COALTOWNSHIP NORTHUMBERLANDCOUNTY PENNSYLVANIA

COMPREHENSIVEPLAN

AUGUST, 2003 Table of Contents

I Introduction

I1 Background

A. Regional Influence

B. Topography

C. Local History

D. Existing Land Use

E. Community Facilities & Services

F. Traffic Circulation

111 Statistical Analysis

A. Population & Race

B. Population in Adjacent Municipalities

C. Persons by Age

D. Gender

E. Education

F. Employment & Labor Force

G. Housing Units

IV Goals & Objectives

IV LandUse

IV Housing

IV Economic Development

IV Transportation

IV Community Facilities I. Introduction

This document presents Coal Township's Comprehensive Plan. It was prepared in accordance with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 170 of 1988). By adoption of this Comprehensive Plan by Coal Township's Board of Commissioners, it becomes the official statement prepared by the Planning Commission setting forth Coal Townships policies concerning desirable physical development and redevelopment of the community. The Coal Township Comprehensive Plan is not intended to be a detailed blueprint for community building. Rather the document is a general guide for land use to encourage municipal action to utilize the appropriate use or development of all land in a manner which will promote public health, safety, desirability and efficiency. The Comprehensive Plan supports Coal Township's efforts to foster community and economic growth.

The fundamental purposes that the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan is intended to achieve are as follows:

1. To improve the physical environment of the Township as a setting for human activities - to make it more functional, beautiful, interesting, and efficient. This purpose is in accord with the broad mandate of the Township's Planning Commission in agreement with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.

2. To promote the public interest, the interest of the community at large, rather than the interests of individuals or special groups within the Township. The comprehensive nature of the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan contributes to this purpose, for it facilitates consideration of the relationship of any question to the overall physical development of the entire community. Because the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan is based on facts and studies that attempt to be thorough and impartial, it helps to prevent arbitrary, capricious, and biased actions.

3. To facilitate the democratic determination and implementation of community policies on physical development. The Coal Township Comprehensive Plan is primarily a policy instrument. As such it constitutes a declaration of long-range goals and provides the basis for a program to accomplish the goals. By placing the responsibility for determining the planning policies on the Planning Commission with approval and adoption by the Board of Commissioners and providing an opportunity for citizen participation, the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan facilitates the democratic process.

4. To inject long-range considerations into the determination of short-range actions. In effect, this purpose is intended to achieve coordination through time, to attempt to make sure that today's decision will lead to tomorrow's goal.

6. To provide professional and technical knowledge in the making of decisions concerning the physical development of Coal Township. Through the use of the Township's planning consultant working with the staff, the Planning Commission, and Board of Commissioners in providing research and technical assistance in formulating strategies, this purpose is intended to promote wiser decision-making to achieve informed, constructive government. There is no single agency in Coal Township that has the ability to execute the Cornprehensive Plan. The Coal Township Comprehensive Plan requires community-wide support to ensure implementation. The major technique, however, available to Coal Township for implementation of the Comprehensive Plan is through the Zoning Ordinance and the Township's other land development ordinances. The land development regulations are prepared by the Planning Commission and approved and adopted by the Board of Commissioners.

The Comprehensive Plan provides a framework for the development of the community. The Zoning Ordinance, serving to regulate the use of lands within the community, is conceived to implement the policies of the adopted Coal Township Comprehensive Plan. The Zoning Ordinance gives consideration to its goals and objectives, the character of the Township, the needs ofthe citizens, and the suitability and special nature of particular parts of Coal Township as based upon the findings and policies developed by the Comprehensive Plan. In updating the Zoning Ordinance, the Planning Commission will look to the assumptions, objectives and policies of the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan and seek substantial consistency between the comprehensive plan and the zoning which implements the policies of the comprehensive plan.

Finally the Coal Township Comprehensive Plan will be implemented by the Board of Commissioners, as they make decisions regarding the use of scarce funds. For example, as a decision making tool the Board of Commissioners will seek to ensure that its resources are distributed consistent with the assumptions, objectives, and policies ofthis Comprehensive Plan and further will help to realize its polices which were developed through the public process.

11. Backp-ound

A. Regional Influence

Coal Township is located in Northumberland County in the central region of Pennsylvania. Northumberland County is a generally rural area primarily consisting of farming, light industry and mining. Much of the region is somewhat mountainous and contributes to limited developable land within the County. The County's mining and manufacturing industries, of the late 191h and early 20th centuries, were located primarily in the southeast portion of the County. The discovery of coal in the region in the late 1790's drew heavy coal mining and mining related industries to the area. The mining and industry led to population booms throughout the 191h century. These industries contributed significantly to the arrival of ''company towns" in this portion of the County. Much of the housing in the communities of this region was constructed by local industry to house workers in the area. The housing was hastily constructed from available lumber without attention to luxury or amenities and was not intended to last the 50+ years it has stood. The design and density of the housing units was designed to maximize cost effectiveness and functionality. As these industries tapered off over time they left behind land polluted by coal mining and empty industrial facilities. Young workers and families left with the industries, leaving behind older populations in many of these communities. These older populations often had neither the physical ability nor the income to properly maintain and update their homes. This only contributed to the decline in housing stock throughout the southern areas of the County. The mountainous terrain, state game lands and previously mined lands left many ofthe communities, including Coal Township, with strictly limited abilities to expand and develop new land for new industries.

The southeastern portion of the county now finds itself as a transitional region between Interstate 8 1 to the south and Interstate 80 to the north. The central and northern parts of the County consist of wealthier residents, rich farmland and light industry benefitting from the proximity to Interstate 80. The Interstate 81 corridor to the southeast of the County consists of traffic traveling between the Scranton and Harrisburg regions. State Route 61 is the second most significant automotive and shipping route in the County. It runs southeast to northwest across the County connecting Interstates 80 and 81. Coal Township is located such that Routes 61, 125 and 225 all run through it. The convergence of these roads in and around Coal Township does provide a significant amount of shipping/trucking traffic. It is this traffic and availability to shipping routes that Coal Township must capitalize upon. B. Topography

Coal Township is located in one of the most mountainous regions of the County. It is an area covered in thick forest and dense marshes which is criss-crossed by mountain streams. Coal Township is actually located in what was once a swampy, overgrown tract of land at the convergence of several small mountain streams. Coal Township sits in a valley often referred to as Bear Valley at the southern base of Big Mountain. The valley's defining boundaries are Big Mountain to the north and Mahanoy Mountain to the south. Both mountains stretch east to west essentially the length of Coal Township. Big Mountain reaches heights in excess of 1,400 feet while Mahanoy Mountain exceeds heights of 1,600 and 1,700 feet. Accompanying these heights are fairly steep slopes which make any development and construction practically impossible. These slopes, where not cleared for mining , are covered in dense forest. In addition to the height and steepness of slope of these mountains is the existence of coal and coal mines along their bases. Big Mountain has extensive strip mining and quarries located along it's southern base while Mahanoy Mountain has massive strip mining bordering it's northern base. Stretching north from the base of Mahanoy Mountain is a combination of coal strip mining and hilly, varying terrain. The combination of these factors has essentially "pinned in" Coal Township to the north and south providing narrow strips of developable land to the east and west.

Coal Township is roughly divided in half, southeast to northwest, by Shamokin Creek. Shamokin Creek is susceptible to flooding and floodplain areas are identified on Federal Flood Insurance Maps. Most of the developed area that Shamokin Creek runs through is located in Shamokin City. There is a strip along Route 61 in the Uniontown section of Coal Township that lies within the Shamokin Creek floodplain. There are also several small streams that feed into Shamokin Creek including Furnace Run, Trout Run, Carbon Run, Quaker Run and Coal Run. Furnace Run is the geographic divide between the Edgewood section and Fairview-Ferndale section of Coal Township and does suffer minor swelling. Coal Run comes from the northeast through the Boydtown region of the Township. This stream also suffers minor swelling during heavy rains. Carbon Run comes in from the coal region in the south to meet up with Shamokin Creek in Shamokin City. Carbon Run is much more susceptible to flooding than many of the other streams in the area. It's floodplain can be clearly distinguished on Federal Flood Insurance Maps. Quaker Run flows through Ranshaw and combines with Shamokin Creek on the west side of Ranshaw. Trout Run stems from Reservoir Number 4 in Brush Valley between Big Mountain and Little Mountain. This meets up with Shamokin Creek on the northeast side of the middle portion of Uniontown.

