r BUTLER TOWNSHIP LUZERME COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA d
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
OCTOBER 22, 1984
ENGINEERING / PLANNING CONSULTANTS CHAMBERSBURG. PA. BUTLER TOWNSHIP LUZERNECOUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
.TABLE OF CONTENTS .
PART A: PLAN PREPARATION. I . INTRODUCTION A . Goals and Objectives ...... 1-1 B . Basic Methodology ...... 1-1 I1 . PHYSICAL FEATURES
A . Regional Location ...... 11-1 B . TopographylPhysiography ...... 11-2 C . Geological and Hydrological Aspects ...... 11-3 D . Evaluation of Water Resources ...... 11-4 E . Evaluation of Soil Resources ...... 11-14 F . Climatic and Air Basin Resources ...... 11-17 G . Ecosystems ...... 11-19 H . Environmentally Sensitive Areas ...... 11-21 I11 . CULTURAL FEATURES
A . Carrying Capacity Concept ...... 111-1 B . Population ...... 111-1 C . Economy ...... 111-2 D . Existing Land Use ...... 111-4 E . Future Development Potential ...... 111-7 F . Roads ...... 111-9 G . Community Facilities ...... 111-11 H . Public Utilities ...... 111-15
i .TABLE OF CONTENTS . (CONTINUED)
PART B: PLAN DEVELOPMENT. I . COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES General ...... 1-1 Land Use ...... 1-2 Traffic Movement ...... 1-3 Community Facilities and Public Utilities ...... 1-4 I1 . LAND USE PLAN Growth Management ...... 11-1 Guidelines for Proposed Land Uses ...... 11-2 Land Use Projections ...... 11-9 Proposed Land Use Designations ...... 11-10 Regional Land Use Policy ...... 11-17 Proposed Land Use/Zoning Districts ...... 11-23 Rural Districts ...... 11-23 Residential Districts ...... 11-23 Commercial Districts ...... 11-24 Industrial Districts ...... 11-24 Special Districts ...... 11-24 Existing/Proposed Zoning Comparison ...... 11-25 I11 . TRAFFIC MOVEMENT PLAN Purpose ...... 111-1 Scope ...... 111-1 Functions of a Thoroughfare System ...... 111-2 IV . COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND PUBLIC UTILITIES PLAN Purpose...... 1v-1 Scope ...... 1v-2 Criteria for Facility Planning ...... 1v-3
PART C: PLAN IMPLEMENTATION. The Nature of the Comprehensive Plan ...... 1 Zoning Ordinance ...... 2 Subdivision Ordinance ...... 3 The Function of the Planning Commission ...... 5 PART A PLAN PREPARATION I, INTRODUCTION
A. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES In viewing the historical progress of land use development within much of this region, it is clearly evident that the intrusion into environmentally sensitive areas has resulted in several significant land use related problems. In order to alleviate these problems, continued development must be planned such that relevant existing environmental conditions are identified. The identified conditions must then be interpreted and development limitations formulated. In short, continued development of any community should be directed by not only the expanding population and economic base but also, the existing natural limits of the land. In other terms, we must recognize what the land can do for use and also what we must do to protect it.
In order to thoroughly establish the natural limits of any region, a resource inventory must be completed. The following discussion shall present the findings of such a detailed inventory completed for Butler Township. The primary objectives of the inventory include the identification of significant physical., ecological, and socioeconomic data. The ultimate goal in preparing this inventory is the establishment of a set of specific conditions - natural limits, by which to base planning policies for future land use and impending development. A Comprehensive Plan then can be created for zoning and other land use controls to be more in tune with the natural features of the Township.
B . BAS IC METHODOLOGY The basic methodology involves the thorough research of the most recently established environmental documentation
1-1 literature and where necessary field observations, all aimed at compiling a specific list of resource conditions pertinent to the Township. The availability of detailed information pertaining to geology, topography, soils, water resources and other environmental sensitive areas will be taken to full advantage. In order to more clearly illustrate existing conditions, factor base maps overlaying a Township base map will be prepared to reflect the actual location of critical areas and, in general, the aforementioned features.
In the following pages, a procedure is discussed for gathering such data, organizing them under certain factor headings, mapping the factors on separate maps, and interpreting these factors in terms of land use. The sources for the data are given as well as the method of presentation on the maps. The maps consisting of 13 sheets are reproduced and bound at the end of this Report.
The resource inventory described here is basically a step-by- step analysis of ecological data which when finally put on maps reveals a pattern of the land's limitations and capabilities with or without improvements. Generally speaking, in going this inventory, the following steps would be taken:
1. Obtain all pertinent information about Butler Township. 2. Organize the information by factor as follows:
a. Topography/Physiography (Sheet 1) (1) Contour Lines - show direction of ridges and .. valleys, areas of high relief.
(2) Low Areas - In particular, swamps, marshes, and floodplains.
(3) Water Courses. (4) Generalized development patterns.
(5) Landmarks.
1-2 b. Soils Associations (Landscapes which provide a distinctive proportional pattern of soils - Sheet 2.) (1) Rock outcrops, ledges. (2) Glacial till, weathered bedrock material. (3) Alluvium organic deposits. (4) Strip mines. (5) Soil cover.
(6) Stratified drift, outwash. (7) Sand and gravel.
(8) Fragipan . c. Geology and Groundwater Resources (Sheet 3) (1) Geologic formation. (2) Maximum thickness. (3) Rock types and characteristics. (4) Groundwater conditions, quantities. (5) Contact lines.
