Chapter 2: Township Values, Challenges, Overall Land Use
Goals and Limitations
Our Township’s Values
There are many values held by the North Huntingdon residents, which when combined, result in the unique character of our Township. Citizens have indicated high levels of satisfaction in a variety of areas in the community survey that was conducted as part of this plan. These "reasons for living in North Huntingdon" help form the following values in the Township. A composite of all of these values result in a high quality of life for Township residents.

Location/Accessibility to Other Areas
In business marketing decisions, a common answer to the question "What are the three most important components of business success?, the answer is "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION." For North Huntingdon Township, this answer also applies to the feelings of its citizens in terms its greatest asset. More citizens have either located or stayed in the Township because of its convenient location and access to other areas within the region. Its proximity to major transportation corridors, particularly the Pennsylvania Turnpike and U.S. Route 30 provides tremendous benefit to maintain the bedroom community status for commuters who use these roads to get to work in other parts of the region. The proximity between other major regional shopping areas, such as Monroeville and Greensburg, affords the opportunity to have relatively close-to-home choices for major purchases without having the congestion of those areas. The presence of closer-to-home shopping opportunities along the Route 30 corridor and in downtown Irwin is a major asset to consumers not wanting to drive to other areas for their shopping. Finally, a non-rush hour trip to the City of Pittsburgh is approximately 35 minutes, making it a convenient for Township residents to take advantage of the many regional cultural, entertainment and sports activities.

Schools
Many residents place high value on the Norwin School system as contributing to the value of our community. The growth experienced within the Township over the last several years is partially attributable to the quality of the school system as young families make choices in housing, based on this criteria. The longer term residents of the area, who attended and graduated from the Norwin Schools choose to stay in the area due to their past positive experiences to educate their children in the district. Finally, the schools assist in community pride through extracurricular activities, community involvement and its facilities.

Small Town Feel/Nice Area to Live
Small town feel has consistently been ranked high by the citizens as they identify what they like most about living in North Huntingdon. Like quality of life, small town feel cannot be easily quantified. The following items have been identified by citizens as contributing to the small Township feeling of North Huntingdon: people are friendly and you know your neighbors; a comfortable, relaxed attitude: a feeling of high citizen commitment to the community; an easy going lifestyle; pride in our history; an attractive clean community appearance.

Natural surroundings and open space/Rural Atmosphere
Residents place a high value on natural open spaces and the views of the surrounding undeveloped areas and the rural feel of the Township. . Protection of undeveloped areas.

Public Safety
Citizens of North Huntingdon value the safety of the community and its low crime rate. People feel safe.. A safe living environment contributes to the overall quality of life in North Huntingdon.

Moderate Cost of Living and Taxes
Citizens of North Huntingdon enjoy the moderate regional cost of living. The   community is provided with many of the amenities of a large population center in County and the costs of housing compared to other areas in the region.

Our Township’s Challenges
There are many challenges our Township faces in the future, as expressed by our citizens and leaders. These are not insurmountable, but present clear issues that need to be addressed as part of our future planning efforts.

Dealing with the issue of recent rapid housing growth that consumes land character
The community has experienced rapid housing growth since 1993. This type of growth hasn’t been experienced in the Township since the late 1960’s early 1970’s. While this growth followed a long period of slow growth and decline, the continuity of it has had its impact on both the community character and community infrastructure. Growth, in and of itself, is not good or bad. Its impact is often positive in some areas, while negative in other areas. The major impacts within North Huntingdon have been the rapid loss of agricultural land where these housing plans have been located, and the residual impacts of increased traffic flow on smaller roads.

Provision of an adequate number of new quality houses to serve new and
While housing growth is viewed by many as a problem within the Townships, many also see a need for particular types of housing developments in the area. The two groups persons entering retirement years.

