Centre Regional Planning Commission 2006 Annual Report

Centre Region Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan

In 2006, the Centre Regional Planning Agency (CRPA) staff worked with the Centre Region mu- nicipalities and the Ad Hoc Act 537 Committee to develop a consensus on an updated Regional Sewage Facilities Plan. This Plan was adopted by the six Centre Region municipalities in October 2006.

The 2006 Centre Region Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan includes an updated Regional Growth Boundary/Sewer Service Area (RGB/SSA). Five new properties were added to the RGB/SSA in the 2006 Act 537 Update. During the preparation of this Plan, the Region’s municipalities also reached consensus on an Implementation Agreement which provides a process for considering future requests to expand the RGB/SSA. The Plan defines these future RGB/SSA expan- sion requests and major rezonings within the RGB/SSA as Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) which require in- Inside: creased regional review. This DRI process will increase in-

termunicipal dialogue on important land use planning issues 2006 Accomplishments 2 in the community. Director’s Message 3

The adopted Centre Region Act 537 Plan has been Stream Buffer Model Ordinance 4 submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environ- Sewage Management Ordinance 4 mental Protection for review and comment. The DEP’s comments on this regional plan are expected by the end of Area Land Use Plans 5 April, 2007. Development Plans Reviewed in 2006 6

2007 Objectives 10 Affordable/Workforce Housing 10

Transportation Activities 11

Who We Are 13

Staff News 13 CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 2

2006 Accomplishments Development Ordinance. This effort also included the evaluation of a Transfer of Development Rights ∗ Worked with the Centre Region municipalities and Program to assist the Township in its open space the Ad Hoc Act 537 Committee to reach consensus preservation efforts. on an updated Sewage Facilities Plan. ∗ Worked with Halfmoon Township to advance a ∗ Developed an Implementation Agreement which Rural Village Zoning District. defines Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) and outlines a regional process for considering fu- ∗ Provided assistance to Harris Township in the re- ture requests to expand the RGB/SSA. view of the Liberty Hill development (formerly the Harpster Farm). This is the largest single develop- ∗ Initiated work on the preparation of Land Use Area ment in the history of Harris Township. Plans for the State College Core and the Eastern Halfmoon/Western Patton Township Areas. ∗ Advanced discussions on a Ridge Overlay Protec- tion District for Harris Township. ∗ Finalized and published marketing materials for the water that will be produced by Phase I of the Benefi- ∗ Completed a rezoning analysis for the Mellott’s Mo- cial Reuse Project. bile Home Park in Patton Township. ∗ ∗ Continued to work with the Technical Advisory Worked with Patton Township to update the Town- Committee and UAJA to provide oversight for the ship’s Agricultural Zoning district to encourage den- construction of Phase IA of the Beneficial Reuse sity for A-1 properties within the RGB/SSA. Project. ∗ Developed a fiscally-constrained Final Draft 2007- ∗ Developed a model on-lot sewage management ordi- 2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), nance and program for consideration by the Re- advertised the TIP for public comment and gion’s municipalities. achieved adoption. ∗ ∗ Continued to participate on a Countywide Afford- Worked with PennDOT to identify projects that able Housing Coalition and Housing Cabinet. will be advanced using funds from the Safety Line Item and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality ∗ Provided staff support to the Centre Regional Plan- (CMAQ) Line Item in the adopted TIP. ning Commission, including the review of regionally significant proposals as required by the PA Munici- ∗ Worked with US Representative Peterson, FHWA palties Planning Code. and PennDOT to establish eligibility for transporta- tion projects near the Penn State University baseball ∗ Provided review comments on the Penns Valley and stadium for funding earmarked in SAFETEA-LU. Nittany Valley Comprehensive Plans, as required by the PA Municipalities Code, focusing on issues ∗ Completed the Final Draft Long Range Transporta- which impact the Centre Region as adjacent munici- tion Plan, conducted a 30-day public comment pe- palities. riod and adopted the new Centre County LRTP. Began work to ensure the LRTP is fully compliant ∗ Coordinated the annual CRPC bus tour for elected with SAFETEA-LU. officials and planning commission members, fo- cused on Penn State’s University Park Campus. ∗ Organized the MPO Performance Review Commit- tee and held several meetings to evaluate the per- ∗ Prepared draft zoning regulations for two new dis- formance of the Countywide MPO. tricts in College Township for the Shiloh Road Area. ∗ Initiated preparation of Phase II of CATA’s Tech- ∗ Prepared and presented a Landscape and Sidewalk nology Deployment Plan. Ordinance to College Township. ∗ Participated in the final activities associated with the ∗ Provided assistance to Halfmoon Township in the completion and opening of a section of the Belle- preparation of a draft Traditional Neighborhood fonte Central Rail Trail. CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 3