(6) Glacial drift. (7) Drainage divides. (8) Watershed areas. d. Land Slope Classifications and Major Drainageways (Used in conjunction with topographic details, the rise or fall of land form is measured in feet per hundred or percent of slope; coupled with the overall drainage and stream flow direction - Sheet 4.) (1) Slope categories by location and extent broken down into 0-8 percent, 8-15 percent, and 15 percent or greater. (2) Surface relief.
(3) Surface water.
1-3 e. Generalized Soils Characteristics (Sheet 5) 1. Drainage capability, permeability. 2. Flood-proneness. 3. Cut, fill and strip mine areas. 4. Depth to water table and bedrock.
f. Prime Agricultural Soils (Based on the interpretation of existing soil properties and characteristics by the USDA Soil Conservation Service, those areas best suited for field crops, orchard and timber production are indicated - Sheet 6). (1) Prime cropland soils. (2) Prime orchard soils. (3) Prime timberland soils. g. Sanitary Sewerage Facilities and On-Lot Disposal Limitations (Sheet 7) (1) Sewer service areas. (2) Soil suitability for on-site waste disposal. h. Limitations for Construction of Structures with Basements (Derived by formulation of the USDA Soil Conservation Service for construction of dwellings . or other buildings of three stories or less that require no more than 8 foot subsurface excavations - Sheet 8.) (1) Degree of difficulty for land development. (2) Application of soil characteristics to construction of typical dwellings or low-rise structures with basements. i. Existing Land Use (Sheet 9) (1) Built-up land by use category, location and acreage as of 1982.
1-4 (2) Agricultural production.
( 3) Woodland. (4) Unimproved, cleared lands. (5) Mineral extraction. (6) Special interest like the proposed State Park.
I 3. Place categorized findings on factor maps (as explained by the Legend in each case). 4. Interpret the factor maps (which involves analysis of the information on the factor maps in terms of land use and development of the Township). 5. Synthesize the information on the factor maps to show areas of varying suitability for development, such as those unsuitable or with severe limitations, and those well-suited with only a few or no limitations. (Development suitability - Sheet 12.) As the analysis of the factor maps proceeds, certain areas emerge which render building constraints and opportunities. Favorable land development characteristics are indicated, and can be weighed relative to most types of development, and levels of development intensity and population density. 6. Examine previous land use policies and recorded plats (existing Zoning/Subdivisions - Sheet 10) which commit certain lands, although not developed to date; and, incorporate factor maps displaying water, sewer, and road improvements (namely sheets 3, 7, and 11) which may change the suitability of areas for development. 7. Establish rationale for critical areas for preservation and conservation, and determine feasibility for development areas at various densities.
8. Propose future land use scheme (basis for zoning) to optimize the development potential realized by the results of the resource inventory and synthesis map. 11, PHYSICAL FEATURES
A. REGIONAL LOCATION Butler Township is located within the southcentral portion of Luzerne County in the northeastern quadrant of Pennsylvania. Bordering townships include Hazle Township to the south, Foster and Dennison Townships to the east, Dorrance and Hollenback Townships to the North, and Sugarloaf Township to the west. The City of Hazleton lies approximately two (2) miles to the south of the Township and Wilkes-Barre is approximately fifteen (15) miles to the north.
Major transportation routes associated with the Township include Interstates 80 and 81 and PA State Route 309. Interstate 80 provides east-west access to the remainder of the State and Interstate 81 provides north-south access. There is no railroad line or intercoastal waterway- associated with the Township. A regional location map is provided on the Road Circulation Map, Sheet 11 of 13. The Township is situated in a strategic position which influenced its land use pattern.
Butler Township is considered by the Land Use Plan of Luzerne County for the Year 2000, part of the Greater Hazleton Community Area. Between the years of 1960-1975, much residential acreage (1982) in the Area is in Butler Township, more than double the City of Hazleton. Neighboring Hazle Township constitutes the majority of area commercial and industrial land uses, to include Hazleton Airport. Butler Township leads the area in public and quasi-public uses and transportation rights-of-way comprising respectively 10 and 30 percent of the area.
11-1 B. TOPOGRAPHY/PHYSIOGRAPHY Butler Township lies in the Appalachian Mountain Section of the Valley and Ridge Province of Pennsylvania. The topography of the Township is typified by a narrow valley bounded on the north and south by high ridges. Nescopeck Mountain forms the northern boundary of the Township with a maximum elevation of 1,900 feet. Buck and Butler Mountains form the southerly boundary with elevations ranging from 1700 to 1900 feet. Extending into the east central area of the Township is Green Mountain. Strip mining activities have altered the original topography of this ridge and currently elevations range from 1,600 to 1,800 feet.
Butler Valley is level and gentle to moderately rolling land at elevations generally at 900 to 1,100 feet above sea level. The Valley is cut into near equal parts by Nescopeck Creek -which flows into the Susquehanna River and forms the largest drainage basin in the Township. Little Nescopeck Creek drains a much smaller basin in the southern part of the Township and empties into Nescopeck Creek outside the Township Boundaries.
The average annual precipitation over the Township is 47.8 inches. Snowfall is moderately heavy, averaging about 50 inches annually. The average annual temperature is about 50°F.
Forests and agricultural land constitute most of the land surface area of the Township. Infiltration of rainfall is normally high, but during the summer months is drastically reduced due to transpiration of the trees and plants.
The Eastern Middle Field coal region lies to the south of the Township and much of this area is drained by the Jeddo Tunnel Complex. The mouth of the Jeddo Tunnel is located just south of Drums and can severely affect the quality of the surrounding groundwater and the lower reaches of Little Nescopeck Creek.