As was mentioned previously, coal mining dominates the terrain throughout Coal Township. While much of the mining is no longer active, the mines remain in a ready condition in case they ever need to be called upon again. In addition to the land being extensively used by the mining industry, the fact that it is also under a reserved status prevents redevelopment. The prevalence of mining throughout Bear Valley doesn't contribute to the desirability of the area and in many cases repels commercial and residential interest. C. Local History

Coal Township is constructed around a route once known as the Old Reading Road which connected Sunbury in the north and Reading in the south. This provided shipping traffic through the area and also created easy access to larger commercial and industrial markets. In 1790, coal was discovered in the region by Isaac Tomlinson. This discovery would later result in the creation of several communities throughout the region. In 1838, the Dansville and Pottsville Railroad was completed through the area. The combination of the Old Reading Road, discovery of coal and the completion of the railroad resulted in a population explosion between 1836 and 1890. Large industries took advantage of the existence of coal and set up mining facilities throughout the valley. Coal could then be shipped via the railroad or locally routed to larger hub locations such as Sunbury and Reading. Mining and industrial workers, usually consisting of young males and immigrant families, surged into the population. Spurned on by the Industrial Revolution the population in Coal Township increased by over 14,000 people in a little over twenty years. Between 1890 and 1950 this population would only increase by another 2,000 people and then begin to decline.

Coal Township had previously been part of Augusta Township, Catawissa Township, Ralpho Township and finally Little Mahoney Township until it's founding in 1837. The original land size of Coal Township was actually significantly larger than it's current state. Upon it's inception, Coal Township also was comprised of what are now the City of Sharnokin, Mount Cannel Township, Cameron Township and Zerbe Township. These municipalities have since split off to create the surrounding communities and, in the case of the City of Shamokin, even created an "island" municipality within Coal Township. The City of Shamokin essentially splits the developed, more urban, sections of Coal Township. The larger ''urban" area lies to the west of the City of Shamokin while the other lies to the east.

In addition to being carved up into separate municipalities, Coal Township is also locally defined into several distinct neighborhoods. These neighborhoods were often originally determined by ethnic groupings located throughout the Township. There are ten neighborhoods located within Coal Township. Some can be more clearly defined within the urban portions of the Township while others are more vague making up a more regional, rural area. These neighborhoods are, from roughly east to west: Excelsior, Ranshaw-Brady, Boydtown, Springfield-Marshalton, Burnside, Fairview, Ferndale, Edgewood, Uniontown(Tharptown) and Bear Valley. Excelsior is located in the southeast section of the Township, near the Township border. It sits near PA State Route 901 along Shamokin Creek. Roughly northwest of Excelsior is Ranshaw-Brady. This neighborhood is found on the western side of the convergence of Routes 6 1 and 90 1. Boydtown lies northwest of Ranshaw-Brady making up the eastern edge of the more densely developed eastern section of Coal Township. Directly west of Boydtown, squeezed between Boydtown and the City of Shamokin, lies Sprinfield-Marshalton. This neighborhood makes up a majority of the eastern "urban1' section of Coal Township. It is also the location of heavier commercial development involving the commercial business strip along State Route 6 1. The Burnside neighborhood is located almost directly south of the City of Shamokin along State Route 125. Burnside sits in an unmined sliver of land between two large coal fields in the southern section of the Township. 0 The Fairview and Ferndale neighborhoods will be described together since they are often referred to as the Fairview-Ferndale section. Fairview-Ferndale make up the densely developed, urban portion of Coal Township, south of Furnace Run. Fairview makes up the norther half of this section while Ferndale makes up the southern half. The Fairview-Ferndale neighborhood contains a bulk of the occupied housing in the Township. Dense housing and light commercial businesses are located throughout this section. 0 North of the Fairview-Ferndale neighborhood, across Furnace Run, lies Edgewood. This neighborhood makes up the northernmost portion of the western, "urban" half of Coal Township. Similar to Fairview-Ferndale, Edgewood is primarily made up of dense housing and light commercial business. 0 North of Edgewood, squeezed between the bends in State Route 61 and Shamokin Creek, sits Uniontown(Tharptown). This area, though somewhat north of the central urban area, is still densely settled and considered an urban area. Much like the Fairview-Ferndale and Edgewood neighborhoods, Uniontown consists of dense residential, mixed use and light commercial business. Bear Valley is a much more vaguely defined, rural region located to the south of Ferndale. Bear Valley Road runs down the center of this "neighborhood" but remains mostly undeveloped with no clearly defined neighborhood boundaries. There is little more than sparse single family housing in this area.

D. Existing Land Use

Coal Township is a community of widely varying land uses. The Township is zoned with everything from coal mining and heavy manufacturing to low density residential and conservation. Much of the zoning plan has existed from a time when the mining and manufacturing within Coal Township was near its peak. With the downturn in the mining and manufacturing industries production areas and large mining regions have become inactive and remain abandoned and empty. While the zoning plan of the past may have been adequate for the economy and industry of that time, it is necessary to reevaluate those plans in order to accommodate the needs of today. Coal Township must reexamine its previous zoning plans to better determine how they fit into the future goals of the community. A better understanding of what exists will help to more easily develop a plan for the future that conforms to a new set of priorities.

Residential Land Use

A majority of the "developed" or urban area of Coal Township is zoned for medium density residential use. These areas are primarily located in the Edgewood, Ferndale-Fairview, Uniontown and Ranshaw-Brady neighborhoods. Much of these zones are densely developed with much older housing units and contain little room for expansion. On the west end of the "developed" portion of the Township, in an area containing the local educational facilities, is a pocket of low density residential land. There is also a trailer park located in Boydtown which straddles Tioga Street between Thomas and Berry Streets. Also located near the periphery of the Boydtown neighborhood, adjacent to the trailer park, is some limited, low density development.

There are other areas of low density residential dispersed throughout the rural regions of the Township with a large area near Uniontown, stretching west along State Route 225, and another north of the Ranshaw-Brady neighborhood. There is some new, single family home construction located in Bear Valley along Bear Valley Road. There are also several areas of proposed residential development most of which is planned along the ruralhrban boundary. Two of the proposed sites are located right across from each other with State Route 2026 acting as the divide. They are positioned just north of PA Route 61 on the east and west side of Route 2026. There is also a proposal to convert some of the land north of Uniontown to residential development. Until recently, much of these areas remained undeveloped due to a lack of demand and a population which couldn't afford new housing construction.

Coal Production & Industrial Land Use

Almost the entire urban area of Coal Township is "boxed in" by conservation and mining land. Coal production directly borders the urban area of Coal Township to the south, west and north which creates the residential "islands" previously described. The gaps between land used for coal mining is filled by conservation land, mostly state game lands. To the south of the Township lies a sliver of land spreading east to west which is a mix of coal production and conservation. Beyond this sliver, to the south, is a large region of land zoned for heavy manufacturing which stretches the length of the urban portion of the Township. There are also small strips of lighter manufacturing located along Big Mountain Road, south of the City of Shamokin, and in Ranshaw-Brady and on the north end of Sprinfield-Marshalton. These zones once worked in coordination with the coal and manufacturing facilities of the region but have since shut down and most remain unused.

Commercial Land Use

Commercial business is sparsely zoned throughout Coal Township with the exception of a large commercial strip located along Route 6 1, in the Springfield-Marshalton neighborhood and a large zone southeast of the Ranshaw-Brady neighborhood. These two areas are the sites for larger warehouse-styley commercial facilities which serve a more regional population. The rest of the Township contains only small, spotty islands of commercial facilities. These mainly consist of neighborhood service style businesses.