Director’s Message

On behalf of the Centre Regional Planning Agency, I am proud to present our Annual Report for the 2006 calendar year. During 2006, the Centre Region municipalities achieved a number of re- gional planning milestones. Our community reached consensus on a Sewage Facilities Plan, which produced an updated Regional Growth Boundary/Sewer Service Area (RGB/SSA). The Imple- mentation Agreement resulting from this planning effort defines Developments of Regional Impact and will ensure increased re- gional dialogue on land use planning issues. This increased re- gional coordination will only strengthen our local growth manage- CRPC Bus Tour to Penn State — May 4, 2006 ment efforts, and will serve as a model for other areas of Pennsyl- vania. In the early phases of preparing this Plan, many doubted the possibility of six municipalities agreeing to a regionally consistent growth boundary for the community. The cooperation and leadership provided by our elected officials on this project illustrates once again the effectiveness of the Centre Region COG in addressing regional challenges. The community successfully advanced several other important planning efforts during the past year as well. Construction on the next phase of the Beneficial Reuse project was initiated in 2006. The ultra pure water generated through the Beneficial Reuse Pro- ject will initially be used for irrigation purposes by Fall of 2007. Progress was made on a model stream corridor protection ordi- nance to ensure the protection of our community’s important stream buffer areas. And work began on two important Area Land Use Plans, which will produce detailed land use plans for these important locations, and ensure that future land use plan- 2006 CRPC ning is coordinated with infrastructure, transportation and com- munity design issues. From a transportation standpoint, the Cen- tre County MPO completed an updated Long Range Transportation Plan, and an important section of the Belle- fonte Central Rail Trail was opened to the community in 2006. And several Centre Region municipalities began to evaluate approaches to address the affordable housing challenges faced by our community.

None of these accomplishments would be possible without the continued support of our local elected officials and planning commission members. The Centre Region COG is widely viewed as a model for intergovernmental coop- eration in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The success achieved by our community during the past year is the result of regional cooperation, and the hard work and dedication of our appointed and elected officials. As your professional staff, we thank you for the time you dedicate to public service and for the work you completed on re- gional planning initiatives during the past year. We look forward to working with you in 2007 as we continue to chart a future course for our community. Bob Crum CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 4

Stream Buffer Model Ordinance

The CRPA staff began work in 2006 to prepare a model ordinance to protect the Region’s riparian stream corridor areas. An Ad Hoc Stream Buffer Committee was formed to provide oversight for this effort, and to provide a rec- ommendation to the Region’s municipalities on a model stream buffer ordi- nance. To begin discussions on this topic, CRPA staff developed the first draft of a model ordinance, a white paper describing the benefits of stream buffers, a list of Frequently Asked Questions on this topic and an Executive Summary of the Model Ordinance. Staff also organized a bus tour in November to visit ex- amples of riparian buffer improvement and restoration projects in the Centre Region. This trip served to educate participants on the importance of stream buffers.

The Ad Hoc Committee will continue to meet in 2007, with a model ordinance expected to be ready for review by Summer 2007.

Riparian Buffer Bus Tour

Sewage Management Ordinance

The Centre Region Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan Update recommends the implementation of a Region-wide on-lot sewage management program. This program requires preventive maintenance for on-lot sewage disposal systems to increase the life expectancies of these systems. Highlights of the program include requirements for septic tank pump- ing, and regular inspections of the on-lot systems. CRPA staff has worked closely with the Region’s municipalities, sewage enforcement officers, the University Area Joint Authority and COG Public Services Committee to develop a program that will meet State requirements for maintenance of on-lot systems. The first phase of tank pumping for this program is expected to begin in Summer 2007. CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 5

Area Land Use Plans

In 2006, the CRPA staff began work on two Area Land Use Plans. The goals of these planning efforts are to provide detailed land use plans for strategic areas of the community, coordinate future land use planning with transporta- tion, infrastructure and public utilities, address community design issues and promote dialogue and consensus building on intermunicipal land use issues.

The two areas currently under study are the State College Core Area (which includes portions of College and Fer- guson Townships) and the Eastern Halfmoon/Western Patton Township Areas. Steering Committees have been formed for each of these Plans to provide input to and guide these land use planning efforts. In 2006, each Steering Committee identified challenges and opportunities for their re- spective study areas, and received a series of presentations from guest speakers to collect background information for these areas. In 2007, the Steering Committees will focus on the preparation of future land use sce- narios for these Area Plans.