11-2 Sheet 1 of13 has been prepared to display the most recent United States Geological Survey data as illustrated on subsequent 7.5 minute topographic quadrangles. Standard mapping symbols have been included to facilitate interpre- tation of the map. Contour lines shown are at twenty foot (20') intervals thus indicating a vertical rise or fall of 20 feet for every preceding contour line. U.S.G.S. Topographic Maps are extremely valuable due to their relative accuracy and comprehensive illustration of existing conditions.
C. GEOLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL ASPECTS 1. Geology: The exposed rock formations in Butler Township are from oldest to youngest, the Catskill Formation of Devonian Age; the Spechty Kopf Formation of Mississippian and Devonian Age; the Pocono Formation and Mauch Chunk Formation of ' Mississippian Age; and the Pottsville Formation and Llewellyn Formation of Pennsylvanian Age.
The Catskill Formation is composed chiefly of non-marine red and gray shale and sandstone with some conglomerate. This formation is exposed on the northern flank of Nescopeck Mountain and makes-up a very small portion of the Township.
The Spechty Kcpf Fcrmation is a ridge-former and is exposed on the very top of Nescopeck Mountain. This formation is composed of light to olive-gray, cross-bedded sandstone and some conglomerate which makes it very weather resistant.
The southern flank of Nescopeck Mountain is formed by the Pocono Formation. This formation is composed of thick- bedded, hard, coarse, gray to yellowish gray sandstone and conglomerate with some red shale layers. Thin coal seams may be found locally.
11-3 The majority of the Township is underlain by the valley- forming Mauch Chunk Formation. This formation is composed of red and gray-green shale and green sandstone.
Green Mountain, situated near the southeast corner of the Township, is topped by the Llewellyn Formation composed of gray, coarse-grained sandstone, conglomerate, and shale. The Pottsville Formation is also exposed near the top of Greene Mountain and is composed chiefly of hard, gray, quartz conglomerate, coarse-grained sandstone and shale containing a few thin seams of coal. The Mauch Chunk is exposed on the flanks of Green Mountain.
2. Glacial DeDosits: Approximately one-third of the Township was covered with ice during the Wisconsin glacial stage of the Pleistocene Period. This is the youngest of three stages and extended into the Township as far south as St. Johns.
Glacial deposits consist of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders which are a result of the transportation of earth materials by the ice or melt waters.
3. Geology and Groundwater Resources Map: The vast majority of the Township, including the valley area, is underlain by Mauch Chunk Shale which has a maximum thickness of 2,000 feet. Its water-bearing capacity will be evaluated in the next section of this report.
D. EVALUATION OF WATER RESOURCES 1. Introduction: This report is developed from information obtained from Pennsylvania's Geological Survey and the Department of Environmental Resources' State Water Plan relative to
11-4 the occurrence of groundwater in and surrounding the Butler Township Area. The groundwater and surface water runoff components were developed by Nassaux-Hemsley, Incorporated for the Little Nescopeck Creek basin in a previous report for the City of Hazleton and are applicable to this Study Area.
Based on the evaluation and the Township's topographic position, shallow water table and the water bearing properties of the underlying bedrock, it is apparent that the long term safe yield of the Butler Township groundwater system is approximately 18.3 million gallons per day. In terns of future population growth, this amounts of well over 100,000 people.
The chemical quality of the groundwater, in most cases, is considered good and is not a limiting factor in developing the groundwater potential.
a. Purpose and Scope - The purpose of this report is to evaluate the availability of groundwater in the Study Area and determine a safe yield in respect to groundwater management, and future population growth and land development.
The primary consideration of this report is given to :
(1) The quantity of potentially developable groundwater: and
(2) The chemical quality of the groundwater.
2. General Information: Groundwater Occurrence - The water bearing media or aquifer of any region is determined by the geology of the region. In order for a rock system to store or transmit water primary and secondary openings must be
11-5 present. This porosity, relative to the sedimentary deposits present in the study area, is chiefly dependent on the size, shape and cementation of its constituent particles and the fracturing of the rock resulting in joints, faults, and fractures.
The availability of groundwater for extraction depends on the porosity, topography, the areal distribution of the drainage basin and precipitation which is the source of groundwater replenishment. Land use, controlling runoff and infiltration, can also become an important factor in the supply of groundwater.
3. Safe Yield: Safe yield of a groundwater basin is the amount of water that can be withdrawn from it annually without producing an undesired result. These results include not only reserve depletion, but also the intrusion of water of undesirable quality, reduced streamflow and possible land subsidence.
;: 4. ;: The Catskill and Spechty Kopf Formation are reported to be reasonably good aquifers that can provide an adequate supply of good water. However, their topographic and stratigraphic position in the Township makes them less desirable for groundwater development.
Because of the massive character of the Pocono Sandstone, the water-bearing properties of this formation result mainly from the intersection of fractures. Its principal role as a mountain maker of the county make the Pocono sandstone available only to relatively deep wells in the Township.
11-6 The Mauch Chunk Shale is one of the most productive water-bearing formations in northeastern Pennsylvania. Its low-lying topographic position, between high ridges and generally shallow water table make it favorable to groundwater development. Three wells drilled in the Nescopeck Valley for the Lake of Four Seasons develop- ment, and located on fracture trace intersections yield from 150 to 275 gallons per minute.
One well drilled from the Lake of Four Seasons encountered Hydrogen Sulfide which cleared up a few weeks after drilling. Generally, the water quality of the Mauch Chunk is low in dissolved mineral matter and rather soft.