E. Community Facilities and Services

Municipalities provide certain facilities and services to local residents and businesses in order to provide a healthy and productive environment. These often include items such as utilities, education, recreation and emergency and health services. The location, efficiency, capacity and status of these facilities and services play vital roles in the fabric of a community. A better understanding of these details helps identify shortcomings within a community that may contribute to low desirability, blight, crime and other negative factors. This analysis can also help prioritize future plans by recognizing benefits which Coal Township may or may not be capable of capitalizing upon.

Schools & Libraries

Coal Township is part of the Shamokin Area School District which includes Shamokin City, Shamokin Township and East Cameron Township. The school district encompasses an area of approximately 70 square miles. The school district consolidated the previous variety of educational facilities into three schools located in an educational 'hodel'. All three of the schools and their associated athletic facilities are located in the same area, neighboring one another, creating this education "node". This site is situated on the western boundary of the urban area of Coal Township, in the Fairview-Ferndale neighborhood. These three schools provide for children in grades K-12. The three schools are Shamokin Elementary School (grades K-5), Shamokin Middle School (grades 6-8) and the Shamokin Area High School (grades 9-1 2). In 2000 the Census recorded 95 students enrolled in kindergarten, 808 enrolled in grades 1 through 8 and 761 in grades 9 through 12. These numbers are quite an improvement from 1990 data. In 1990 there were 1,038 students enrolled in public pre-primary, elementary and high schools. In 2000, however, there were a total of 1,664 students enrolled in public school grades K-12, which is over a 60% increase in enrollment. The Elementary School contains a teaching staff of slightly over 60 members while the High School staff has 44 teachers, 2 counselors and a nurse. All the schools average very reasonable class sizes of less than 20 students per classroom.

Supplementing the public school system is one parochial school for grades 9-12. Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School is also located in the education node just north of the public schools. This school has 276 students enrolled with a 50/50, male/female gender distribution. Class sizes average approximately 17 students per classroom. There are also a variety of parochial and specialty schools in the City of Shamokin which include Northumberland County Child Development Centers Inc., Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit No. 16, Queen of Peace and Transfiguration Catholic School.

Beyond the standard K-12 education, specialized training in education beyond high school is readily available. Located directly south of the public schools is Northumberland County Technical School. This facility provides specialized training in individual vocational programs as well as classes to prepare 12Ih grade students for future college classes.

The Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) has two campuses in the area. In Shamokin, a branch campus of LCCC offers a wide range of studies, many of which lead to Associate Degrees in such fields as business, accounting, education, criminal justice and social services. The campus has grown to over 350 students since opening in 1999. A nursing program is offered in Kulpmont which trains up to 18 students in a two year program of study.

There are other post secondary schools located near Coal Township which include: 0 Empire Beauty School - Shamokin Dam 0 Susquehanna University - Selinsgrove

0 Bloomburg University - Bloomsburg

0 Bucknell University - Lewisburg

0 Lycoming College - Williamsport

0 Pennsylvania College of Technology - Williamsport

The public library which serves Coal Township is actually located in the City of Shamokin. The Shamokin-Coal Township Public Library is a two story, 12,209 sq./ft. facility located at 2 10 East Independence Street in Shamokin. Both floors are almost entirely utilized and though the facility currently has adequate space future expansion is anticipated. They currently house 44,293 volumes of books as well as possessing over 40 subscriptions to a variety of periodicals. The library currently has a staff of nine individuals including support and custodial staff. Of this staff 5 are full-time employees while the other 4 are part-time.

Municipal Building

Coal Township’s municipal building is located at 805 West Lynn Street. This site serves the municipality well due to its central location within the Township. The municipal building was completed in 1982 when it moved from its previous site on Wood Street next to the municipal warehouse. The building is in good condition and does not suffer from any major structural or site problems. The municipal building provides adequate space, excluding some shortcomings within the police department, for the Township’s municipal offices. The lack of adequate space was noted as a significant problem in the last comprehensive plan and has since been resolved. Parking and access to the building were also issues to be addressed in the previous plan which have since been improved. The new location allows for easy access and adequate parking for day-to-day functions within the municipal building. The municipal warehouse is still located on Wood Street and remains basically unchanged since the last comprehensive plan. This structure no longer supplies enough useable storage space. The site is not capable of being expanded upon and a new warehouse location and facility would contribute greatly Township’s needs.

Fire & Rescue ComDanies

The Township of Coal contains 6 Fire Companies and 1 Rescue Company. These companies are: 0 Forest Hill Fire Co. - Trevorton Road 0 Uniontown Fire Co. - Uniontown neighborhood 0 Maine Fire Co. - Edgewood neighborhood 0 Fairview Fire Co - Fairview section of Fairview-Ferndale neighborhood 0 East End Fire Co. - Springfield-Marshalton neighborhood 0 Brady Fire Co. - Ranshaw-Brady neighborhood 0 Rescue Co. - Fairview section of Fairview-Ferndale neighborhood The companies serve Coal Township and have mutual aid response agreements with nearby communities to serve the surrounding rural areas. Municipalities participating in the mutual aid agreement include Shamokin Township, Shamokin City, Mt. Carmel Township, Mt. Carmel Borough, Treverton, Kulpmont, Elysburg, West Cameron Township, East Cameron Township and Herndon. The locations and dispersement of the fire companies are considered adequate and provide reasonable response times to the Township. There is approximately 75 to 100 active volunteers, however, this number has decreased in recent years due to more stringent firefighter requirements and training. Township-wide fire fighting equipment consists of 1 rescue truck, 1 qualified rescue service unit (QRS), 1 man power unit and 6 engines. The fire companies plan on updating to more recent equipment while replacing older equipment. Many of the fire companies had to expand their structures which house the pumper trucks due to the fact that many of the modern vehicles do not fit in the older buildings. Coal Township has tried to anticipate this continued problem by increasing pumper truck facilities to accommodate future vehicles and anticipate the expansion of some existing facilities in the future. One of the significant problems for the fire companies, besides funding and staffing, is a lack of water pressure at some of the hydrants at higher elevations.

Police Protection

The Coal Township Police Department is stationed in the Coal Township Municipal Building. The department consists of 14 full time employees including 1 Chief of Police, 2 detectives, 10 patrolmen and a clerk. This equates to 1.23 officers, not including detectives or penalized population, per 1000 people within the Township. This is slightly above the accepted standard of 1 officer per 1,000 residents. The department has 7 law enforcement vehicles with 6 patrol cars and one SUV. These vehicles are replaced at a rate of one per year. It is reported that the location of the police facility is considered adequate, however, additional storage and secure space during emergencies would be highly beneficial. The police facilities have traditionally been undersized which continues to plague the department today. Expansion of the existing police force is currently not deemed necessary and, therefore, there are currently no plans to increase the size of the existing police force.

Hospitals & Health Care

There is one hospital located within Coal Township. The Shamokin Area Hospital is one of three hospitals that serves the Greater Shamokin area. The other two hospitals are Sunbury Community Hospital and Geisinger Medical Center. Shamokin Area Community Hospital is located on Hospital Road in the Uniontown section of Coal Township. The hospital is a 60-bed facility that offers a variety of services to its patient population including emergency services, mobile advanced life support, intensive cardiac-care unit, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy as well as occupational health, social and geriatric services . The staff includes over 200 personnel with more than 90 physicians of varying medical and surgical specialties as well as a skilled nursing staff.

