers whose land often will eventually support commercial and residential development.
In the most recent of his 30 years on the planning commission, Ezra G. Fitz reviewed with increased frequency plans for thousands of houses, restaurants, big-box retailers and stores on farms whose names had virtually become landmarks.
"When I first got on, I never had a vision it would be like this," Fitz said.
When Fitz was appointed in February 1976, the three-member commission reviewed only a handful of plans each month. Fitz, 84, was not reappointed when his term expired Dec. 31, 2006.
Open space preservation and smart growth have accompanied the township's transitions, Fitz said.
"The residents of Washington Township can be proud of the way the township has progressed," he said.