Providing for adequate public infrastructure to service the needs of a growing evolving community, particularly in the areas of parks and recreation, roads and services for special population groups
Growth brings both benefits and demands to a community. If the growth of housing outpaces the updating and capacity of existing infrastructure, the needs of both the impacts on existing infrastructure and the need for new infrastructure.

Providing for adequate commercial and manufacturing/office opportunities to service the consumer and employment needs of the citizens, while not evolving into a sprawling "Monroeville-type" community
The ability of the Township to provide both quality job opportunities and necessary consumer choices for its residents is met through the provision of adequate amount of trends of other suburban areas with major transportation corridors.

Providing for effective enforcement of community codes and inspections to protect public health and safety, protect property values insure a better neighborhoods
Residents and property owners who invest and care for their properties deserve through providing adequate resources in the enforcement of these important codes. Particular challenge and focus is needed within the Route 30 corridor, the "window" to our community.

Overall Land Use and Growth Goals –

These Land Use Goals incorporate the many goals and objectives expressed throughout this plan into a clear, concise listing of items that need to be incorporated into the future land use map and land regulations. The focus of the goals is to clearly address the trends and issues, values and challenges and visions for the future development of the Township.
1. Update Township Land Use Ordinances new Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

2. Manage housing growth. Managed growth means guiding growth in relation to the Township’s character and future vision and its capacities in terms of the timing and location of development. Managed growth also means that all development decisions will be made in concert with the land's natural carrying capacity, the Township's ability to financially support development through the provision of infrastructure and related community services and facilities and the Township's desire and need for additional growth. Finally, managed growth sustains the natural environment through environmental responsible review measures for all plans to sustain our valuable natural resources for future generations while at the same time fostering economic growth for the community. Based upon trends of slower growth periods, and rapid growth periods, a sustainable level of housing growth would be a benchmark goal of 80-90 new units per year, with variance depending upon the nature of those units.

3. Plan and coordinate infrastructure with development. New infrastructure and new public services will be planned in direct relationship to the managed growth policy above. Any new infrastructure and/or new public services deemed necessary during this plan's projected time frame will be analyzed, studied and considered for the Township’s Capital Improvements Program relative to a managed growth policy. Planning coordination shall also be done with the sewer and water authorities to assure consistency with the managed growth goal.

4. Make land use decisions based on the Comprehensive Plan tenants of the Managed Growth Goal.

5. Transition and buffer land uses. Ordinance

6. Manage new commercial development. It is understood that increases in the population in the Township increase the market for new businesses. The viability of the Township’s existing businesses are of prime importance. It is the desire of the Township to focus new commercial development opportunities toward the provision of adequate numbers of businesses serving the local market area of the Township, with particular focus on re-use of existing vacant business properties. Avoid the development of larger-scale regionally based shopping complexes, except where these facilities would be accompanied by adequate infrastructure to support demand and be designed of a nature to not adversely affect community character

7. Neighborhood enhancement. Protect the integrity, livability, and character of community development funds.

8. Meet Special Housing Demands and Environmental Preservation Measures : Provide for viable cluster with the "Growing Greener" initiatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

9. Proper mix of land uses preservation of open spaces within the context of any new developments.

10. Quality housing quality housing opportunities and choices within the Township for its residents.

11. Economic and Job Growth unduly burdening existing residents

12. Transportation Improvements Transportation Plan processes and political leaders. Establish criteria for the V-A of the Municipalities Planning Code.

Regionalism/Decisions made by neighboring communities, the county, and
We exist within a regional environment, being part of the Pittsburgh SMSA. Decisions made on a regional level invariably affect all components of the region, in one way or effects on North Huntingdon.

The National Market and the Economy
Development decisions are often made on a macro-level, in terms of the national economy. A simple increase in the prime lending rate can jeopardize the economic viability of a large-scale development project or the ability of a young family to obtain a mortgage to buy a house. Both of these scenarios can impact North Huntingdon and its development trends. Over the last 10 years, with minor exception the economy has been robust in this region (especially compared to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s), and has increased development and investment. Changes in the national and regional economy can and will have impacts on the rate of development in the future.