The Northumberland County Home and Hospital is a County run elderly care facility. It is located on SR-225, Trevorton Road. There are also a variety of health care services located in communities close to Coal Township including nursing homes and health care specialty facilities. Public Water

Coal Township is serviced by Roaring Creek Water Company. The company actually serves parts of three counties including Northumberland, Schuylkill and Columbia. They maintain approximately 1 8,000 connections in their entire service area. Daily production can exceed 4.5 million gallons from 2 large underground reservoirs assisted by 8 booster stations. There is also 10 million gallons stored in 6 storage tanks and an underground reservoir available for treated water. While there isn't any large demand for expansion, improvement upon existing services is a goal of the company. Many water lines are prone to breaking due to age and additional items such as tanks would create a more efficient system. There are also portions of land owned by the water company that are going to be converted into state forest land. One of the areas is a 7000 acre section located in Bear Gap, between Route 54 and Route 42. The other area is located along Route 42 in an easterly direction and consists of about 2000 acres. There is only a small portion of these 9000 acres, however, that is located in Coal Township.

Public Sewers

The public sewer system in Coal Township is managed by the Shamokin-Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority. The Authority's treatment capacity is approximately 7 million gallons per day with average daily use consisting ofroughly 3.5 million gallons. The system contains 3 pumping stations throughout the Township. These pumping stations are located in the Ferndale and Brady neighborhoods as well as one along Trevorton Road. The system does suffer from some rather severe problems with broken lines. Many of the pipes in the system are over 100 years old and are prone to rupturing or do not function efficiently.

Garbage Collection and Recycling Services

Garbage collection programs in Coal Township are run by private contracts with a variety of independent firms. The refuse removal agencies are responsible for collection, disposal and scheduling of garbage removal in the Township. Sanitary landfills within the Township are also privately operated. Recycling is run by the Township and the site is located just to the south of the educational node on the west side of the "urban" area. Recycling is limited to aluminum, bi-metal cans and clear glass. The Township intends on expanding the recycling facility in the near future. Expansion will include a new 12,250 sq./ft. building complete with storage bins, loading docks, bailers and other necessary equipment. Total expansion will cost approximately $1,000,000.

Cemeteries

Coal Township has two large cemeteries located at almost opposite ends of the urban area in the Township. One of these cemeteries is located on the south end of the Springfield-Marshalton neighborhood. This cemetery is actually made up of six separate cemeteries originally defined by ethnicity. These cemeteries include the Jewish, Polish, Ukranian and Lithuanian cemeteries as well as St. Edward's and St. Mary's cemeteries. The other major cemetery, Old Fellow Cemetery, is located on State Route 225 just south of Uniontown. This cemetery is adjacent to the Northumberland County Home and Hospital. Parks & Recreation Facilities

Coal Township currently owns approximately 10.3 acres in recreation and picnic grounds within the urban center of the Township. .This acreage is broken up over 6 parks. These facilities are spread throughout the community, many of which have recently updated playground equipment and sports fields. There are also four quasi-public facilities within the Township. These four facilities add an additional 2 1.29 acres. The total amount of recreation space falls woefully short of the generally accepted standard of approximately 6.25 to 10.5 acres per 1000 residents. Utilizing the 2000 census population data, with adjustments for prison population, Coal Township has a population of 8,967. The total of 3 1.79 acres falls well below the National Park Service standard which would suggest Coal Township maintain a total of roughly 56 to 94 acres. The 6 Township parks and their related improvements are as follows:

NAME LOCATION ' EQUIPMENT Uniontown Playground SE comer of Caroline St./Center St. 1 BB court, multi-purpose field, playground McKinley Playground South side of Arch St. and Locust St. I 1.04 2 tennis courts, BB court, playground

Mulberry St. Playground SE comer of Mulberry St./Maple St. playground

Ferndale Playground SE comer of Nelson St./Ash St. ballfields, playground

~~ ~~ East End Playground East of Hakes St. between SR 61 and 1.021+ BB court, tennis court, Tioga St. playground Ranshaw Playground SW corner of Maple St./Webster St. I 6.15 Multi-purpose hard court, soccer field, playground

The Township also has several quasi-public facilities. These facilities consist of: Bunker Hill-Fire Co. - now been converted to three, large ballfields (approx. 10.5 acres) Lithuanian Club -no longer used as private club, located in Springfield neighborhood (approx. 3.7 acres) Ferndale Sportsman Club - Owned by Coal Township, run by Anthracite Minor Junior Little League, adjacent to Ferndale Playground (approx. 1.2 acres) RCA Grove Picnic Area - Owned by RCA. Wooden pavilion with picnic benches, softball field, playground (approx. 5.89 acres)

Correctional Institutions

Coal Township has two correctional facilities located within its municipal bounds. One is an all male, adult detention center and the other is a juvenile detention center. The State Correction Institute of Coal Township is located just north Uniontown in Brush Valley. The Northwestern Human Services Academy is located in the eastern portion of the Township. The State Correctional Institute of Coal Township is a medium security, adult male correctional institution. It was established in May of 1993 and is located on Kelly Drive just east of Uniontown. The correctional institute is situated in Brush Valley between Big Mountain and Little Mountain in the central northern region of the Township. The facility covers approximately 126 acres and is made up of 15 buildings. Of the 15 buildings 8 are inmate housing structures while the remaining 7 are service oriented structures, such as administration, a utility plant and central control. The facility currently houses roughly 1,800 prisoners which appears to be about 200 more than what was reported in the 2000 census. The prison has a staff of approximately 548 people most of which are full time employees.

The Northwestern Human Services Academy is located just off SR-61 about an eighth of amile from the urban area of Coal Township. The Academy holds a maximum of 240 "students", primarily male, with daily occupancy averaging around 220-225. The site can house up to 18 females in a separate detention facility but rarely reaches maximum capacity. The Academy contains 237 employees of both full time and part time employment. The facility sits on approximately 167 acres of land, some of which remains undeveloped. The facility consists of several barracks, an administration building, a meeting hall and other service related structures. There are plans to expand the developed portion of the Academy within it's existing boundaries in order to accommodate higher "student" occupancy.

F. Traffic Circulation

Traffic circulation includes the movement of people and goods on all major and minor traffic thruways. Balancing a system of efficient streets and roads with safety and convenience to local residents is the goal of a good circulation plan. While streets and roads with inadequate traffic capacity, or in poor condition contribute to circulation problems, a generally ill-designed layout can also be at fault. In addition, higher speed traffic and traffic noise impacting the resident population must be taken into consideration.

Coal Township is situated at the convergence of several State Routes including SR-61, SR-901, SR- 125 and SR-225. The major arterial of these routes is SR-61 which connects 1-80, in the north, to 1-8 1, in the south. This arterial provides access on an inter-regional level and therefore is utilized as a major trucking route. As SR-61 passes through the urban center of Coal Township it becomes more prone to traffic congestion due to merging and exiting traffic. State Route-61 travels from the center of the eastern edge of the Township west to Shamokin City. In Shamokin City SR-61 bends to head north along the Uniontown neighborhood and continues to the cental portion of the northern edge of the Township. The remaining State Routes are minor arterial roads providing transportation of a more intra-regional nature. 0 State Route 901 is located south of SR-61 and bends its way north to meet up with SR-6 1 . These two routes converge at the Springfield-MarshaltodRanshaw-Brady boundary, effectively creating the demarcation line for these two neighborhoods. 0 Heading north from the central portion of the southern border of the Township is SR- 125. This route heads in a northwesterly direction from the southern region of the Township until it meets Carbon Run near the southern section of the urban area of Coal Township. It the follows Carbon Run in a northeasterly direction until it blends into Market Street in Shamokin City. 0 Finally, SR-225 travels from the northern section of the western boundary of Coal Township through Brush Valley towards the urban section of Coal Township. SR- 225 heads south from Brush Valley, through the same pass in Big Mountain the SR- 61 cuts through, to combine with SR-61 just north of the Shamokin City boundary.

These four routes bring a variety of traffic, including heavy shipping or truck traffic, through Coal Township from several different directions.

The rural areas of Coal Township have a scant collection of paved and unpaved roads heading through wooded and mining areas of the Township. Many of the paved roads, such as Bear Valley Road, suffer from varying states of disrepair. These roads, however, are sparsely populated and once acted primarily as access roads to mines and quarries located throughout the Township.