State College Core Area Plan Study Area

Halfmoon/Patton Area Plan Study Area CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 6 Development Plans Reviewed in 2006

# Dwelling Units/ Name of Development Type Square Feet College Township AAA—State College Office Expansion (LD) 5,000 square feet Centre County Paws Kennel (LD) 14,000 square feet Centre Hills Villas Multi-family (LD) 12 dwelling units Christ Community Church Church (LD) 55,500 square feet Cingular Pennsylvania, LLC Land Development 3,660 square feet College Township Public Works Storage/Parking (LD) 18,016 square feet Cheston Esber Single Family (S) 2 lots Fieldstone Phase 1 Single Family (S) 25 lots Fieldstone Phase 2 Single Family (S) 21 lots Innovation Park Phase B-1 South Land Development 65,745 square feet J.C. Ehrlich Company, Inc. Business (LD) 5,120 square feet Kunes at Commercial Blvd. Office (LD) 5,000 square feet Leitzell/Grove Lot 2R, 7 Subdivision 1 dwelling unit Maxwell Construction Constructiop Storage (LD) 26,642 sq ft Mount Nittany Medical Center Subdivision 58,4000 square feet Penn State Dickinson Law School Land Development 114,567 square feet Penn State Medlar Field Parking Lot (LD) 2.80 acres Penn State Student Parking Parking Lot (LD) 176,418 square feet The Summit at Shiloh Condominiums (LD) 75 dwelling units Wambold Subdivision Single Family (LD) 6 dwelling units

Patton Township Ambleside Park Land Development 7.14 acres Bauchspies and Coyle Subdivision 2 Lots Circleville Park, Phase 1B Park (LD) 37.70 acres Douglas Collins Replot (S) 1 lot Fifth Avenue Duplex Addition Addition (LD) 2 lots Fulton Bank Land Development 65,000 square feet Joshua Glantz Lot Consolidation 1 lot Paul Glantz Replot (S) 2 dwelling units Gray Buffalo General Partnership Replot (S) 2 lots Gray's Woods Phase 3, Sect. A Single Family (S) 49 lots Hope for Kids Office/Daycare (LD) 315 square feet Premiere Theatre Theatre (LD) 26,162 square feet

Land Development = LD Shoppes at North Atherton Commercial (LD) 15,000 square feet Spring Hollow Kennels Land Development kennel Subdivision = S Village at Penn State Varsity Hollow Duplex (LD) 20 dwelling units Wooded Hills Single Family (S) 25 lots CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 7

# Dwelling Units/ Name of Development Type Square Feet State College Borough 130 N. Barnard Street Residential (LD) 21 dwelling units Beta Theta Pi Fraternity (LD) 495 sq ft addition Ceramic Arts Building Business (LD) 2,431 sq ft addition Holy Trinity Orthodox Church Land Development 1,008 sq ft addition McDonald's East College Ave. Land Development 6,369 sq ft addition Paul and Tony's Stereo Land Development 3,726 square feet PNC Bank Land Development 250 sq ft elevator tower Penn State ARL Parking Lot Land Development 7 spaces parking lot Penn State Borland Laboratory Land Development 1,440 sq ft addition Penn State Graduate Circle Land Development parking lot Penn State Health/Counseling Services Land Development 63,318 square feet Radio Park Elementary Land Development 2,385 sq ft addition Varenelli Replot/Resubdivision Subdivision 2 Lots

Harris Township Aikens Recreational Park, Phase I Land Development 6 cabins Bachman Site Plan 1 dwelling unit Elksview Townhomes Land Development 50 dwelling units Janis Fisher Site Plan change of use _ Hanlen/Yocum Replot (S) 1 dwelling unit Hawk Ridge Subdivision 14 Lots Liberty Hill PRD Master Plan 282 dwelling units Liberty Hill Lot Consolidation Consolidation 1 Lot Liberty Hill, Phase I Land Development 75 dwelling units Liberty Hill, Phase II Land Development 143 dwelling units Liberty Hill, Phase III Land Development 64 dwelling units Stephen D. Hogan Subdivision 3 Lots Mallouk Subdivision 2 Lots McClintic Replot (S) —-

Land Development = LD E.J. Oelbermann Subdivision 1 Lot

Subdivision = S Ronald & Barbara Pifer Subdivision 1 Lot Swabb Lot Addition Replot 2 Lots Tanitsky Subdivision 2 Lots CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 8

