PLAN
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
(2002)
Updating the Township’s
Plan
In 1995,
Pennsylvania’s
Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), which is the source of State law on the use
and development of land, establishes guidelines for a municipality’s
comprehensive plan and, today, requires that adopted plans be reviewed
periodically. A comprehensive plan is
not law. Instead, it is a plan for
future development in the municipality.
Millcreek Township’s project has involved both a review and analysis of
existing conditions and development of
goals to achieve in the future.
Work on
updating Millcreek Township’s comprehensive plan has continued for over five
years. Much of the detail required was
gathered in 1995 and 1996 and has since been updated. In addition to professional services, a number of Township residents, members of
the Township’s Planning Commission, Supervisors and staff of the Township have
devoted countless hours to the project.
Some who were deeply involved at the beginning have since moved on, with
others joining in recent years.
The
Purpose of the Plan
The MPC
establishes certain requirements for a comprehensive plan. In addition to what State law requires, a
municipality can deal with other issues it considers to be important. When
Millcreek Township’s Supervisors approved the project of updating the 1980
comprehensive plan, one of their stated goals was development of a recreation
and open space plan.
The 2002
Comprehensive Plan is accompanied by a Background Analysis, a lengthy document
which analyzes the Township’s physical terrain, demographics, economics, land
use, neighborhoods and housing, public utilities, community facilities,
municipal finances, transportation facilities and natural resources. The Background Analysis is not, itself, a
part of the Comprehensive Plan. It does
furnish analysis upon which goals, recommendations and other portions of the
Plan are based.
The
Comprehensive Plan includes all of the basic elements which Pennsylvania law
requires. It also includes a recreation
and open space plan.
Under
recent amendments to State law, the Township’s comprehensive plan is to be
reviewed at least every 10 years. The
2002 Plan includes a future land use plan and map which reflects the most
detailed study of land use in the Township’s history. This data will be retained on computer and be
consistently updated, so that the Township will have detail which can be
revised as development and redevelopment continues in the future.
Demographic
and Development Analysis
The Township’s
1980 Comprehensive Plan projected that
the Township’s population would be 51,510 in 1980 and grow to 70,000 by the
year 2000. In fact, the 1980 census
reported the Township’s population as 44,303, and that grew to 52,129 by the
2000 census. It is now projected that the Township’s population in the year
2010 will exceed 57,000.
The
median age of Millcreek Township residents increased from 31.6 years to 35.8
years between 1980 and 1990, with all age groups over age 60 increasing and the
number of persons between ages 5-24 declining.
The Plan
assumes that service sector growth, particularly business services, will likely
lead future employment growth, and proposes that the Township take advantage of
its location in attracting growth in this area.
In 1996,
approximately 13,748 acres of land in the Township (73% of the Township’s gross
area) had been developed. As of 1996,
there were approximately 3,500 acres of land in the Township suitable and
available for development. If current
ratios prevail, the Township may be fully “built-out” by 2020.
In
recent years, the Township has seen a number of developments which involve
re-development, or conversion of older, predominantly business-zoned properties
into newer buildings and uses.
Improvements to commercial buildings and to stormwater management of
redeveloped properties, should be encouraged.
Since 1998, the Township has received funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing & Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant
Program. A portion of these funds are
being made available to residents having low and moderate incomes, to assist
them in rehabilitating often aging homes.
Housing
Plan
The
Housing Plan element of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan contains a number of
recommendations, including:
n
Possible implementation of zoning
regulations to allow the “traditional neighborhood development” authorized
under 2000 amendments to the MPC.
n
Set aside portions of vacant land for
multi-family and higher density residential use.
n
Consider consolidating existing “D” and
“E” Residential zoning districts into one district for higher density
residential use.
n
Consider revision of the Mobile Home Park
Ordinance to require better site design.
n
Focus housing rehabilitation efforts in
declining neighborhoods.
n
Plan infrastructure extensions to assure
that development occurs at a sustainable pace.
Cultural
and Historic Preservation Plan
This
element of the Plan notes the importance of identifying and recognizing
historic and cultural resources which now exist, and that identified buildings,
facades and streetscapes then be maintained and improved. Other recommendations include:
n
Promotion in the schools of local history
and historic resources.
n
Provide for proper treatment and recognition
of future historic resources.
n
Promote development that respects the
unique character of existing resources.