The urban area of Coal Township is generally comprised of narrow, one way streets that were designed at the time the community was a "factory town". These streets were intended for greater foot traffic, smaller vehicles and as a space saving device when the Township was in its infancy. These streets were essentially created by factories, which also provided the dense housing, in order to keep laborers close to work sites or transit locations that would transport workers to their work sites. Neighborhood shops and markets, at that time, also kept people from traveling long distances in order to obtain goods allowing for greater pedestrian traffic. The dense layout ofthe urban setting promoted heavier traffic flow, due to a large number ofpeople living in a relatively small space. The local streets, however, are ill equipped to handle vehicle capacity that a modern day urban environment typically require. There are plans in PennDOT's 12 Year Plan to work on the Cameron Street Bridge. The bridge and its intersections, which lie at the convergence of several major routes, are ill equipped to handle current traffic flow. The project will help increase traffic flow capability and fluidity.

The smaller local streets are complimented by several collector streets distributed throughout the urban setting. These collectors provide access to arterials and shopping areas as well as assisting in longer distance travel within the urban area. Some of these collectors include Center, Walnut, Spruce, Mulberry, Montgomery, Bay, Poplar, Tioga, Shamokin Streets and Pulaski Avenue. These collectors have become inadequate over time as shopping and educational nodes have begun to evolve throughout the Township. Coal Township lacks a sufficient eastlwest collector to support traffic traveling the length of the Township. A combination of the Township's rectilinear design and surrounding terrain limit the options for development. Therefore, the Township must reevaluate existing collectors for expansion. This would assist residents traveling west to the educational "node", where all of the schooling facilities are located, and those traveling east to SR-61 or the commercial centers along SR-61. The major hindrance to a true cross-town collector is the existence of Shamokin City in the middle of the Township. Any development to create such a collector or collectors, one at the north end and one at the south end, would have to involve a coordinated plan with Shamokin City.

Besides undersized local streets and the lack of effective collector streets, the condition of many of the streets is rather poor. Streets heading up to neighborhoods at higher elevations suffer from steep inclines which can be very hazardous in icy or wet conditions. Many of the streets are also in varying states of disrepair with large and/or multiple potholes and cracks. Weather in this area can bring heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures which contribute greatly to a deteriorating roadway system.

Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003

111. Statistical Analysis

In order to plan for future land use, housing and community facility needs, there needs to be a clear picture of the characteristics of Coal Township by reviewing existing data and trends. By analyzing the data and trends it is possible to project the needs of the community and plan and zone land within the community appropriately. This statistical data combined with community input will create a more well conceived view of the future of Coal Township.

The Township of Coal comprises 16,896 acres. Coal Township is a diverse area with sections that are densely settled in a highly urban pattern, villages that are isolated hamlets, and areas that are uninhabitable due to the coal mining that has taken place. The Township lies in the southern section ofNorthumberland County surrounding the City of Shamokin. The Township has the second largest population of all the municipalities in Northumberland County.

Coal Township is made up of three CDPs (Census Designated Places) consisting of Edgewood, Fairview-Ferndale and Marshalton and remaining areas. Edgewood is made up of Census Tract 961 3, Block Groups two, three and part of one. Edgewood constitutes the northern part of the eastern developed portion of the Township. Fairview-Ferndale consists of part of Census Tract 961 2, Block 2 and Census Tract 96 14, Block Groups one, two and three. This CDP is located in the southern half of the eastern developed portion of Coal. Edgewood and Fairview-Ferndale essentially make up a majority of the urban portion of the Township. Marshalton and the remaining area is located in Census Tract 961 2, part of Blocks Groups one, two, three and four. These areas include the more rural, outlying sections of Coal Township.

A. Population and Race

In 2000 the U.S. Census showed that Coal Township had a population of 10,628 people up from 9,922 in 1990. This reflects an increase of 7% in the total population. Marshalton and the remaining area made up a bulk of the population with 5,598 (52.7%) residents. Fairview-Ferndale and Edgewood were pretty close, however, with 2,4 1 1 and 2,619 respectively.

11-1 Decennial Population Counts

Decennial Population Counts

I 9,000 -, 1970 1980 1990 2000

US Census Bureau: Census 2000 1 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003

The population and statistical data was greatly influenced by the Coal Township Correctional Institute (CTCI). There were a total of 1,662 individuals in correctional facilities. Of the 1,662 individuals one was female over age 65. The remaining 1,66 1 were male with only 8 being over age 65.

The population increase, therefore, is largely attributable to the prison population within Coal Township. Removing the 1,661 males housed in correctional facilities results in a population of 8,967. A net decrease in population, between 1990 and 2000, then results in approximately 9.6%. This decrease almost exactly follows the previous ten year decline of 9.7%.

A large minority population in the Coal Township Correctional Institute has brought the minority population of Coal Township to 10.5%. BlacWAfrican American has replaced Asians as the largest minority group. The Black population jumped from the recorded 2 in 1990 to 959 in 2000. Latinos now number 223 persons or 2.1 'YOof the population. Most of the minority & Latino population is located at CTCI. The Marshalton and remaining area CDP, where CTCI is located, witnessed a bulk of this increase. The Black population in this CDP was 950 with 948 located in portions of block groups 1 and 2. Of the 223 Latinos, 2 10 are located in the Marshalton CDP, again with a majority in block groups 1 and 2. A mix of other races made up the remaining 2% of the population in Coal Township.

11-2 Podation bv Race bv CDP BlacWAfrican American Total CDP/Township White alone alone Other Latino any race Fairview-Ferndale 2,393 5 13 3 2.414 Edgewood 2,583 4 32 10 2,629 Marshalton and area 4,530 950 118 210 5,808 Coal 9,506 959 163 223 10,851

B. Population in Adjacent Municipalities

The region where Coal Township is located has witnessed a general reduction in population over the past ten years. Since 1990 many of the communities near Coal have experienced a reduction or a minimal increase in population. As you can see in the chart below, five of the seven municipalities suffered population losses while the total population increase of the remaining two municipalities was only 179 persons.

2 Coal Toivnship Comprehensive Plan, 2003

11-3 Population Change in Adjacent Municipalities, 1990-2000 I I I 2000 Population I 1990 Population I % Change I Kulpmont 2985 3233 -7.67% Mt. Carmel 6390 7 196 - 1 I .20% Shamokin 8009 9184 -12.79% Ralpho 3 764 3625 3.83% Zerbe 202 1 2067 -2.22% E. Cameron 686 646 6.19% I~.cameronI 5171 5271 -1.90%1 US Census Bureau: Census 2000

C. Persons by Age

The median age in Coal Township is 40 years old, which is younger than the previous Census. Approximately 17% of the population is under 18 years of age, a decline from 20% in 1990. (Although compensating for the prison population increases the percentage of persons under age 18 to 2 1%). The largest population group falls between the ages 25 and 54, roughly 43%. There is also a large growth in the older population, particularly between ages 75 to 84 and those over age 85. The elderly segment of the community makes up 21% of the population, which is a slight increase over 20% in 1990. (Again adjusting for the impact of the prison, results in a population where 22% are age 65 or older.) The Township must keep this segment of society in mind as they continue to age. These individuals may need certain services or facilities as time goes on.

11-4 Age of Residents, 1990 and 2000 AGE 1990 2000 Under 5 Years 486 3 60 5 to18 Years 1,495 1,496 18 to 24 Years 803 910

85 years and 247 330

Although the overall population of Coal Township has a net decline, the fact that the population under age 18 increased indicates that the population may be stabilizing. Couples may be settling down and starting families in the area. Families remain in areas with economic opportunity and age in place. The declines of the past have typically been in the young adult and working adult age 3 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003 groups that form families.