The fractured, hard sandstone beds of the Pottsville Formation make it a very good water producer. However, in the Hazleton Area, some wells drilled into this formation are known to be high in iron. A problem which may relate to the proximity of the wells to the coal basins. Also, the topographic location and limited exposure of the Pottsville Formation in the Township make it less available to groundwater development.
The limited exposure of the Llewellyn Formation and the quarrying operations connected with it, essentially eliminate this formation as a potential groundwater source in Butler Township.
The potential for available groundwater in glacial material is very good. Glacial outwash, produced by melt water, consists of irregular lenses of clay, sand, and gravel. The coarser sand and gravel yield water freely and locally can produce large supplies. Although drilling in unconsolidated deposits is difficult and proper well construction is critical.
11-7 5. Safe Yield of Major Watersheds: In the process of evaluating the groundwater runoff of an area, it is essential over the long term that
’. .. groundwater recharge equals or exceeds groundwater ., .. withdrawal. The basic equation for the water budget computed over an average year is:
P=R +RsfET+AS 4 Where P = Average Annual Precipitation, R = g Groundwater Runoff, Rs = Surface Water Runoff, ET = Evapotranspiration, and AS = Change in Groundwater Storage.
Butler Township is divided into two (2) subbasins: one drained by Nescopeck Creek; and one drained by Little Nescopeck Creek. For the purpose of determining the total groundwater runoff in the Township, the total areal distribution of the subbasins were calculated. These subbasins were then further subdivided into five (5) watersheds to designate future well field areas, Table No. 1 and Groundwater Resources, Sheet No. 3 of 13.
11-8 TABLE No, 1 AREAL DISTRIBUTION BY WATERSHED
WATER AREA OF MAJOR SHED SUBBASIN WATER SHED (MI.2) GEOLOGICAL FORMATION
A Nescopeck Creek 1.60 Mauch Chunk and Glacial Drift
B Little Nescopeck Creek 0.77 Mauch Chunk
C Little Nescopeck Creek 0.49 Mauch Chunk
D Little Nescopeck Creek 0.61 Mauch Chunk E Nescopeck Creek 0.41 Mauch Chunk & Glacial Drift
Total Area of Both Subbasins = 31.1 Mi. 2
THE BASIC WATER BUDGET COMPONENTS FOR BUTLER TOWNSHIP ARE:
RA IN FAL L* PERCENT OF (INCHES) MGD/mi PR EC IP I TAT ION
Groundwater Runoff (R ) 12.4 0.59 25.9 3 Surface Water Runoff (Rs 14.1 0.67 29.5 Evapotranspiration (ET) -21.3 1.01 44.6 TOTAL PRECIPITATION -47.8 2.27 100.0
SOURCE: Report on Groundwater Development Potential of the Hazleton Area, Nassaux-Hemsley, Incorporated, March 1979.
11-9 As the above water budget components show, the safe groundwater yield for Butler Township is 0.59 Million Gallons per Day per Square Mile. Therefore, a maximum of 18.3 Million Gallons of water a day can be extracted from . the Township's 31.1 Square Miles of drainage basin. Although this is a theoretical maximum, it does Provide an upper limit to the safe yield of ground reserves.
The watersheds designated below determine a safe yield relative to the more densely populated areas of the Townships.
TABLE No, 2 SAFE YIELD BY WATERSHED WATER SHED AREA (MI.*) MGD GPM
A 1.60 0.94 653 B 0.77 0.45 31 3 C 0.49 0.29 200 D 0.61 0.36 250 E 0.41 0.24 167
TOTAL -3.88 2.28 1,583 Assuming a usage of 100 Gallons per Day per Person, the minimum reserves available will support 22,800 people.
6. Groundwater Quality: Table No. 3 below, lists three (3) potential sources of groundwater in Butler Township along with their chemical constituents. The range of each constituent indicates that these aquifers can supply an acceptable quality of groundwater.
A water sample taken at the mouth of the Jeddo Tunnel, near Drums, shows a high concentration of dissolved solids, iron, manganese and sulfate and a low pH. This
11-10 mine drainage could seriously degrade the quality of groundwater in Watershed C, although the analysis of Drums Treatment Plant well showed no such degradation (see Table No. 4).
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11-12 TABLE No, 4
JEDDO TUNNEL DRUMS TREATMENT SAMPLE (MG/L) PLANT WELL (MG/L)
Dissol ved Sol ids 753.0 133.0 Hardness 2,400.0 125.0 A1 kal inity --- 90.0 Iron 7.9 0.28 Manganese 6.2 0.02 C hlor i de 15.5 Nitrate --- 3.5 Sulfate 42.5 4.0 PH 3.4 7.4 Turbidity --- 0.9 A1 umi num 20.0 Cal c ium 11.7 Sodi urn 24.0 Magnesium 80.3 Potas s iurn 1.5 --- Nitrite 0.056 Amman ia --- 0.27 Nitrogen ------ABS --- 0.018 Zinc 13.0 Specific Conductance ---
SOURCE: Report on Groundwater Development Potential of the Hazleton Area, Nassaux-Hemsley, Incorporated, March 1979.
11-13 6. Conclusions: Subbasins should be subdivided further for the location of proposed well sites.
Adequate water is available to meet a population growth of over 100,000 people, while the present populated areas can accommodate up to 22,800 persons. Well sites are recommended to be located in the Mauch Chunk Aquifer and glacial material. Well site location in the Mauch Chunk Aquifer should be based upon fracture trace studies. Due to the variable nature of glacial deposits, several exploratory wells may be required before the "most" favorable well site can be selected in the glacial material.