Recreation
and Open Space Plan
Pennsylvania
law allows a municipality to establish, by ordinance, regulations intended to
assure acquisition and development of lands for public recreational use. The 1980 comprehensive plan cited a deficit
in recreation areas. While a number of
new areas have been developed for recreation, others have been lost to
development as the Township’s population continues to increase.
In order
to meet requirements of State law for enactment of a recreation plan ordinance,
this element, consisting of 25 pages and four appendices, is the longest section
of the Plan. It begins with an overview of existing programs and facilities and
then analyzes the Township’s recreational needs and development. The Plan then discusses planning for future
park and recreational needs and standards to be considered in development of
lands for public and private recreation.
Recognizing that preservation of open space is essential to the best
interests of residents and to recreational development, the Plan recommends
that the Township enact ordinances which can assure both preservation of open
space and future public recreational development.
The plan
for open space preservation recommends that the Township adopt conservation
design standards for residential development which are consistent with those
detailed in the plan and in the “Growing Greener” program. These include identifying and preserving
primary and secondary conservation resources and requiring that open space be
preserved in the development.
The Plan
notes that recreation includes more passive activities, such as walking,
bicycling and jogging, and that bike paths, sidewalks and trails, particularly
if connected,
can
provide opportunities at minimal cost.
The Plan
recommends that the Township enact ordinances to require both conservation
design and open space preservation in residential developments and dedication
of land or fees in lieu of dedication to assist in future public recreational
development. The Plan notes that open
space can be preserved without materially affecting allowed density of development. Specific recommendations include:
n
Require preservation of open space in all
residential developments.
n
Require development of some of the open
space for recreational use by those living in the development.
n
Amend the Township’s official map to identify
planned public recreational sites.
n
Require dedication of land for the development of public recreation or fees in
lieu of dedication.
n
Commit the Township to contribute its
share toward future public recreation.
n
Adopt conservation design standards for
residential developments.
n
Establish maximum development
density, not minimum lot size, as the
standard for development.
n
Require connection of local streets and
sidewalks to those in adjacent areas.
n
Preserve primary and secondary
conservation areas.
n
Assure that open space is accessible to
all residents of that development.
n
Encourage preservation of open space
contiguous to that in other developments.
Future
Land Use Plan
This
element identifies three goals:
n
Provide for all appropriate land uses,
considering attractiveness and function, and discourage conflicts among uses.
n
Encourage high quality development and
that which minimizes negative fiscal and environmental impacts.
n
Manage development so that growth does not
overtax existing infrastructure.
This
Plan makes various recommendations based on an analysis of the Township’s
existing land use and future needs. It
encourages development of office parks and reservation of appropriate land for
industrial use. It recommends
preservation of open space in residential developments. As virtually no land in the Township is
presently used for agricultural purposes, this Plan recommends that the present
Agriculture zoning district be renamed the Rural Residential district, with
land in this district to be used for lighter density residential uses similar
to those now allowed in the district.
The
Future Land Use Map included in the Comprehensive Plan details the proposed
development pattern of the Township. This
element and the map may lead to future revisions to the Township’s zoning
map. As examples, the Agriculture zoning
district may be renamed Rural Residential, and specific designation of land for
use as office parks will be required.
This
element of the Plan concludes with specific recommendations for future
residential development design, consistent with general recommendations in the
Recreation and Open Space Plan.
Economic
Development Plan
This
element of the Plan identifies two economic development goals:
n
Promote maximum availability and usage of
appropriate commercial, office and manufacturing activities which will provide
for growth of the local economy.
n
Create an economic climate which is
conducive to the creation and retention of good jobs.
Noting
that approximately 13% of the Township’s developed land is now devoted to
commercial uses and that retail business tends to have a lower employment
compensation structure and produces no goods, the Plan recommends principal emphasis
on development of office parks and industrial uses.
Community
Facilities Plan
This
element of the Plan focuses on governmental, public safety, library and health
facilities. Growth of the Township’s
population and of demands on the Township are discussed. Recommendations include:
n
Development by the Township of capital
improvements and budget plans.
n
Require installation of street lights in
all new residential developments.
n
Revise ordinances to allow for use of
impact fees which require the “user pays” principle.
n
Study economic feasibility of future fire
protection alternatives.
n
Continue support of the Millcreek Senior
Center.
