COMPREHENSIVE COl4"rrY IEVEIIIPMEXT PM Herrick Township Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania 1982 The preparation of this report was financed in part through a planning grant from the Department of Community Affairs under the provisions of Act 5A approved July I,1981, as administered by the Bureau of Planning, Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs. Prepared by : 1c%rlene If. Pawlowski, AICP Planning Consultant 100 S . Pennsylvania Blvd. Building #26 Wilkes-Berre, PA 18702 In cooperation with the Herrick Township Planning Commission TABLE OF CONmTS Page TNTRODUCTION -AND SUMMAFtY 1 Section 1 COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 14 Public Opinion Questionnaire Analysis 14 Who Responded? 14 The Opinions of the Public 23 Problems 23 Assets 27 Desires 30 Suggested Actions 34 Goals and Objectives for Planning 37 Section 2 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEEDS 41 Population Analysis 41 Population Changes 41 Selected Population Characteristics 41 Population Age Distribution 41 Households 42 Socio-Economic Analysis 48 Labor Force Status 48 Occupations of Employed Persons 48 Industry of Employed Persons 48 Income for Families and Unrelated Individuals 49 Years of School Completed 49 Mobility 49 Housing Analysis 56 Housing Trends 56 Tenlxe of Year-round Housing 56 Age of Housing Stock 56 Number of Units in Structure 57 . Number of Rooms in Units 57 Persons per Housing Unit 57 Persons per Room 57 Value of Owner-Occupied Units 64 Contract Rent of Renter-Occupied Units 65 Housing Occupancy Status 65 Housing Supply Characteristics: 1982 65 Planning District HousFng as Part of Total Township 67 Year-round and Seasonal Housing by Planning District 68 Condition of Housing Units by Planning District oa Existing Land Use Analysis 76 Types of Land Use 76 Land Use Patterns 77 Topographic and Soils Analysis 80 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Section 3 STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT 83 Population and Housing Projections 83 Net Natural Increase in Population 83 1970 Population 83 1980 Population a4 1990 Population a4 2000 Population a4 Trends in Households a4 Trends in Housing Units a4 Housing Projections 85 Additional Housing Units Required 85 Housing Plan 92 Conservation, Rehabilitation and Demolition 92 Land Use Plan 93 0 Types of Land Use 93 Community Facilities and Roads 95 Section 4 CARRYING OUT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 103 Methods of Management and Implementation 103 Adoption and Amendment o:f the Plan Official Map Council of Governments Zoning Ordinance Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance Buildlng Code and Other Related Codes Capital Improvements Program Fiscal Analysis and Capital Improvements Program Introduction Fiscal Analysis General Fund Receipts Grants and Gifts Expenditures for Governmental Operations Capital Expenditures Fiscal Projections Projected Receipts for Governmental Operations and Capital Items 120 Projected Grants and Gifts 123 Projected Expenditures for Governmental Operations 125 Projected Surplus for Capital Expenditures 126 Proposed Capital Improvements 129 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Age of Respondents by Ty-pe of Residency 16 2 Geder -of Respondent 16 3 Marital Status of Respondent 17 4 Owners of Rental Property I? 5 Place of Work of Respondent 18 6 Type of Residency of Respondent 20 7 Native year-round Residents 20 8 Previous Residence of Year-round Non-natives 21 9 Reasons of Non-natives for Becoming Year-round Residents 22 10 Problems of Herrick Township 24 11 Assets of Herrick Township 28 12 Things Respondents-Want to Happen in Herrick Township in Next Five to Ten Years 31 13 Suggested Actions to Solve Problems and Preserve Assets 35 14 Population Trends: 1960, 1970 and 1980 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 43 15 Selected Population Characteristics: 1970 and 1980 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 43 16 Population Age Distribution: 1970 and 1980 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 44 17 Selected Living Characteristics Herrick Township and Selected Areas 45 18 Persons in Household and Houseifold Type: 1980 Herrick Township and Susquehanna County 45 19 Persons by Household Type and Relationship: 1980 Herrick Township and Susquehanna County 46 20 Household Type and Relationship of Persons 65 Years and Over: 1980 Herrick Township and Susquehanna County 46 21' Household Type and Relationship of Persons Under 18 Yearsr.1980 Herrick Tomship and Susquehanna County 47 22 Labor Force Status of Persons by Sex, 16 Years Old and Over: 1970 and 1980; Herrick Township and Selected Areas 50 23 Occupation of Employed Persons 16 Years Old and Over Herrick Township and Selected Areas 51 24 Industry of Employed Persons 16 Years Old and Over Herrick Township and Selected Areas 52 25 Income for F'amilies and Unrelated Individuals Herrick Township and Selected Areas 53 LIST OF TABLES (continued) Table Page 26 Years of School Completed by Persons 25 Years Old and Over Herrick Township and Selected Areas 54. 