# Dwelling Units/ Name of Development Type Square Feet Ferguson Township DeMicco Subdivision Duplex (S) 2 dwelling units Galen E. Dreibelbis Consolidation 1 lot Foxpointe Phase 7 Single Family (S) 11 lots Foxpointe Phase 8 Single Family (S) 13 lots Free Methodist Church Replot (S) 1 lot Goddard School Land Development 8,068 square feet Greenleaf Lot 21R Dental (LD) 3,676 square feet Marlin & Nevin Guiser Single Family (S) 2 lots Heywood/Ulbrecht Horse Riding (LD) 20,753 square feet Hunter's Chase Phase 7 Single Family (S) 19 lots Lexington Place Replot (S) 15 lots Minitab Natatorium Land Development 8,725 square feet Myers Subdivision Subdivision 2 Lots Oakshire Corporate Center Offices (LD) 14,135 square feet Smith/Juba Replot (S) 2 lots Tax Parcel 24-433-27A, 27B Medical/Dental (S) 2 lots The Landings Phase 5 Single Family (S) 29 lots Thistlewood Lot 10 Land Development 1 lot Thistlewood Lot 20 Land Development 1 lot Young Scholars of Central PA School (LD) 18,145 square feet Zimmerman Replot Replot (S) 2 Lots

Halfmoon Township David Beppler Replot (S) 1 lot Richarch Graham Phase III Subdivision 3 Lots Orchard Manor Single Family (S) 9 lots Tricore LLC Subdivision 8 Lots Trotter Farms Phases 3 & 4 Single Family (S) 20 lots Donna L. Vaux Lot 1R Subdivision 1 lot

Land Development Subdivision/Lot Con‐ Municipality Plans solidations College Township 15 5 Ferguson Township 8 13 Land Development = LD Halfmoon Township 0 6

Subdivision = S Harris Township 8 9 Patton Township 9 7 State College Borough 12 1 Centre Region 52 41 CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 9 CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 10

2007 Objectives

Major regional work tasks for the CRPA in 2007 include the following: ♦ Work with the Centre Region municipalities to address DEP comments on the Centre Region Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan ♦ Facilitate the regional review of Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Applications ♦ Continue work on the State College Core and Halfmoon/Patton Land Area Plans ♦ Develop a model Stream Corridor Buffer Ordinance ♦ Complete the Phase I Inventory work for the Regional Open Space Plan ♦ Continue efforts to market the Beneficial Reuse Water and coordinate the advancement of Phase IA of this project ♦ Work with the Region’s municipalities to implement a Re- gional Sewage Management Program ♦ Participate on the County Affordable Housing Coalition and Cabinet.

Affordable/Workforce Housing

During the past few years, the issue of affordable housing has received increased attention in the com- munity. In 2006, CRPA staff continued to work with the Centre County Affordable Housing Coalition and the Housing Cabinet to: * Provide information and raise awareness about the need for, benefits of, and best practices in affordable housing * Forge partnerships to broaden the base of support for affordable housing; and * Coordinate public, private and non-profit housing programs to better serve low and moderate income residents In 2006, CRPA staff worked with the Affordable Housing Coalition to develop the “Homes within Reach Toolkit,” which provides a wide range of information to municipal officials on the issue of affordable housing. CRPA staff also prepared a Workforce Housing Datasheet, which illustrates the issues facing new home buyers in the market for moderately priced housing in the Centre Region. In addition, CRPA staff’s work with the Workforce Housing Subcommittee of the Affordable Housing Coalition is focused on the issue of employer assisted housing, which will target large employers in the area who may be interested in enhancing their recruitment and retention efforts by providing down payment assistance to employees. Page 11 CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Transportation Activities