E. EVALUATION OF SOIL RESOURCES 1. Soil Associations: Soils usually consist of one or more major soils and at least one minor soil. These soil associations are identified according to characteristics common to those soils within the related groupings as follows. a. Oquaga-Weelsboro-Lackawanna Association: Gently sloping to very steep, moderately deep and deep, well drained and moderately well drained soils on dissected plateaus. b. Oquaga-Lordstown-Arnot Association: Moderately steep to very steep, moderately deep and shallow, well drained soils on mountain ridges and mountainsides.
C. Strip Mine-Mine Dump Association: Nearly level to very steep, deep and very shallow soil and rock material on mountaintops in valleys. d. Chenango-Pope-Wyoming Association: Nearly level to very steep, deep, well drained and somewhat excessively drained soils on glacial outwash terraces and on floodplains.
11-14 Various commercial recreation facilities also provide opportunities. The proposed Nescopeck Creek State Park will extend into the northeastern corner of the Township. This park will provide a variety of outdoor recreation including boating, swimming, hiking and camping. As a result, there are an estimated 5 acres of localized recreation. Based upon above standards, approximately 30 acres are required. Though there seems to be a deficiency, the State Park appears to be adequate for the development of additional local recreation facilities, and encompasses about 5,000 acres providing more than the required land area for existing populations.
6. Solid Waste Management Collection is presently provided by private refuse haulers. There are no legally permitted disposal sites within the Township. Regional facilities are satisfactory.
7. Other Facilities: A basement floor plan was developed in 1981 for a community center in the firehall. This was not accepted for implementation. The need is still evident for a large number of the local population.
H. PUBLIC UTILITIES Certain utilities can deter or enhance .population growth and land development. Water supply and sanitary sewer service are of utmost importance. Gas, phone, electric and other utilities are less critical.
1. Water Sumlv: At this time, no centralized private or municipally managed water systems are active in Butler Township. The Lake of Four Seasons community water system is in the formative stages. The St. Johns Water Company is
111-15 no longer operating. The Hazleton City Authority Water Department does not serve any portion of the Township. Privately-owned individual wells are the chief source of potable water supply.
2. Sewacre DisDosal: Wastewater disposal potential is a prime consideration when a particular land area is chosen for development. Depending upon the extent and type of land use, three basic disposal alternatives are available which include the use of existing public systems; the installation of private collection and treatment systems; and the installation of on-lot septic disposal systems. The presence of an existing public system within economical connection distances poses no limitations for land use. However, since most public systems are restricted to the more densely populated areas, land use away from these areas must depend upon either on-lot disposal or private community systems.
A wastewater collection and treatment system to serve a portion of the Township was constructed in 1977. Two separate and distinct subsystems were involved as follows: The Little Nescopeck Sewer System with more than 79,392 linear feet of gravity line and a treatment facility located at Drums; and the Nescopeck Sewer System with over 86,375 linear feet of gravity line and a treatment facility located at St. Johns. Together, these two subsystems collect and treat wastewater from approximately 58 percent of the entire Township's population.
Both wastewater treatment plants were designed to provide secondary treatment using the extended aeration, activated sludge process followed by breakpoint chlorina- tion for disinfection, and in the case of the St. John's Facility, for ammonia nitrogen removal also. The
111-16 St. John's Treatment Plant, with a 0.6 million gallons per day design capacity and the Drums Treatment Plant with a 0.4 million gallons per day design capacity were constructed using a modular plant design to facilitate future expansions when needed.
Both the Drums and St. Johns Wastewater Treatment Facilities have been operating since June 1978 and April 1979 respectively. Their average daily sewage flows at each plant were as follows:
TABLE No, 14 AVERAGE DAILY SEWAGE FLOWS PER YEAR AND PER PLANT
PLANT YEAR DRUMS ST. JOHNS 1981 118,000 gpd 65,000 gpd 1982 158,000 gpd 74,000 gpd
(gpd = Gallons Per Day) SOURCE: Butler Township Authority, Chapter 94 Report, January 1983.
Peak use has been in April 1982 at both plants. Organic and hydraulic loadings and capacities have been computed for each plant in the following:
111-17 TABLE No, 15 AVERAGE DAILY ORGANIC AND HYDRAULIC LOADINGS FOR 1982 AND FOR EACH PLANT
ORGAN IC HY DRAUL IC (IN 100 POUNDS (IN MILLION PLANT OF BOD5 PER DAY) GALLONS PER DAY) St. Johns Actual Use 2.1 0.08 Capacity 10.8 0.6 Usage Percentage of Capacity 19% 13%
Drums Actual Use 3.9 0.18 Capacity 7.2 0.4 Usage Percentage of Capacity 54% 45%
In effect, the two-plant system is collectively at 26 percent of hydraulic capacity and at 33 percent of organic capacity. The additional population capacity can be summarized: TABLE No, 16 SEWERAGE FACILITIES LIMITATIONS FOR EACH PLANT DRUMS ST. JOHNS TREATMENT PLANT~ TREATMENT PLANT~ TOTALS Existing EDU's Serviced2 818.50 529.00 1,347.50 Ex i s ti ng Gal 1 ons/Day Treated 169,429.50 1 09,503.00 278,932.50 Existing Population Served 2,422.76 1,565.84 3,989.00 Persons Maximum EDU Capacity 1,932.40 2,898.60 4,831 .OO Maximum Treatment Capacity 400,000.00 600,000.00 1,000,000.00 GPD Maximum Population Served 5,719.90 8,579.90 14,299.80 Persons SAY 14,300 1 Assume that existing treatment facilities (Drums and St. Johns) are primary limiting factors associated with existing sewerage facilities (collection capacity can change; treatment capacity remains constant due to design). Figures are based on hydraulic canacity only.
