Cheltenham Township Comprehensive Plan Montgomery County Planning Commission
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Cheltenham Township Comprehensive Plan Montgomery County Planning Commission Adopted February 2005 Montgomery County Commissioners James R. Matthews, Chairman Thomas J. Ellis, Esq. Ruth S. Damsker Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners Harvey Portner, President Morton J. Simon, Jr., Vice President Robert C. Gerhard, Jr. Michael J. Swavola Paul R. Greenwald Jeffrey A. Muldawer Charles D. McKeown Cheltenham Township Planning Commission William Winneberger, Jr., Chairman Irwin Goldfarb, Vice Chairman Marion B. Fox David Randles Gilbertson Paul W. Gordon Howard N. Greenberg Stuart G. Rosenberg Cheltenham Township Joint Planning Commission/Economic Development Task Force Comprehensive Plan Review Committee William Winneberger, Jr., Planning Commission Chairman Irwin Goldfarb, Planning Commission Vice Chairman Marion B. Fox David Randles Gilbertson Paul W. Gordon Howard N. Greenberg Stuart G. Rosenberg Hal Lichtman, EDTF Chairman David L. Cohen Thom Cross Brad Pransky Cheltenham Township Administration David G. Kraynik, Manager Bryan T. Havir, Assistant Manager David M. Lynch, Director - Engineering, Zoning & Inspections TOWNSHIP OF CHELTENHAM RESOLUTION NO. 10-05 AUTHORIZING THE ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF CHELTENHAM, DATED JULY 2004, IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND INCORPORATING THEREIN ANY OR ALL PUBLIC COMMENT, AS AGREED UPON AND READ INTO THE RECORD AT SAID PUBLIC HEARING. WHEREAS, the Township of Cheltenham Planning Commission, upon the request of the Board of Commissioners, and in accordance with Section 209.1 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), prepared a new draft Comprehensive Plan, dated July 2004, with input from township citizen advisory boards, commissions, and technical assistance from the Montgomery County Planning Commission and Township Staff; and WHEREAS, the last Comprehensive Plan was prepared in 1977 for the Township of Cheltenham and was subsequently adopted by the Board of Commissioners that same year; and WHEREAS, this new Comprehensive Plan Update serves as a community vision through the year 2025, and includes maps, charts and textual matter, and establishes policies and guidelines for future development, preservation of open space, historic resources, environmental sensitive issues, community facilities, transportation systems, and maintaining the existing housing stock as well as identifying implementation strategies for economic development initiatives and future land use issues: and WHEREAS, the new Comprehensive Plan Update was discussed at the Building and Zoning Committee meetings of the Board of Commissioners in July, August, and September 2004; and WHEREAS, on October 13,2004, the Planning Commission held a special public meeting on the new Comprehensive Plan Update to present the document to the community and receive input; and WHERAS, the new Comprehensive Plan Update was subsequently circulated to the surrounding and adjacent municipalities, school districts and county planning commission in accordance with Section 302 of the Pennsylvania MPC for review and comment; and WHEREAS, all public comment from the special meeting on October 13,2004 and comments received fi-om surrounding municipalities, school districts, and the County, was recorded in correspondence dated February 3,2005 from the Montgomery County Planning Commission; and WHEREAS, the February 3,2005 correspondence was read into the record at the public hearing of the Board of Commissioners on February 15,2005, being duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of the Pennsylvania MPC, Section 302; and WHEREAS, at said public hearing, any and all, additional written or oral comments was received and considered, as well, prior to the Board of Commissioners’ consideration of adopting the new Comprehensive Plan. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Cheltenham, County of Montgomery, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, that it hereby adopts by an affirmative vote the Comprehensive Plan Update dated July 2004, in its entirety subject to the following: 1) Any or all public comments deemed appropriate and agreed upon by the Board of Commissioners at the February 15, 2005 public hearing shall be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan Update by the Township’s Planning Consultant and Township Staff. 2) The Comprehensive Plan Update shall bear on the front cover, the adoption date of the Board of Commissioners, which is the date said resolution was passed. 3) The resolution of adoption shall be made part of the Comprehensive Plan Update and included in the preface accordingly. 4) This Comprehensive Plan Update supersedes the adoption of the 1977 Comprehensive Plan. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Cheltenham, County of Montgomery, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at its meeting held at Curtis Hall, 1250 West Church Road, Wyncote, Pennsylvania 19095 on February 15,2005. TOWNSHIP OF CHELTENHAM Paul R. Greenwald, President ATTEST Board of Commissioners David G. Kraynik, SecretaryIManager (SEAL) Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ vii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 COMMUNITY PROFILE Cheltenham and Its Regional Setting ................................................................................................. 1 Existing Land Use Patterns ............................................................................................................... 1 Neighborhoods ............................................................................................................................. 3 Demographics ................................................................................................................................... 6 Population ................................................................................................................................... 8 Age Group Trends ....................................................................................................................... 9 Race ............................................................................................................................................ IO Educational Attainment ............................................................................................................... 10 Average Household Size .............................................................................................................. 13 Housing Type .............................................................................................................................. 13 Tenure and Vacancy ................................................................................................................... 13 Income ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Labor Force ................................................................................................................................. 15 Labor Force by Occupation ......................................................................................................... 15 Industrial Sectors ........................................................................................................................ 16 Employment Forecast .................................................................................................................. 16 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES General Overall Goal ........................................................................................................................ 19 Economic Development ............................................................................................................... 19 Housing ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Commercial ................................................................................................................................. 19 Office ........................................................................................................................................... 20 Transportation .............................................................................................................................. 20 Industrial ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Recreation and Open Space ........................................................................................................ 20 Community Facilities .................................................................................................................. 21 Environmental ............................................................................................................................. 21 Historic Preservation ................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3 NATURAL AND SCENIC RESOURCES Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................