Long Range Transportation Plan — The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) considers technical and policy planning issues, identifies transpo- ration planning needs within the community and outlines projects/programs to meet these needs. Projects and programs in the LRTP are implemented through the TIP. A significant amount of staff time was dedicated to the up- date of the Centre County MPO’s LRTP in 2006. In early 2006, staff continued refining the Candidate Project List for the new Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The CCMPO agreed to consider revisions to the rank of several projects. A subcommittee of the Co- ordinating Committee was formed to prepare recommendations about the re- ranking of projects and these recommendations were reviewed in May. Sev- eral adjustments in project rank were agreed to and the final draft project list was approved. A draft LRTP document was circulated to the CCMPO committees in mid-July, and approval was granted to advertise the required 30-day public comment period. Input was provided and staff made several recommendations to address these comments. The Coordinating Committee accepted the recommendations and adopted the new LRTP 2030 at its September 26 meeting. The adopted plan was circulated to MPO offi- cials and municipalities in late November and early December. Work will continue on the new plan into 2007 to make revisions that will ensure that the LRTP is in full compliance with the requirements of SAFETEA-LU and new federal transportation planning regulations. Transportation Improvement Program — Federal regulations require all MPOs to adopt a Transporta- tion Improvement Program (TIP) which lists projects approved by the local MPO for Federal and State fund- ing. The TIP is the document which allocates State and Federal funds to implement the LRTP. Staff prepared a preliminary draft FY 2007-2010 TIP for submission to PennDOT in January 2006. PennDOT’s response was received in May, and was subsequently reviewed by the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organizatin (CCMPO) Coordinating Committee. The Coordinating Committee approved a Final Draft TIP for the required 30-day public comment period. An air quality conformity analysis of the Final Draft TIP and project list for the new LRTP was com- pleted in mid-June. A 30-day public comment period was initiated on June 19 and concluded on July 19. On July 25, the MPO Coordinating Committee adopted the 2007-2010 Centre County TIP, which be- came effective on October 1, 2006. Countywide MPO Performance Review — In November 2003, the Coordinating Committee approved the expansion of the MPO to a countywide organization. The approved proposal in- cluded a requirement to complete a performance review intended to evaluate the effectiveness of the countywide MPO, and to address representation, staffing, and budget issues. In summer 2006, the CCMPO formed a subcommittee of seven Coordinating Committee members to oversee the completion of the performance review. The Performance Review Committee held three meetings in 2006. Staff prepared background materials, organized meetings, and provided support to the Performance Re- view Committee, which identified issues to be addressed in the per- formance review, reviewed materials that could be used for education and outreach, and initiated work on the preparation of bylaws and alternative membership structures. CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 12

A section of the Bellefonte Central Rail Trail opened in Spring 2006.

The Centre Region CENTRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Page 13

Who We Are

The Centre Regional Planning Agency (CRPA) provides comprehensive planning 2006 CRPC Members: assistance to six Centre Region municipalities and staff support to the Centre Re- Ron Buckalew, Chair gional Planning Commission (CRPC) The agency employs a full time staff com- Harris Township prised of a Planning Director, eight Senior Planners, and an Administrative Assis- Ralph Wheland, V-Chair tant. It is functionally organized to provide regional, local, and transportation planning services. Each of these planning services are closely coordinated to en- Ferguson Township sure a comprehensive approach to the Centre Region’s planning challenges. Bill Ryan State College Borough ♦ Regional planning services involve the preparation of the regional compre- hensive plan, and special studies and planning activities related to sewer, wa- Bob Eberhart ter, land use, open space, recreation, environmental, public service or trans- Halfmoon Township portation issues. The CRPA also monitors demographic and development Janet Sulzer trends within the community. College Township ♦ Local planning services involve the provision of staff support to individual Don Epp municipalities to address local planning issues. These services include the Patton Township review of subdivision and land development plans, preparation of ordinances Doug Wenger and regulations to implement the regional comprehensive plan, and special studies related to specific issues or areas within a Penn State University municipality.

♦ Transportation planning services, while conducted under the auspices of the CCMPO, consist of develop- ment and maintenance of the long-range transportation plan, and coordinating a transportation improve- ment program (TIP) that directs transportation funds to projects over a four-year period. While many im- provements involve roadways, extensive work also occurs in coordinating other modes of travel, including bicycle, pedestrian, and bus transit. Staff also actively participates in transportation studies that are imple- mented by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT).

CRPA Staff Staff News ♦ Robert Crum, Director ♦ Sebastian DeGregorio, AICP, Senior Planner Regional/Halfmoon Township ♦ Welcome! Lee Slusser began employment with the CRPA in Feb- ruary, 2006. Lee comes from Blair County, where he served as ♦ Sarah Harpster, Staff Assistant Assistant Director of Long Range Planning. Lee holds a Masters ♦ Mark Holdren, AICP, Senior Planner, Degree in City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State Univer- College Township sity. ♦ Greg Kausch, Senior Planner, Transportation ♦ Sarah Harpster began work as CRPA’s Staff Assistant ♦ D. J. Liggett, Senior Planner, Regional/Harris Welcome! Township in April. Sarah previously worked for the State College Area ♦ Trish Meek, AICP, Senior Planner, School District. Transportation ♦ Welcome! Greg Kausch started as CRPA’s Transit Planner in ♦ Lori Shingler, Administrative Assistant August. Greg comes from the Beaver County Transit Authority, ♦ Lee Slusser, AICP, Senior Planner, where he served as Manager of Planning and Service Quality. Patton Township ♦ Congratulations to Mark Holdren for achieving his AICP standing ♦ Eric Vorwald, AICP, Senior Planner, Regional in November, 2006! ♦ Tom Zilla, AICP, Senior Planner, ♦ Congratulations to Lee and Jen Slusser on the birth of their Transportation daughter, Andrea, in December, 2006!