111-18 2Existing EDU's are based on current billing rates as provided by the Butler Township Authority, October 1982. They are broken down into: Drums ...... 593.0 EDU's Job Corps ...... 25.5 EDU's St. Johns ...... 470.0 EDU's KOA Campground ...... 44.0 EDU's Angela Park ...... 15.0 EDU's Average gallons disposed by an equivalent dwelling unit per day is estimated at 2.96 persons per household and 70 gallons per person, or 207 gallons per household (EDU) .
From the above analysis, the public sewer system can accommodate over 10,300 persons or a 72 percent increase. The number of existing connections is 860 or 1,076 equiva- lent dwelling units which consist of 849 residential uses, 146.5 commercial uses and 80.5 public uses.
The Butler Township Sewage Facilities Plan (Act 537/ Section 201 P.L. 92-500) found that it was not economically possible to provide sewers throughout the Township. The concept was to provide sanitary sewer service to existing concentrated development areas as well as those major developing areas in the planning stage. The intent of the plan was to provide sanitary service to Edgewood, Honey Hole, East Butler and Drums within 3 years, and to St. Johns, Rumbels, Lake of Four Seasons, Upper Lehigh, Route 653 at Freeland and High-Tor within 5 to 10 years. The schedule vas met, but the new deveiopments did not come on-line as quickly as perceived.
The subsystems have been designed utilizing the "watershed concept" with the interceptors and laterals following the lowest elevations so as to achieve low cost, insure maximum dependability and utilize gravity as the energy to convey the wastes.
The plan evolved relative to four (4) watersheds.
111-19 a. The Nescopeck Creek which drains St. Johns, Rumbels, Edgewood, Honey Hole, American Central Development (Lake of Four Seasons), .Nescopeck State Park and the Glen Oaks Development in Dennison Township. b. The Little Nescopeck Creek which drains Drums and East Butler plus a portion of the proposed HIGH-Tor Development. c. The Freeland Basin which drains upper Lehigh and portions of Route 653. d. The Buck Mountain Basin which drains the major portion of the proposed HIGH-Tor development in a southwest direction.
Development is promising along Route 653 and Route 309 to maximize sewer use.
3. Telephone Services: Bell of Pennsylvania provides services to areas of the Township bordering Hazle, Foster and Dennison Townships to include the Lake of Four Seasons Development. A toll line passes through the Township at Nescopeck Pass on Route 309, then follows Route 40013 and intersects with Township Road 356 at Drums; crosses Job Corps land, and County Road-38 and Ro\zte 40013. No major facilities are maintained in the Township.
The Commonwealth Telephone Company serves the majority and balance of the Township. It maintains a central office building on Route 653 at Township Road 389 close to the Sugarloaf Township boundary line. There are no limitations to their service area.
111-20 PART B PLAN DEVELOPMENT I, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
To provide guidance in the development of the Comprehensive Plan, the following objectives were established:
GENERAL
. 1. To encourage the preservation and protection of the rural and village characteristics of Butler Township.
2. To direct growth and development to take place in those areas of the Township where they can be best accommodated and where community facilities and public utilities are presently located or can be realistically anticipated. 3. To promote growth and development in such a way that adequate public services may be provided without detriment to the economy or the natural character of the Township. 4. To provide a reasonable balance of land uses to meet the needs of the Township including: a. Housing opportunities for a variety of population groups. b. Employment and economic development areas. c. Recreation and open space areas. d. Infrastructure support rights-of-way, easements, or lands such as roads, utility corridors, other public services required to sustain development. 5. To institute control of development so as to prevent conflicting land uses or the unnecessary exploitation of natural resources.
6. To maintain and improve the existing circulation system so as to provide safe and efficient travel into, through and out of the Township. 7. To attract desirable land development which will provide a broad economic base and employment opportunities for residents.
1-1 8. To protect the Township from the consequences of inappropriate development in those areas which are unsuited by natural conditions. 9. To encourage the continuation of agriculture in those areas where soil productivity is high. 10. To encourage the preservation of Drums and St. Johns (formerly Hughesville) as historically significant areas. 11. To encourage open space reservation through conservation areas, cluster developments, floodplain protection, other land use controls to provide a heritage and balanced environment for future generations. 12. To encourage appropriate design in critical environmental areas such as very steep slopes.
LAND USE
1. To preserve and maintain the integrity of existing residential areas by maintaining a development intensity and population density appropriate to the regional location of the Township, the natural constraints of the land area, and the location of public facilities and utilities. 2. To provide areas for growth to allow balanced housing development to help meet the local and regional needs. by permitting multi-family residential uses in areas related to major roadways, commercial services and public facilities, and encouraging the development of a variety of residential types in recognition of the changes in the size and composition of the current and anticipated households. 3. To encourage residential development at a neighborhood scale. 4. To prevent the incursion of incompatible, non-residential uses into residential neighborhoods.
1-2 5. To assure the compatibility of adjacent land uses.
6. To guide residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional development toward areas served or to be served by public or central sanitary sewer and water supply systems. 7. To discourage strip commercial development along PA Route 309, and guide commercial use according to the market area served by permitting regional and community business and office development in areas related to key locations, such as the interchange with Interstate Route 80 and in the vicinity of Legislative Route 653 and Hazleton.
8. To preserve as much as possible, mature forests, active farms and other strategic areas which should not be developed for any suburban or urban development. 9. To permit neighborhood commercial uses in or near major residential areas.