D. Gender

Coal Township does not reflect the more typical male/female ratio with females holding a slight majority over males. The male prison population of 1,661 results in an uneven gender distribution. Females only make up 44% of the population while males make up 56%. As can be expected with the presence of a male correctional facility, the male population within the ages 20 to 44 is heavily skewed. If adjustments are made for the male prison population, however, the male population drops to 4,304. The adjusted male population now only makes up 48% with females at 52% which conforms to traditional gender ratios. The previous two Census collections, 1990 and 2000, have provided more balanced statistics on female population than in previous recordings. In the 1980 Census females only made up 35% of the population. Over the last twenty years that number has leveled out due to the increase of families in the region and the reduction of single, male laborers.

E. Education

Educational attainment can often be an indicator as to how well people can obtain and maintain jobs in society. In 2000,69.9% of those individuals 25 or older had a high school degree or higher. This is compared to the county’s 77.8%. Within Coal Township, 9.8% of the 25+ population had less than a ninth grade education and 20.2% attended high school but had no diploma. Both of these statistics were slightly above the county percentages of 7.3% and 14.9% respectively. Once again the correctional facility must be considered concerning this data. Correctional institution and prison populations often exhibit low educational attainment populations. Therefore, it can be inferred that a prison population with limited high school level education negatively influences educational statistics in Coal Township. If we remove the prison population, assuming that they are all above 25 years old and don’t have a complete high school education, then the statistics would fall to 1 1 YOof the population not having a complete high school education. While this statistic is much more appealing it is highly unlikely that the prison population meets the aforementioned requirements in order for this statement to be accurate. It does, however, provide some insight as to the amount of influence the prison may have on the educational statistical data.

F. Employment and Labor Force

According to the 2000 Census, production, transportation and material moving was the number one occupational category with 896 persons. This was followed very closely, at 894 persons, by sales and office occupations. Persons in these occupations represent 50% of the 3,520 civilian population 16 years of age and older that make up the work force. Management and professional occupations were next with 23% (796 persons) followed by educational, health and social service occupations (759).

Of the 9,147 people age 16 or older only 3,816 (41.7%) are in the labor force while 5,33 1 (58.3%) are not. Of the 5,331 that are not in the labor force 2,008 are above age 65 and 1,662 are in

4 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003 correctional institutions. These 3,670 individuals make up 69% of the persons that could be considered as not being part of the labor force. This leads to the fact that 3 19’0 of the people who are not part of the labor force are between ages 16 and 65 and are not in correctional institutions. Addressing the reasons as to why these people are not part of the labor force is a major issue for Coal Township.

In 1999 approximately 12% of the people earned income below the poverty level with 9% of the families earning below the poverty level. As was previously discussed, a lack of people in the work force may contribute to these statistics as well as the fact that the Township does not draw higher paying jobs. While the number of persons in poverty decreased from 1990 the number of families below poverty increased from 8% to 9%.

Coal Township income data did increase from 1990 to 2000 but much of that involved general economic inflation. The Township still lags behind County income data significantly, though. Median household and family incomes in Coal Township are about $5,000 below those of Northumberland County. The Township of Coal had an average household size of 2.26. Rounding the household size down to two it is found that the median household income of $26,547 is only $247 above the County’s $26,300 HUD defined, low income limit for two-person households.

Coal Township Northumberlan 1990 2000 d County, 2000 Per capita $9,563 $1 5,329 $1 6,489 Household median $1 8,917 $26,547 $31,314 Family median $24,064 $34,3 39 $39,55 1

Although income has increased in Coal Township since 1990, it is still significantly less than the median values for Northumberland County. This is indicative of the type of employment and workforce available in the region.

G. Housing Units

There were 4,233 housing units in Coal Township in 2000, a decrease of 200 units (4.5%) since 1990. The vast majority of the housing stock was built prior to 1940,78.6 percent. Owner-occupied units constitute 80 percent of all occupied units in the Township. However, the rate of ownership is down from 82% in 1990 while the number of owner-occupied units decreased by 10%. The remaining 20 percent of the housing stock is renter-occupied. There were 730 rental units in the Township in 2000. There was an increase in vacant housing units by almost 37%. There were 501 vacant housing units according to the 2000 Census, up from 366 units in 1990. Of the 501 vacant housing units within Coal Township 3 10 fell under the Census category of “other vacancy”. This would exclude units that may be vacant due to seasonal/recreational ownership, for sale or for rent status, sold or rented but not yet occupied and housing for migrant workers. The “other vacancy” 5 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003 status does include abandoned units and may indicate a serious issue with abandoned housing structures within the Township. Items such as these contribute greatly as blighting influences within communities and result in low desirability for both residential and commercial investment.

Housing data can be further broken down by the three CDPs which make up Coal Township. The largest number of housing units is located in the Marshalton and remaining area CDP at 1,747 units. This CDP also includes the highest number of vacant units and highest vacancy rate at 239 and 13.68% respectively. The area with the largest number of vacant units is located in CT 961 2, BG 2 with 76 units. The remaining two CDPs, while containing over 700 more housing units, essentially only make up the other half of total vacant housing units in Coal Township.

CDP Housing Units Vacant Units Vacancy Rate % of Coal's Total Vacant Units Fairview-Ferndale 1168 128 10.96% 25% Edgewood 1318 134 10.17% 27% Marshalton & remaining area 1747 239 13.68% 48%

The most common type of housing structure in Coal Township is a single unit detached dwelling. There are 2,117 units making up half of the 4,233 housing units in Coal Township. Single unit attached dwellings were the next most common type of housing structure with 1,704 units making up 40.7% of the housing stock

11-7 Housing TvDe: 1990 and 2000 Housing Type: 1990 and 2000 2000 1990 Total 4,233 4,437 1, Detached 2,117 2,059 1, Attached 1,704 1,90 1 2 136 81 3 or4 54 102 5 to 9 15 20 10 to 19 0 0 20 to 49 34 5 50 or more 85 89 Mobile Home 88 119 Boat, RV, Van, etc. 0 60 IJ.S. Census Bureau: Census 2000

The number of single unit detached housing structures increased by 3% while the number of almost 6 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003 every other type of housing structure decreased. The only exceptions were housing structures with 2 quarters or 20 to 49quarters. Structures with 20 to 49 quarters jumped from 5 in 1990 to 34 in 2000. The appearance of 29 higher density housing structures in the course of ten years is rather uncommon for a community such as Coal. These structures are most likely the prisoner detention facilities considering it’s been built since 1990 and no apartment complexes of that magnitude have been constructed in the Township.

Rental-occupied housing increased almost 1% since 1990 increasing from 724 to 730. The Edgewood CDP had the largest number of renter-occupied and for rent units at 318 units. Marshalton and remaining area had 298 renter-occupied and for rent units while Fairview-Ferndale contained 160 units. For rent units, which contribute to vacant rental structures, were fairly uncommon. The Fairview-Ferndale, Edgewood and Marshaltodremaining area CDPs consisted of only 5, 15 and 26 for rent units respectively. This data indicates that rental units in Coal Township maintain high occupancy rates and should be taken into consideration in future planning and development within the Township. The median rent reported by the Census was $221 in 2000 compared to $265 in 1990. Median gross rent as a percentage of income, at 24%, is less than the 30% limit recommended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While this does provide evidence that there is affordable housing in the Township it may also be an indicator of the poor quality of housing, which can’t draw higher rents.

11-8 Rental Rates. 2000 Total ## of Units 730 Cash Rent 596 Less than $100 30 $100-$249 238 $250-$499 3 12 $500+ 16 No Cash Rent 134 Median Cash Rent 22 1

A positive trend in the housing in Coal Township is the increase in high valued housing. In 1990 there were 19 housing units valued at $150,000 or above while in 2000 there were 86. During the same period, only 15 structures with 10 or more units were constructed during that time. This data suggests that higher valued, single unit detached housing structures are becoming more prevalent in Coal Township considering there was a decrease in almost all other types of units. Considering that 60.7% of the housing units in Coal Township were constructed prior to 1939 the new construction now being witnessed is a greatly needed asset. It also suggests that there may be a slight increase in the population earning higher income. The addition of wealthier citizens to the community could help stimulate local business as well as increase property values. Attempts should be made to retain this segment of the population while promoting the arrival of new, higher cost housing for wealthier

7 Coal Township Cornprehensive Plan, 2003 residents. The fact that new, higher cost housing units have been constructed is a positive sign that those people intend to stay in the area for some length of time. This should help contribute to the residential desirability of the community.

