More growth in Southwest is inevitable
With the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau taking count of each community's population, community leaders are taking stock of the future of their own communities and what challenges they might have to face in the upcoming years.
Four southern Butler County township and borough leaders have documented what they see coming and what has been done in the past.
Dick Hadley, chairman of the Cranberry Township supervisors this past year, said the community is sustainable with a diverse, yet stable, economy that can weather economic fluctuations.It is a dynamic progressive community where people can live, work, shop, play and enjoy a variety of civic and cultural activities in an environment that embraces diversity, he said."I also see a community that continues its commitment to a professional, accountable and transparent local government that is seen as a leader in excellence in all we do."When Cranberry was recognized in 1998 as the Outstanding Community of the Year by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it was because the elected officials realized the township's first responsibility is to take care of residents and businesses, according to Hadley.And everything else flows from that responsibility."Maintaining a respected local government that protects property values, enhances the quality of life of its residents and promotes an environment for business to flourish is the best thing we can do," Hadley said."That in itself will attract new development that is committed to those same long-term goals and values, or in other words, sustainable growth and development."Hadley is not sure there would be anything the township can do to hinder growth because growth is inevitable in that community."What we could do is hinder sustainable growth and allow the kinds of growth that will not promote the long-term health of this community," he said.Hadley said the township has been on the cutting edge in practicing smart growth management long before it was recognized in the media.The kinds of sustainable development occurring in the township directly result from the decisions the community made five, 10, 15 years ago, he said.The Cranberry Plan, the township's most recently adopted comprehensive plan, prepares for the next two decades to ensure a thriving community in 2030."I often look at Cranberry Township as an organization that has 28,000 plus shareholders who have invested in this organization," Hadley said."As its elected board of directors, we have the obligation to make sure that investment is protected and grows in a consistent and responsible manner."
Mark Vincent, chairman of the Middlesex Township supervisors, said compared to some of neighboring communities to the south and west, Middlesex is still a fairly rural township and, in general, has an older population."Over time, we believe that the township will develop a larger commercial base within the Route 8 and Route 228 corridors," Vincent said."As we finalize some of our infrastructure projects, we also anticipate some of the existing farm lands being sold for housing developments. Younger families moving into these new housing projects will alter our demographics and change the mix of services that the township needs to provide."Land prices in the township are still relatively low, especially when compared to some of the township's neighbors, according to Vincent,"Our infrastructure has not been up to the level of what many businesses or homeowners needed in order to be attracted to the area," said Vincent."The current and last several boards of supervisors have been working steadily toward improving overall infrastructure in the township."One of the biggest problems the township has had with infrastructure was the poor condition of roads, he said.Based on recommendations from a citizens advisory committee, the township has altered the overall township spending mix to include more long-term investments in roads and the associated drainage, bridges and culverts.The township has repaired and resurfaced more miles of roads each year for the past few years than it was able to do in the past, Vincent said. The township also has a road maintenance plan.Two more aspects of the township's infrastructure improvement include the availability of public water and public sewage.The Saxonburg Area Authority was able finish a large public sewage project and get low-cost funding to pay for it in both Middlesex and Penn townships."We currently have two water authorities providing water to certain areas of the township, and we are working with a third authority who may choose to cover some additional unserviced areas. While the sewage required mandatory hookups for some residents, it is our current plan to provide the choice of public water or well water for each resident or business that can be serviced by one of these authorities," Vincent said.Middlesex previously completed a joint comprehensive plan with neighboring Richland Township, Allegheny County.From that plan and other public input, the township has created a better zoning plan and associated ordinances, Vincent said."With citizens' committees help, we have also implemented both traffic and parks and recreation impact fee programs. These programs will help to provide funding sources, other than real estate tax increases on current citizens to remediate both roadway and recreational congestion due to new businesses and homes coming to the area," he said.The impact fee programs include a long-range plan for improving traffic flows and parks facilities as the township becomes more developed.Vincent said the supervisors believe the township's real estate taxes were too high, and they don't want it to dissuade people or businesses from moving here.The supervisors have been able to reduce township real estate taxes each year for four out of the past five years.Vincent said the township now is at a tax level that is attractive, especially in light of the services it provides, including a fire company and a police department.Vincent said there are still a number of issues that could hinder growth that will have to be overcome.Route 228 is still a single lane throughout most of the township. That road needs to be improved as the township grows, he said.The township also is working on expanding optional public water. Water is not yet available throughout the township to everyone who might want it.And because Middlesex is a dry township, meaning it does not allow businesses to sell alcohol, it could have trouble attracting more restaurants or a hotel as the township grows, he said.