10. To promote future industrial development by reserving land suitable for such use in relation to flat topography, relatively large parcels of land, good drainage, access to major roads and availability of public facilities.
TRAFFIC MOVEMENT 1. To allow regional traffic to pass through the Township with a minimum of congestion and disruption to existing and future residents. 2. To establish a system of roads to encourage a smooth flow of traffic and to promote convenient access to regional highways for Township residents. 3. To encourage land development plans for road networks which
discourage through traffic within residential neighborhoods, l and promote safe use of internal streets by children, pedestrians, elderly, handicapped, other non-vehicular users.
1-3 4. To discourage direct residential driveway access to existing roads by encouraging turn-around area on lots facing public roads, and in major land developments, requiring driveway access to internal streets only. 5. To institute a continuing and coordinated capital improvements program for road improvements, construction and reconstruction. 6. To improve hazardous road conditions such as unsafe curves, congested intersections, blind sight-lines, narrow bridge crossings, unlimited access drives, and other undesireable features. 7. To encourage major road improvements for adequate connec- tions and extensions providing, in effect, convenience access for Township residents while discouraging through traffic on local roads. 8. To regulate the quality of roadside environment. 9. To limit access to critical environmental areas. 10. To provide walkways and pathways in relation to schools, parks, other public areas. 11. To provide a variety of transportation modes, including equestrian, cycling and public forms of transportation. 12. To carefully design roads to handle necessary volumes of traffic vehicles; however, they should not be over- designed.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND PUBLIC UTILITIES 1. To provide convenient, well located community facilities to serve Township residents. 2. To provide a full range of public services to persons of all socio-economic backgrounds, and to areas in accordance with population density. 3. To promote the health, safety, and welfare of Township residents through the provision of proper water and sewer utilities.
1-4 4. To preserve the integrity of future water supply by relating water quantities and quality to future development capabilities. 5. To seek greater cooperation of public agencies and utility companies. 6. To reduce the amount of utility land area wherever feasible, and to locate utility lines according to existing and planned development patterns.
. 7. To maximize use of right-of-way lands where safety standards can be maintained, and to share common corridors wherever possible to lessen impact on other land uses. 8. To minimize impact on critical environmental areas by using marginal lands with minimum scenic and development value. 9. To discourage water and sewer lines from being brought through or adjacent to areas where development potential should remain low and where conservation and agriculture should prevail. 10. To concentrate development in those watersheds with the most optimum yield and quality, and to protect areas of aquifer recharge, floodplain and wetland. 11. To promote central and/or public water supply development.
1-5 GROWTH MANAGEMENT A moderate growth policy is expressed by the Comprehensive Plan. It advocates a linear pattern of concentrated development centers following physical characteristics of Butler Township, and promoting homogenous development while allowing interspaced areas of diverse uses and providing for needed community services and facilities. In effect, development is focused on areas where community services can be readily provided, and natural/man-made features (highways, streams, ridges, etc.) define development patterns.
Many studies have demonstrated that scattered development contributes to increased costs for roads, sewer lines, water facilities, solid waste disposal, police and fire protection, schools, parks, and other governmental services than would be the case if land were developed outward from existing centers or in an orderly fashion based upon the availability and adequacy of public facilities and utilities. As envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan, the proposed land use policy relates not only to the expansion of existing activity centers, but also to the creation of new activity centers. The development of future growth areas in the Township provides for a concentration of services and facilities with the advantages for location of new land uses. A reciprocal advantage is the prevention of overdeveloping existing development centers with inherent problems of congestion, and the protection of critical areas which should be developed with sensitivity and moderation.
The Land Use Plan deals with residential uses and their densities, commercial and industrial uses, as well as critical areas for limited development, recreation, COnSerVatiOII and agriculture.
11-1 GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSED LAND USES Use interpretations have been made for the critical areas of Butler Township. Before preparing the Proposed Land Use/Zoning Map (Sheet 13 of 13), that is mapping specific future uses in specific areas, it would be wise to refine this interpretative process further by understanding the demands put upon the land by certain types of land use and development. Thus, one can arrive at a clearer idea of what lands would be most compatible for these uses. When it comes to actually choosing a site for a particular kind of use, several areas might be measured against one another from the point of view of tolerance of the land to that use with respect to water, drainage, slopes, soils and other natural resources; and, costs of supportive facilities for that use such as roads, sewers, various community services and utilities.
The following discussion of the demands made on the land by different kinds of uses should help reveal the most pertinent categories for comparison of sites.
1. Residential Uses:
Topographic features, drainage patterns and soils are the most important environmental considerations in locating residential uses. Of course, gently rolling, well- drained thickly soiled lands would be the best for all uses from agriculture to industry, including residences. For housing, the steeper the slopes, the more expensive the construction and the greater the dangers of erosion. Where slope exceeds 15%only very low densities are tolerable, and each -lot should be carefully evaluated in terms of drainage, erosion, sewage, etc. There should be no buiiding on slopes over 25%.
11-2 In areas of high relief, excessive cuts and fills often used to facilitate a forced street pattern should be avoided. Housing and roads should be fitted into the natural pattern of the landscape, clustering the housing where necessary. Ridge lines should be left in their natural state and wooded crests maintained to avoid their exposure to the wearing elements of wind, rain, and erosion, as well as for aesthetic reasons.
