Penn Township is nearing the end of a yearslong rewrite of its zoning ordinance and map, an effort aimed at diversifying its tax base with more businesses, officials said Thursday.
The township commissioners, community development staff and planning commission members picked through the latest draft of the rezoning plan during a public informational session Thursday, making tweaks along the way.
The planning commission aims to conduct a final review of the plan June 2 before passing it along for a vote by the commissioners.
The final review date might be pushed back, said Amanda Krickovich, a community planner for Strategic Solutions, a consulting service hired by the township. But the rezoning plan should be approved by the end of the year at the latest, she said.
John Trant, CEO and president of Strategic Solutions, said the township has completed the majority of the rezoning process.
“We’re at the 80%, 85% mark in terms of what’s been drafted and ready to build into the final full draft ordinance for distribution,” he said.
Planning commission member Nick Frollini said the board has worked hard to design a rezoning plan that will preserve the township’s rural character while pushing for additional development.
“Once this is done and final and the process is completed, I hope all of us will remember all the time that we spent and not cave the first time someone approaches us and says, ‘Hey can you change this for us so we can slam 350 extra houses in this area?’ ” he said. “I think we’ve done a little too much of that, and I think these changes … will keep the character of the township the way many of us want it to be.”
Encouraging more business development was among the goals highlighted in the township’s 2020 comprehensive plan. About 84% of the township’s real estate taxes come from residential taxpayers.
More on the rezoning
• Penn Township weighs zoning changes intended to boost economic development• Penn Township residents raise concerns over proposed zoning changes
• Residents voice concerns as Penn Township continues developing zoning change proposal
• Penn Township moves forward amended rezoning proposal
• Residents weigh in on Penn Township's latest rezoning proposal
Focal points of the plan
Three primary areas are addressed by the rezoning proposal.
The first lies in the eastern portion of the township near Bushy Run Corporate Park, the Greensburg Jeannette Regional Airport and the municipality’s border with Jeannette. The area identified in the proposal would be rezoned to light industrial and commerce — allowing for storage units, supply yards, research-and-development facilities and accessory solar systems.
Changes would be made to Harrison City-Export Road between Route 130 and Blank Road. This would allow for developments such as motels, office spaces, places of worship, trade and public schools, small restaurants and retail.
The rezoning also would welcome transportation-related developments near the intersection of Route 130, Pleasant Valley Road and Sandy Hill Road, which is slated for a turnpike interchange. This would allow for establishments such as gas stations, auto service businesses, fast food restaurants and warehouses near the future interchange.
The interchange is estimated to be built between fall 2035 and summer 2038, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
Township aims to regulate placement of developments
The proposal also would create a low-density residential district — intended to provide locations for new single-family housing in rural environments — and a village residential mixed-use district aimed at supporting the township’s Claridge neighborhood.
Personal care homes and short-term rental properties could be included in the low density district. Small restaurants, pet grooming and supply stores, and music, art or photo studios could be included in the village residential district.
Last year, the township approved the addition of a light industrial and commerce district and a heavy industrial district to better control the placement of high-impact developments in the municipality.
This includes any development involving noise, vibration, environmental impact, emissions, risk of fire or significant trafic impacts — such as data centers.
The rezoning plan’s extensive list of potential developments allows the municipality to regulate where certain developments could be placed, Frollini said.
“The reason we spend so much time making sure we had definitions for all of these potential uses,” he said, “is because if there isn’t a use called out, (the development) is allowed anywhere.”
