Borough of Wilson Northampton County
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I I I i BOROUGH OF WILSON. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY. PA I I COMPREH EN SWE PLAN : I 1993 - 2020 I I I THIS PROJECT WAS FINANCED, IN PART, BY A GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN 1 DEVELOPMENT (HUD) UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (DCED). I I SUBMITlED TO I WiLSON BOROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION 1 WILSON BOROUGH COUNCIL I BY I MICHAEL NOTASSOCIATES, COMMUNITY PLANNERS I APRIL, 1998 1 . ._ . ..., I LIST OF OFFICIALS BOROUGH OF WILSON, PA. APRIL, 1998 MAYOR Kenneth F. Dunn, Jr. BOROUGH COUNCIL David S. Perruso, President Paul L. Corriere Leonard Behler, Jr. Joseph E. Canone Joan A. Lilly Louis E. Starniri Walter D. Tindall Joseph V. Civitella Robert L. Reiss BOROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Louis E. Starniri Margaret Shriver Thomas Poynton Terry Balcavage Leonard Feinberg STAFF PARTlClPATI 0 N ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT Walter Boran, Borough Manager Raymond K. Rawson Pamela S. Price, Borough Charles Hawk Secretary-Treasurer John Kresch Harvey W. Ackerman, Code Enforcement Officer Louis S. Minotti, Jr., Borough Solicitor I I WILSON BOROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 1993-2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. SUMMARY OF MAJOR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS 1 I. INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN 4 LOCATION AND REGIONAL CONTEXT 4 PHYSIOGRAPHY 8 HISTORY 8 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE PLAN 8 ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT 9 PLANNING PROCESS FOR THE PLAN PREPARATION IO II. MAJOR PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES AND ISSUES 12 COMMUNITY ASSETS 12 BOROUGH PROBLEMS AND NEEDS 13 GROWTH POTENTIAL/POPULATION PROJECTION 15 Ill. DIRECTION FOR THE PLAN 16 STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND GENERAL 0 BJECTIVES 16 CONCEPT PLAN 17 IV. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 21 1 NTRODUCTION 21 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE AND HOUSING PLAN 21 COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LAND USE PLAN 25 OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL LAND USE PLAN INDUSTRIAL LAND USE 27 PUBLIC AND INSTITUTIONAL LAND USE PLAN 29 AREAS IN NEED OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION 31 V. TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING SURVEY AND PLAN 33 INTRODUCTION 33 ANALYSIS OF EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND SERVICES IN WILSON BOROUGH 33 - STREETS AND HIGHWAYS 33 - FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION MAJOR STREET PATTERN AND TRAFFIC FLOW ~~ 1 WILSON BOROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 1993-2020 I TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) I PAGE NO. - MAJOR PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS I - OTHER TRAN!SPORTATlON SYSTEMS 39 - MASS TRANSIT (LANTA) 39 - VALLEY ASS0CIATI 0 N 0 F SPEC1ALlZATlO N I TRANSPORTATION (VAST) 41 - RAILROAD SYSTEM AND SERVICES 42 - AIR TRANSPORTATION 42 1 FUTURE CHANGE IMPACTING BOROUGH’S TRANSPORTATION 43 TRANSPORTATION PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS 44 1 PARKING SURVEY AND PLAN 46 VI. COMMUNITY FACIL.ITIES SURVEY AND PLAN 52 1 INTRODUCTION 52 PUBLIC RECREATICl NAL FACl LIT1ES 52 I PUBLIC BUILDINGS 57 - M U N IC IPAL 0 FFIC ES 57 I - FIRE DEPARTMENT 57 - PO LICE DEPARTMENT 60 - BOROUGH GARAGE AND MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT 62 I - LIBRARY 63 - PUBLIC SCHOOLS 65 - PUBLl C UTIL.ITI ES 66 1 - SEWAGE DISPOSAL 66 - STORM WATER 66 - WATER SUPPLY 66 I VII. PLAN CORRELATION STATEMENTS 67 I PR E LIM IN A RY C 0 I1 C LU S I0 NS 68 I APPENDICES - BACKGROUND ANALYSIS A. COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE AND DATA ANALYSIS I B. LAND USE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY C. POPULATION AND HOUSING ANALYSIS D. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS I I I LIST OF TABLES PAGE NO. COMPARISON OF POPULATION DENSITIES 7 COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESS 11 PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT DENSITIES FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT 24 ONE WAY STREETS 35 PASSENGER CAR REGISTRATIONS: 1983 - 1990 37 URBAN STREET STANDARDS 38 TRAFFIC VOLUMES - CHANGES IN TRAFFIC FLOWS - AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC: 1955 AND 1990 39 UTILIZATION OF PUBLIC MASS TRANSIT (LANTA) 41 VALLEY ASSOCIATION FOR SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION (VAST) RIDERSHIP: 1970 -1 990 42 UTILIZATION OF THE ALLENTOWN-BETHLEHEM-EASTON AIRPORT: 1986 -1 990 43 URBAN STREET DESIGN CRITERIA 45 EXISTING PLAYGROUND RECREATION FACILITIES BY NEIGHBORHOOD 54 R ECO MM END ED PLAYG RO U N D REQUI R EM ENTS 55 1989 CRIME STATISTICS 61 BOROUGH MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT 62 LIST OF MAPS FOLLOWING PAGE NO. MAP 1 LOCATION AND REGIONAL CONTEXT OF WILSON BOROUGH 4 MAP 2 TOPOGRAPHY 4 MAP 3 CONCEPT PLAN 17 MAP 4 EXISTING LAND USE (1991) 21 MAP 5 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 21 MAP 6 EXIST1NG HOUSING CONDITIONS 21 MAP 7 TRANSPORTATION PLAN 31 MAP 8 ROAD CLASS1FICATION 33 MAP 9 