Roy Huffman, chairman of Jackson Township supervisors, said he is not qualified to predict the township's future. But, the real question, he said, is "what role will we play in shaping our future?"Western Butler County has been a high growth area for the past 20 years," he said."Jackson Township has not been a strong participant in this growth. It is anticipated that the 2010 census will show our growth being less than 10 percent," he said."From an environmental and location perspective, we are perfectly situated," Huffman said. "We have a great school system, nearby shopping, major road infrastructure, beautiful hilly terrain, and wonderful people. We appear to be ripe for growth."However, Huffman said he has not heard a strong outcry for growth in the community.His perspective is growth is inevitable and the township should do its best to be prepared for it.Huffman said the township needs to focus on business growth along Route 19 and Route 68.It also needs to address the type of residential development that should be built and where to build it."Do we want mostly apartments or do we prefer to focus on single-family dwellings or some balance? From a residential perspective we are at risk of becoming an apartment/townhouse community," Huffman said."I have no issue with apartments and townhouses as long as we maintain a reasonable balance with single-family dwellings."Growth will likely be the driving force in township's future."At this juncture, we have not availed ourselves of the legislative tools available to better manage growth. Based on the actions we have taken to date, I believe that we are at a crossroad and must decide between managed or unmanaged growth," Huffman said."Our previous leaders envisioned Jackson Township being a rural residential community with a healthy mix of commercial activity along our four main business corridors. They envisioned neighborhoods with single-family dwellings.""My vision for Jackson Township is to establish community development objectives that enable us to establish top-class residential communities consisting mostly of single-family dwellings," said Huffman, adding the township also must protect its natural beauty."Each of our new developments should consist of vast open, common space, protecting trees and terrain," Huffman said."We should strive to attract people that want to establish deep roots in our community. From a business perspective, we should attract as many professional service businesses along our Route 19 corridor as possible. The question is what path will we elect to take?"Huffman said he is not advocating promoting growth, but rather advocating being prepared when development comes."Most of our residents are quite content with our current status. This is understandable. Most of our residents realize that we are a candidate for growth," Huffman said."While they might prefer to maintain our tranquil environment, they understand our circumstance. Most know that a major component of community funding is the earned income tax. This means that they realize we need to increase our population if we hope to maintain our service levels."Huffman said what normally hinders community growth is how community ordinances are implemented and a weak infrastructure.Now might be a good time to alter the township's thinking since there are new ideas about development, Huffman said."You read that sprawl is over. Statistics suggest that more people live in cities than at anytime in our history. Economics dictate that people may only be able to afford smaller homes. Yet, everyone continues to desire perpetuating his or her 'entitled' lifestyle.""Should Jackson Township shift to a traditional neighborhood development concept that enables mixing multiple environments into a more disparate community?" Huffman asked."Picture building many smaller Zelienoples, 100 to 200 acres, where you have a friendly, quaint environment, yet can walk to get bread and milk, have a bite to eat, pick up a pizza, pick up your dry cleaning or drop into your local bank."We have great potential to consider this type of development," he said.
Bill Painter, president of the Evans City borough council, said Evans City is a nice small community, which has the potential benefit from expected economic growth in the region.He also believes the borough must make decisions that will foster an environment where people will want to and can afford to live."The borough representatives must be careful stewards and keep mind that they must make decisions in the interest of the citizens and not for the special interest groups," Painter said."When I think of a good place to live, I think of a place with friendly people, social and recreational activities, many job opportunities, a reasonable cost of living, a nice environment and a safe area."Because of that, he said the borough must do a better job of maintaining its key infrastructure such as roads."The borough can make an impact on livability by fostering community and economic development, keeping taxes and fees at affordable levels, fostering community and recreational events and activities, and helping to support a reasonable level of public safety," he said.But difficult choices are going to have to be made as far as personnel, taxation and services provided.The borough has for many years operated at a general deficit if it was not for the transfers from the water and sewer operations.In the long run, this might not be sustainable with increasing cost pressures on water and sewer operations everywhere, Painter said.Joint and/or contracted services with other municipalities, organizations or companies is a desirable way to lessen the tax burden while maintaining a similar level of services.The borough also must strive to run as efficiently as possible, and it must be willing to adapt to changes, he added."In recent years, I believe the borough has done a better job of managing expenses and of projecting revenues and expenditures," Painter said. "Over the past couple years, as witnessed by our yearly audits, the borough's fund balance has improved and is in the recommended range."Painter said the borough has been too reactive and not proactive enough in many situations. Also, at times, the government has been plagued by petty grudges.Often in the past the borough has made changes only when forced by state or federal regulations, and he believes the community would be better served by striving to be more forward thinking.As for the petty grudges, Painter said, "I believe we should be able to disagree, but still communicate with one another and treat each other with respect."