Demographics
The existing population of the Township is another limitation. The Township basically 1980’s as many left the area to seek employment elsewhere. This left the Township with an increased percentage of persons in older age cohort groups, with different demands for housing and social services. The Township continues to see migration of persons ages 18-24 at an alarming rate due to the lack of employment opportunities in the area. These demographic trends, both past and current, will affect future needs within the Township and will only be altered through in-migration from persons to the Township.

Utility Expansion and Development Patterns outside the Township
Development patterns are heavily influenced by the expansion of utility service to an area. The impacts of this development do not stop at municipal boundaries. Neighboring by potential residents of Sewickley access key transportation corridors.

State Transportation Improvements/or lack thereof
Most of the major collector roads located within the Township are currently state roads. These roads have also had substantial impacts over the last several years as previously undeveloped areas have been converted to more dense housing plans directly or indirectly utilizing these state highways for access to other transportation corridors. The status of these state highways are generally lower than the major state highways in terms of maintenance and upgrades. There are also limitations to major widening projects to the presence of many homes directly abutting the right-of-way. Furthermore, criteria for the issuance of highway occupancy permits is directly controlled by Penn  

Legal Issues, including codes and case law
Any potential changes to land use regulations must be in complete compliance with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Code and any case law established by recent court decisions. This limitation is proper, but it hinders, in some cases, the ability to effectively address concerns of the Township. For example, in order to impose exaction’s to developers on traffic impacts the Township must follow procedures of Article V-A of the MPC. This process itself can mean an initial commitment of a $100,000 to perform the necessary planning studies. The township can initiate new and creative measures to effectively tackle complex planning issues, but must be prepared to defend their use and legality if challenged by a developer.

Performance Zoning
North Huntingdon has a limited performance zoning provision in its current zoning  
Unlike traditional zoning, performance zoning relies on a more specific list of quantifiable criteria which must be met by any proposed use. Standards may involve traffic generation and transportation improvements , the amount of prime farmland or other natural resources to be left undeveloped, or the allocation of required recreational and open space. Typically, however, performance zoning is used to regulate the impact of development on the natural environment by permitting a full range of dwelling unit types so long as three primary performance criteria are met
1. Natural Resource Protection;
2. Open Space Ratio, and;
3. Impervious Surface Ratio.
Conventional zoning regulations normally specify a minimum permitted lot size for each in open uses within a development. This can apply to a housing plan through the provision of parkland and to a commercial plan through the provision of landscaped areas or plazas.
The impervious area ratio specifies the maximum percentage of a tract that may be covered with surfaces that do not absorb water (e.g. buildings, parking areas, driveways, roads, sidewalks, and any other areas in concrete, asphalt, or other materials that do not allow water to soak into the ground). This permits a wide range of dwelling types making it possible to accommodate the maximum number of dwelling units allowed by the zoning classification while meeting the natural resource protection requirements. It also allows a developer to respond quickly to changes in market conditions without obtaining a zoning change (to allow townhouses, for example). Although the performance zoning concept advocates that the complete range of dwelling types be permitted in all residential districts, in practice, some municipalities have used an abbreviated list. The performance zoning concept is usually implemented in a zoning ordinance as a permitted use in various residential districts. This is generally called a performance standard subdivision.

Performance zoning works best in planned residential and commercial developments where the "big picture" may be more important than specific zoning zoning ordinance.

Overlay Zones
Using this technique, a set of zoning requirements that is described in the ordinance text and is mapped is imposed in addition to (1) Environmentally Sensitive Overlay: Includes Slopes greater than 25%; floodplains; wetlands, poor soil areas and undermined areas with insufficient cover
(2) Commercial Transition Overlay majority of commercial uses
(3) Route 30 Corridor Overlay: Development directly abutting US Route 30

Clustering
In a cluster development, dwelling units are grouped on certain portions of a site and other  

Web Site updated 5/2/11