Public
Utilities Plan
With much
of the Township developed and served by public water and sewer systems and
typical utilities, this component of the plan addresses sections of the
Township not now served or likely to need services in the future. Recommendations include:
n
Discourage use of on-site wells and sewage
disposal systems where public services are available.
n
Develop a facilities maintenance program
to address rehabilitation or replacement of older lines and supplying services
to areas likely to be developed in the future.
n
Continue to enforce the Township’s
Stormwater Management Ordinance.
Transportation
Plan
Transportation
planning includes dealing with current demands and anticipating future
development and its impact. This plan’s
recommendations include:
n
Identify major intersections and work
toward necessary upgrades (signals, turn lanes, wider cartways, etc.).
n
Require inter-connecting vehicular and
pedestrian access in developments.
n
Maintain the north-south highways at both
ends of the Erie International Airport.
n
Preserve land for needed rights of way in
areas to be developed in the future.
n
Encourage PennDOT to widen and create
turning lanes on West 12th Street, Route 8.
n
Encourage expansion in use of public
transportation.
NonPoint
Source Water Pollution Prevention
Bluff
Recession and Shoreline Protection
State
law requires that these issues be addressed in a municipality’s comprehensive
plan. To a large extent, the Township
has met and must continue to meet mandates of State law. Recommendations here include:
n
Work with other agencies to determine
those activities and substances responsible for non-point source water
pollution found in and downstream from Millcreek Township.
n
Continue enforcement of regulations for new
developments to minimize runoff and migration of pollutants.
n
Seek grant funding to assist in cost of
developing map of Township’s shoreline.
n
Maintain bluff setback regulations.
Land
Development Trends and Issues
This
section overviews provisions in the Township’s Zoning and Subdivision and Land
Development Ordinances. It discusses
trends and issues in land use and land development, including recent changes in
State law. Its recommendations include:
n
Consider elimination of current height districts
and shift focus to setting maximum height of structures in each zoning
district.
n
Proceed with plans to restate the Zoning
Ordinance.
n
Complete restatement of the Subdivision
& Land Development Ordinance.
The
Process of Adopting the Plan
Pennsylvania’s
Municipalities Planning Code defines the process a municipality must follow
before adopting a comprehensive plan. The process is intended to give
residents, as well as the County, the School District and other municipalities
opportunity to review the plan draft and make comments before the Board of
Supervisors acts on the plan.
The
Township’s Planning Commission will hold at a public meeting on the proposed Plan
on Thursday, March 14, 2002 at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building’s meeting room.
At this
public meeting, members of the Commission, Supervisors, Township staff and
others involved in preparing the proposed Plan will explain the document and
answer any questions that are asked. As
Supervisors and many others involved in the process will be at this public
meeting, comments received at this meeting will be important and will be heard
by the Supervisors even before their own public hearing on the proposed
Plan.
Copies
of the proposed Plan have been provided to the Millcreek Township School
District, Erie County’s Planning Commission and to all of the municipalities
whose boundaries are contiguous to Millcreek Township’s. They will have 45 days in which to offer
comments as to the proposed plan.
The
Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed Plan at its
regular meeting on March 26, 2002 at 7 p.m., also in the Municipal Building’s
meeting room. Notice of this public
hearing will be advertised.
Once the
Board of Supervisors conducts its public hearing and considers comments
received, it can act on the proposed Comprehensive Plan.
What
Adoption of the Plan Means
A
comprehensive plan is an important planning tool for the Township. But a plan is not law. Adoption of a comprehensive plan does not
change any property’s zoning, nor does it change any existing Township
laws. The future land use map included
in the Plan is a projection of what may happen in the future; it does not force
a change to any property.
While
not law, a comprehensive plan is very important. The Municipalities Planning Code now requires
that a municipality in considering changes to other laws consider whether those
changes are consistent with the comprehensive plan. Future requests for rezoning of properties
will be evaluated, in part, in terms of how the comprehensive plan calls for
the land to be used.
The
Township’s Board of Supervisors has already approved funding for a project to
substantially revise the Township’s Zoning Ordinance. That restated ordinance, and any changes to
the Township’s zoning map, would be based on review of the comprehensive plan.
The Open
Space and Recreation Plan is intended to meet requirements of State law before a
municipality adopts ordinances to provide for future recreational development.
This section may also furnish the basis for revisions to residential
subdivision design standards in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
Some of
the Plan’s recommendations may lead to rezoning of properties. Today, no land is zoned for use as an office
park, and the plan suggests that the “E” Residence zoning district be
eliminated. These changes would not
prohibit present uses, but would allow for different uses in the future.
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