US Census Bureau: Census 2000

11-10 Year Residential Structures Built I I Year Structure Built 1 3000 2500 I 2000 i 1500 j 1000 I 500 0 1999 to 1995 to 1990 to 1980 to 1970 to 1960 to 1940 to 1939 or March 1998 1994 1989 1979 1969 1959 earlier 2000

US Census Bureau: Census 2000

With a bulk of the housing stock well over 40 years old, new construction to replace obsolete housing and housing rehabilitation are needed in order to provide safe and decent housing for the future residents of Coal Township. Limited housing selection within Coal Township decreases residential appeal for prospective homebuyers looking to settle in the Township. As can be seen in the chart above, there was an increase in new construction in the Township. While 115 new housing structures were constructed between 1980 and 1989 there were 136 new housing structures built between 1990 and March of 2000. The new housing will help raise the aesthetic value and bring new life to the community. Knowing that there is such a high vacancy rate in housing in the Township, much of which appears to be abandoned, should help the Township continue a clearance program. This program would help eliminate blighting influences throughout the Township and

8 Coal Township Comprehensive Plan, 2003 provide developable lots located within the urban environment for the construction of new housing.

Typical factors that indicate distressed housing such as overcrowding and lack of complete kitchen and plumbing facilities are no longer significant factors in Coal Township. The housing is generally still in poor condition but specific items such as plumbing and heating have been addressed over time. It was interesting to note that a large number of homes in Coal Township are now heated by fuel oil rather than coal.

US Census Bureau: Census 2000

9 Housing Condition

As part of a Township-wide survey undertaken in the summer of 2002, housing condition of all housing units was assessed based on an exterior survey of the property. Ratings were given of 1 for excellent, 2 for good, 3 for fair and 4 for poor. A tabulations of results indicates that 2,770 housing units were rated. The 2000 Census reported a total housing stock of 3,732 housing units.

Homes rated excellent exhibited no signs of exterior deterioration. A good rating indicated that some exterior element required maintenance. A Fair rating signified that one or two exterior element was in need of rehabilitation. A Poor rating was used when the home exhibited multiple signs of exterior deterioration.

(ERIK - we had photos that demonstrated examples of each level of deterioration. Do you have them - should we include them?)

The bar chart below indicates the relative condition of homes in Coal Township by neighborhood. Many areas had a very high proportion of the homes rated Excellent and Good, including: West Coal, Edgewood, Treverton Road, Ranshaw, South Ferndale and Uniontown.

Areas that had a majority of homes rates good and poor included Lincoln, Bear Valley, Luke Fiddler and Garfield. Concentrated code enforcement should be pursued to bring the properties rated Fair and Poor up to code standards.

Areas that had a high percentage of homes rated Fair to Poor which are areas of concern include: Berry’s, Excelsior, Burnside, Marshalton and Springfield. The level of blight in these areas will require a more concerted effort to rehabilitate and stabilize the housing stock.

Some of the previously undescribed neighborhoods are defined by the following area boundaries:

West Coal - Poplar St. to 1’’ between Chestnut and Juniper

South Coal - from Burnside Street south

Lincoln - portion of Edgewood from Laurel to Poplar

Garfield - East of Poplar between Montgomery and Chestnut

IV. GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Land Use

Coal Township’s objective for the future, concerning land use, is the promotion of the rational utilization of land in order to maintain consistency and efficiency of use within the Township. This will be accomplished by the following:

0 Coordinating land uses to allow for mutual land use benefits while avoiding conflicting land use patterns and inefficient, spot development.

0 Adjusting the zoning ordinance and land use plan to allow for greater and more efficient growth and development of residential, commercial and industrial uses. This will also promote greater fluidity among land uses.

0 Changing land uses and zoning in target areas while clarifying and redefining others in order to assure conformity to the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances.

0 Changing land use and zoning to promote economic development while preserving the safety and comfort of Coal Township’s residents

0 Promoting neighborhood businesses within residential neighborhoods of the Township in order to maintain neighborhood identities and reduce “shopping” traffic by continuing to allow a place for small, neighborhood businesses.

Coal Township recognizes that many of the structures in the Township are older buildings and in poor condition and will therefore apply a renewed focus on stabilizing and rehabilitating neighborhoods within the Township by:

0 Continuing its rehabilitation and revitalization program in its residential and commercial neighborhoods in order to combat blighting on a community-wide basis.

0 Coordinating its demolition program to remove those structures which provide the greatest blight risks.

In its current state, much of the existing zoned land has been developed to its capacity or is not found desirable in its existing zone designation which has caused developmental stagnation. Coal Township will combat this stagnation by the following:

0 Increasing and redefining zones throughout the Township will allow for the expansion of residential, commercial and industrial development. Some of this involves redefining land uses in coal lands as well as converting some zones from one type to another.

0 Redefining land uses throughout the Township will allow businesses to grow in key areas where demand for land use change or expansion is high. 0 Redefining land uses will also provide existing and potential residents with land for new home construction and avoid land use conflicts between commercial, residential and industrial land uses. Coal Township also recognizes that besides residential, commercial and industrial uses, there exists open space, recreation and environmentally sensitive lands. All communities must try to achieve a balance providing a comfortable, inviting environment for their residents while providing the infrastructure, facilities and land to maintain businesses and services. Coal Township intends to address these issues by:

0 Setting aside additional land for recreation and open space in order to provide local residents with places to entertain themselves and relax that are within reasonable distances from their homes.

0 Preserving environmentally sensitive areas, such as waterways to incorporate them into the community in the least intrusive method possible.

Several major routes wind their way through Coal Township which provide heavy traffic for possible commercial and industrial businesses along the routes. While Coal Township wants to expand the existing commercial and industrial uses, this should not result in the arterials becoming unsightly, strip developments for businesses which the Township intends to avoid through the following:

0 Guiding land use, development and zoning so as to maintain the community’s character rather than allowing for uncontrolled and unmonitored commercial and industrial development.

0 Allowing development to occur in such a manner that conforms to the capacity of existing thruways.

0 Planning commercial and industrial parks away from the downtown area and situated in development parks, set back from major routes, rather than in strips along major routes. This will ease traffic demands and help maintain the downtown’s character. Housing

The housing trends in Coal Township have varied significantly over time. Beginning with young families and single men rushing to the area for employment in the industrial and coal facilities, factories quickly assembled mass housing to shelter these workers. Once the industries began to leave, however, the young population also left and a large elderly population remained. Housing changed little as many elderly could not afford to repair or move out of their current residences. While there may have been a demand for rental or elderly assistive properties, the incentive for developers to invest in an essentially shrinking community was not present. Today there is an increase in the younger population with young families on the rise, however, the elderly population remains the majority. It is therefore, imperative that Coal Township provide diversity in housing choices to accommodate existing and prospective residents.

One of Coal Township’s major objectives is to provide new housing opportunities throughout the municipality by providing the following:

0 Re-zoning a large section of the northwest comer of the Township from Conservation to Residential. e Re-zoning a region just north of Route 61 between the City of Shamokin and State Route 2026 that has been designated for residential development. e Increasing the amount of residential land will provide residents with the option of purchasing newly constructed homes and provide an opportunity to diversify the housing stock.

0 Providing land for new home development will not only help draw prospective residents but will also help increase the aesthetic value of the community.

Due to several geographic constraints, the Township of Coal has a limited area in which it can increase the availability of residential land. The Township therefore, recognizes that it must pursue efforts to stabilize the existing housing stock by: e Continuing to promote rehabilitation, code enforcement and financial subsidy to assist lower income homeowners undertake needed rehabilitation.