27 Residence Five Years Earlier of Persons 5 Years Old and Over Herrick Township and Selected Areas 55 28 Housing Unit Trends: 1960, 1970 and 1980 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 58 29 Percent of Year-round Housing Units by Tenure Herrick Township and Selected Areas 58 30 Date of Construction of Year-round Housing Units Herrick Township and Selected Areas 59 31 Year-round Units by Number of Units in Structure Herrick Township and Selected Areas 60 32 Year-round Housing Units by Number of Rooms per Unit Herrick Township and Selected Areas 61 33 Occupied Year-round Housing Units by Persons per Unit Herrick Township and Selected Areas 62 34 Occupied Year-round Housing Units by Persons per Room Herrick Township and Selected Areas 63 35 Value of Owner-occupied Units Herrick Township and Selected Areas 69 36 Contract Rent of Renter-occupied Units Herrick Township and Selected Areas 70 37 Housing Supply Occupancy Status Herrick Township and Selected Areas 71 38 Housing Supply Characteristics: 1982, Lowe Lake Area, Lewis Lake Area Herrick Township 72 39 Housing Supply Characteristics: 1982, Northeastern Area Herrick Township 73 40 Housing Supply Characteristics: 1982, Southwestern Area Herrick Township 74 41 Total, Number and Percent of Housing Units and Housing Structures for Planning Districts as Part of Total Township: 1982 Herrick Township 75 42 Year-round and Seasonal Housing Units as Part of Planning Districts: Herrick Township 75 43 Condition of Total Housing Units by Planning District: 1982 Herrick Township 75 44 Existing Land Use: 1982 Herrick Township 79 4s Slope Analysis Herrick Township 81 -iv- LIST OF TABLES (continued) Table Page 46 Number of Births and Deaths: 1960 - 1969 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 86 47 Number of Births and Deaths: 1970 - 1981 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 87 48 Population 'Trends by Net Natural Increase and Mgration: 1960-1980 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 88 49 Population Projections: 1990 and 2000 Herrick Township and Selected Areas 89 50 Number of Households Based on Population Trends and Projections: 1960-2000; Herrick Township 90 51 Number of Housing Units Based on Field Survey and Population Trends and Projections: 1970-2000; Herrick Township 90 52 Housing Projections: 1990 and 2000 Herrick Township 91 53 Estimates of Additional Housing Units Required: 1990 and 2000 Herrick Township 91 54 Proposed Land Use: 1992 Herrick Township 96 55 Public and Semi-Public Facilities Herrick Tomship Area 97 56 Private Commercial and Recreation Facilities Herrick Township Area 98 57 Road Ownership and Characteristics Herrick Township 99 58 Receipts for Governmental Operations and Capital Items by Source Herrick Township 109 59 Grants and Gifts by Source Herrick Township 112 I 60 Expenditures for Governmental Operations by Function Herrick Township 115 I 61 Capital Expenditures by Function Herrick Township 118 62 Projected Receipts for Governmental Operations and Capital Items by Source: Herrick Township 121 63 Projected Grants and Gifts hy Source Herrick Township 124 64 Projected Expenditures for Governmental operations by Function Herrick Township 127 65 Proposed Capital Expenditures by Function Herrick Tomship 130 -V - J LIST OF WS Following page SUSQUEXANNA COUNTY: TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS 13 EXISTING LAND USE 79 GENEZwl sox, MAP on 82 SLOPE ANALYSIS 82 MAJOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES HOUSING AND 92 PROPOSED LAND USE 96 -vi- 8- 4 .) i INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY Introduction Herrick Township is a municipality in Susquehanna County, which is one of five counties in the Northern Tier Region. The others are Bradford, Tioga, Sullivan and Wyoming. In addition, Henick Township, located as it is at the eastern-most boundary of the Northern Tier, is adjacent to Wayne County in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Region. Within Susquehanna County Herrick is one of forty municipalities (13 boroughs and 27 townships). Although Located about midway between the metro- politan areas of Binghamton, New York, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, which are linked by Interstate 81, Herrick Township is a few miles east of this major expressway. It is served directly by Pennsylvania Route 171, an arterial highway which generally parallels the Interstate and which connects the Borough of Forest5City six miles south of Herrick to the Boroughs of Susque- hanna, Great Bend, and Hallstead near Interstate 81 at the New York State line. In its immediate area Herrick is surrounded by Uniondale Borough and Clifford, Gibson, and Ararat Townships in Susquehanna County and by Mount Pleasant Township in Wayne County. Herrick and its larger region are character- ized by dairy farms, vast public and private hunting preserves, and numerous lakes, streams, and wetlands, which serve sportsmen, swimmers, and boaters alike. A unique feature which sets Herrick apart from its neighbors is the Elk Mountain ski area on the northern slope of the North Knob, the mean elevation of which is 2,693 feet. The peak is the highest in the region, and the ski area is the region's major recreational and economic attraction. Elk Mountain in every sense dominates Herrick Township. (See: Susquehanna County map.) Public Opinion Questionnaire Analysis In the spring of 1981 the Board of Supervisors of Herrick Township sent public opinion questionnaires to 1,198 year-round and seasonal residents and non-resident property owners.