TRAFFIC VOLUMES(AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC, 1991) 39 MAP 10 EXISTING PARKING FACILITIES AND PROBLEMS 47 MAP 11 COMMUNITY FACl LIT1ES PLAN 50 MAP 12 EXISTING COMMUNITY FACILITIES 52 SUMMARY OF MAJOR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY OF MAJOR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS This Wilson Comprehensive Plan presents the direction and guidelines for the development of Wilson Borough over the next 27 years 1993 to 2020. This Plan should serve as a guide for future decision-making by the Borough relative to land use, housing, transportation, community facilities, and for the economic development of Wilson Borough. This Plan addresses the economic strengths and weaknesses of Wilson Borough, the characteristics of social economic status of Borough residents and their needs, while respecting the Borough's history and its uniqueness. It seeks to integrate needs for community conservation and economic development. This Comprehensive Plan presents a series of recommendations which are to preserve and enhance the quality of living environment of the entire Borough, and to achieve greater economic stability, more job opportunities, a broader tax base, and a reduction of poverty. Major plan recommendations are summarized below: 1. Encourage improved of hospital/medical services and health care related businesses, such as hospital/clinic facilities, doctor's offices, medical research institutes or laboratories, nursing school, nursing home or daycare center. However, these improvements must be limited to the ability of the Borough to accommodate the future traffic and parking needs of the hospital without encroaching on the existing residential area of the Borough. 2. Maintain and improve the existing industrial zoning districts as industriaVoffice-service parks, including the Wood Street Industrial Park, the industrial complex at the former Dixie Cup site, and the Balata Street Area. 3. Encourage establishment of small businesses and home occupations consistent with their ability to provide adequate parking requirements. 4. Establish a greenway-park system throughout the entire Borough area. This system will consist of all existing parks and open space within and adjacent to the Borough, school recreation facilities, and the undevelopable land. This system will also be connected with the Delaware and Lehigh Canal National Heritage Corridor and State Heritage Park. 5. Discourage additional new residential development on the limited existing vacant land. Instead, encourage the improvement and upgrading of the existing housing structures and the replacement of older obsolescent . residential units, in accordance with the new Zoning Ordinance. Continue to carry out rehabilitation and affordable housing programs to accomplish this li goal. 1 1 I 6. Improve street systern to reduce traffic congestion. This includes widening/realigning/constructing 25th Street and its extensions, widening 24th Street between Washington Boulevard and Northampton Street, and South 23rd Street between Freemansburg and the railroad, and establishing an additional one-wa'y pair system on local streets. 7. Conduct a pilot study to provide parking improvements in the congested residential areas where parking problems exist. Choose a pilot block where local block residents wish to participate in the planning of this pilot study. The study should provide examples for parking improvements applicable to other sections of the Borough. 8. Design a bi keway-walkway system using selected existing streets and boulevards to provide a safe, attractive, opportunity for residents to exercise and convenient access to the River, parks, schools, shopping centers, and most other community facilities and historic building sites. 9. Develop a linear park using the currently abandoned railroad track for public recreation use. 10. Explore the feasibility of developing a Community Center to serve the entire Borough. Such a Center might be located on the existing Borough owned property, or a recreation area such as Meuser Park. Other existing facilities, available to the public, might also be made available for such a Center. Consideration should also center on the actual demand and use of such a facility by various segments of the Borough population. 11. Support the improvement and expansion of the Wilson Meuser Memorial Library at the existing site. 12. Coordinate Wilson I3orough Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, Road Ordinance, and Building Code to ensure that they are all consistent with the new Wilson Borough Comprehensive Plan and are consistent with each other. 13. Use grass roots approach to assure continued public participation in Borough decision-ma king process. Keep all Borough residents informed of major matters affecting the community through newsletters, public hearings, and other mass communication medium, such as newspaper, broadcast and television, conduct Community questionnaires periodically, and continue frequent communication between Borough governing body and residents. 14. Utilize CDBG and other local and available grant programs to implement the objectives and goals of the Comprehensive Plan and to support existing services and to initiate new required public service activities. 2 1 This new Wilson Borough Comprehensive Plan includes several