0 Targeting blighted areas for redevelopment.

0 Promoting further development in those areas along the periphery of the Township so as to prevent those sites from becoming abandoned and susceptible to dumping and vandalism.

Much of the existing infrastructure in Coal Township is not adequate for modem day needs. Coal Township, therefore, intends to provide residential zoning at various densities to reflect available and planned infrastructure and land carrying capacity as is reasonable. Future zoning and any changes to zoning will involve thorough analysis of infrastructure and land carrying capacity in order to help determine zoning type and capacity. Economic Development

Coal Township plans to expand and diversify its commercial and industrial availability. This will help diversify the population as well as businesses and services creating a more stable community. Several developments are underway in Coal Township that will expand the commercial and industrial opportunities within the municipality. These developments are:

0 Continuing to draw large commercial investment along the Route 61 corridor.

0 Expanding industrial and commercial zoning by converting some of the conservation zones throughout the municipality to allow'industrial and commercial uses.

0 Promoting new development through the creation of a 334 acre KOZ on the east side of the Township between Route 61 and Route 901.

Commercial zoning will be expanded, to a limited extent, in two major areas in the Township. This expansion will be created by:

0 Converting the land just north of the City of Shamokin, between Route 225 and Route 61, from conservation to commercial. This commercial strip between the Coal/Shamokin downtown area, Uniontown and the residences along Trevorton Road will help ease traffic strain and congestion in central Coal Township by providing jobs and services along the periphery of the "developed" region. Travel destinations for employment and goods and services will be diversified, thereby reducing the demand on the Route 61 corridor. This area currently has limited commercial development but the zoning change will allow for a significant increase.

0 Rezoning an area on the south end of the "urban center" of Coal Township between Bear Valley Avenue and the Ferndale neighborhood. This will allow for commercial development in the southern region of the township where there is currently only Coal Production.

Along with increasing commercial zoning areas, Coal Township will expand industrial zoning in several locations including the following:

0 The area between Route 6 1 and Route 901 in the area of the KOZ on the eastern edge of the Township. The existing commercial zoning will be converted to manufacturing for the entire region between Route 6 1, Route 90 1 and the Township boundary line. The KOZ is intended to draw a mix of varying commercial capacity as well as light industry/manufacturing.

0 The area just north of State Route 2026 around Sagon. This area will be rezoned to allow for manufacturing while maintaining the existing coal production. The industries and businesses will then be able to utilize the State Route 2026 corridor for necessary traffic and shipping. The largest industrial zoning expansion will occur in the southwest corner of the Township. Coal Township will rezone the existing coal production lands located between Carbon Run and the Ferndale residential neighborhood allowing for both coal production and manufacturing.

With the planned increase in commercial and industrial capacity, appropriate infrastructure upgrades are required. Coal Township intends to provide access to new commercial and industrial zones, such as the KO2 in the eastern portion of the Township, in order to promote business development. The addition of new roads or the widening of others will all be necessary as business begins to grow in Coal Township and to promote business opportunities. New infrastructure will be needed to draw new businesses into Coal Township where existing infrastructure is lacking. The Township will maintain existing neighborhood business areas while anticipating the addition of future neighborhood business areas as development occurs. Transportation

Coal Township is focused on developing a coordinated circulation system that will allow for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods throughout the Township. Much of the transportation system in Coal Township, created early in the Township’s development, was not designed for the volume of modern vehicular traffic. Streets are often narrow with poor circulation and inadequate signage. Major routes such as 61 have increased their capacity to hold heavy truck traffic while also having major commercial strips located along them. This has increased residual traffic on some local streets and brought greater traffic to the Township despite the fact that many of the local streets have not been upgraded to support this increase in traffic growth. Coal Township, therefore, intends to increase transportation efficiency while maintaining safety for both pedestrians and drivers. Coal Township anticipates the addition of new residential, commercial and industrial neighborhoods in the municipality. While a new housing development may have adequate street capacity’ the adjacent neighborhoods, which would carry related traffic, may not. In these circumstances, zoning density must be evaluated. The Township will also verify that the zoning is appropriate for the land carrying capacity in order to utilize land in the most efficient manner. Coal Township will address transportation issues by: a Enforcing design standards to meet PennDOT’s specifications within new developments before dedication to the Township ensuring that future developments do not contribute to existing transportation problems by securing their efficiency and safety capacity. a Designing infrastructure and transportation to safely handle new traffic according to the design and intent of the development and the surrounding infrastructure.

Discouraging future residential development that involves housing fronting on or having driveway access along major transportation routes due to the fact that these driveways slow traffic down significantly and are a serious safety issue as drivers enter or exit the arterial.

Providing access roads with neighborhoods which do not front on major routes. These local, neighborhood access roads will allow for a much smoother transition on to and off of the larger arterials. They will also be more clearly marked and provide adequate visibility for vehicular traffic.

In addition to providing more efficient and safe vehicular transportation, Coal Township will also pursue encouraging the development of pedestrian and non-vehicular access and throughways. With the availability of neighborhood businesses, Coal Township will promote pedestrian transportation as much as possible. Pedestrian-oriented transportation alternatives help remove vehicular traffic from streets and supports neighborhood businesses. Through active sidewalk and curb renovations as well as providing non-vehicular access to throughways and facilities, Coal Township will to provide a more comprehensive transportation system within the entire community. Community Facilities

Based on plans to expand residential, commercial and industrial development Coal Township must ensure the availability of an adequate range of services and facilities to accommodate future needs. Coal Township must also rehabilitate and maintain existing services throughout the community. Many of the services are in poor condition or have not been updated to respond to the community’s changing needs. In order to allow for new development, Coal Township must promote the expansion of the existing water service to the appropriate areas. Maintenance and expansion of the system will consist of the following:

0 Installing new lines to service new residential developments and business parks.

0 Assessing existing lines in relation to the demands by new developments to insure adequate service and avoid any further degradation of those lines.

0 Repairing or replacing existing lines in order to properly serve new development in Coal Township. There is also a general problem with the condition ofwater lines throughout Coal Township.

0 Replacing many of the older lines which can no longer carry their original water capacity and are prone to rupturing.

0 Increasing water pressure to areas of the community located at higher elevations which, in some cases, presents a safety hazard for fire protection.

The sewer system must also undergo significant renovations. The existing system does not have separately dedicated storm water and sanitary sewer lines. Plans to remedy this situation involve the following:

0 Separating the existing stordsanitary sewer line into two separate line including one dedicated storm sewer line and one dedicated sanitary sewer line. Upgrades to the sewer lines will take place on the most degraded portions of the system first.

0 Insuring that future development in the Township will have separately dedicated lines for storm and sanitary water.

Coal Township also intends to expand garbage collection service and the recycling facility. Goals for garbage collection and recycling include:

0 Initiating a large item collection program. Though the Township does not run the garbage collection the Township will examine the feasibility of providing a service that would occur on a least an annual basis which would collect large items from residents. This will allow residents to remove large item waste from homes and yards without having to find time and transportation to bring the items to local dumps. 0 Increasing the size of the recycling facility. The Township will construct a building to house and process recycled material. This facility will contain an access road, parking, loading docks, gas heat, and storage areas. It will also have necessary equipment such as forklifts, balers and other related items to service the facility.

Recreation and recreation facilities throughout the Township fall somewhat short of accepted standards. While the Township has plenty of conservation land much of it is not easily accessible and not designed for recreation use. There are several small playgrounds as well as some ball fields but not enough to adequately service the entire community. The Township will therefore address the issue through the following:

0 Review existing recreation areas and expand upon those areas that are lacking equipment or facilities or are in need of repair.

0 Planning for additional recreation areas that adequately serve the community in future development.

0 Coal Township will work with surrounding municipalities to create ajoint Recreation Board. This will help provide recreational opportunities for the residents of the area on a regional basis. Coordinating efforts will help bring a more thorough recreation program to the region. This board will develop recreation programming and recreational facilities for the rural regions of the area as well as to the developed, urban centers.