Natural drainage patterns must be thoroughly understood before any housing is sited on the land. The criteria must provide that there will be no increase in erosion and that the cross-section of any new drainageway will be sufficient to handle all projected flows. The amount of land coverage by buildings and paving at different densities would have to be measured against the absorptive qualities of the soil and the existing drainage patterns. Flood-prone areas should be identified. Buffe? zones should be established around water bodies and watercourses.
Residential development needs soils that drain reasonably well. It should not be placed in areas of thin soils, especially where on-site sewage is necessary. High frost heave action is a likely occurrence in thin soil areas. Thick soils are favorable giving both good drainage and foundation conditions.
In locating sites for high-rise buildings, foundation- bearing qualities of the soil and rock become significant. An occasional single tall building on a promontory can be a spectacular thing.
2. Business Jses: All the criteria which apply to residential development are valid for these various business uses, except for slope. In order to avoid massive excavation for the
11-3 larger buildings and parking areasrindustrialand commercial development should be located on land with less than 5% slope. Sewers will nearly always be essential.
For some manufacturing, a good water supply is needed and careful control of industrial wastes must be required.
In considering industrial locations, sites surrounded by hills on all sides should be avoided. This topographical configuration creates a bowl situation where moving air currents cannot cleanse the air readily and where, during temperature inversions, the smoke, haze, and fumes build up and cannot be blown away.
Service Uses : (Transportation, utilities, community facilities, institutions.) Transportation - The planning of transportation routes depends upon the factors of topography, relief and slope; rock type and characteristics; soil type and characteristics; and water. Specific characteristics of soils are of primary importance (strength, stability, sensitivity, shrink-swell potential, etc.), as are depth, excavatability and stability of rock in cut and tunnel areas. Drainage characteristics of all foundation material under all possible conditions must be evaluated. Marsh, swamp, and alluvium areas are to be avoided altogether or bridged with utmost caution.
Construction of transportation and utility routes introduces problems, some of which are transitory and others more permanent. Breaking turf removes vegetation cover and promotes accelerated erosion and downstream silting. Local drainage characteristics may be permanently altered by rerouting of surface drainage and channeling runoff. The effects of a proposed route on the drainage basin (and vice-versa) must be evaluated with regard to both the short and long term.
11-4 Construction costs should not be the sole criterion of route selection. The preservation of valuable aesthetic, natural, historic and scenic features might require that a proposed transportation route take an expensive detour. Some roads might be designed as scenic routes with roadside development controlled to protect the scenery and particular vistas.
While airports are limited to areas of less than 3% slopes, interstate highways can be built with slopes from 4-5%. Arterial roads generally can be accommodated on up to 10% slopes with minimizing cuts and fills. Local and scenic roads with lower speeds and lighter traffic volumes can have 15% slopes in limited durations.
Utilities - a. Water and Sewage - Liquid wastes include domestic sewage, industrial waste and undesirable pollutants, including heat. The type of data required in planning for their disposal depends on the waste and the method of disposal to be utilized. Used water must be returned to the hydrologic cycle at some point, preferably within the same watershed. Trunk sewers and similar schemes can lead to depletion of the water resource by removing water from one area and transporting it to another before returning it to the natural hydrologic system.
Locations of sewer and water lines are determined in large measure by natural drainage patterns since it is much less costly to utilize gravity flow wherever possible. Another cost consideration is presented by the thickness of the soil and the kind of bedrock. Thin soil and hard rock may necessitate blasting to make trenches for sewer and water lines.
It would be wise to limit development on steeper slopes and perhaps to allow a few septic systems there
11-5 eliminating the need for digging sewer lines which would destroy vegetation and possibly create erosion. The lower slopes, if they were reasonably close to a trunk line, would be a better place for sewers. Breaking turf and removing vegetation always bring the danger of erosion and sedimentation, so on moderate slopes the decision to put in sewers must be weighed carefully. Extreme care should be taken in reviewing the location and construction methods of placing pipelines in the ground.
Septic Systems - Septic fields are suited to rural areas, but even there as only a temporary measure. Soil characteristics such as thickness, natural moisture and permeability must be known in considerable detail. The location of the septic field in relation to ground and surface waters is critical in order to avoid polluting the water resource. Bedrock characteristics require investigation, especially when drainage paths exist in rock structures. Percolation tests have been shown to be unreliable especially for larger scale development.
Disposal of some types of liquid wastes can be accomplished by surface spreading or aeration. This method is particularly attractive in areas requiring irrigation, and may be accomplished either by ponding or spraying, or both. Soil, rock and hydrologic conditions would have to be carefully investigated before this type of disposal could be considered.
Package treatment plants have been notably unsuccessful except where operated under municipal supervision, and should not be considered unless all other possibilities have proved impractical. When used, they should include tertiary treatment (aeration).
11-6 b. Solid Waste Disposal - The sanitary landfill method of waste disposal involves the planned and controlled disposal of waste by compaction and daily sealing with a compacted layer of soil. With the sanitary landfill method, waste becomes part of the permanent geologic environment. As such it is subject to normal geologic processes such as weathering and transmitting water; therefore, general geologic and groundwater information must be obtained as part of the site selection process. Leachates must not be permitted to enter the ground or surface water system, so information regarding position of the water table and the direction of groundwater movement must be developed. It is important to remember that once the landfill is completed, a new and different set of conditions will exist -- the geologic regimen will have been permanently altered. Under the new set of conditions, the water table will assume a new position. This new position must be anticipated in order to prevent contamination of groundwater at some future date.
Sanitary landfill sites should be located carefully with respect to urbanized areas. Weather patterns, wind direction, distance and access all must be favorable, as should day-to-day operation of the landfill itself. It also must be kept in mind that the primary purpose of a sanitary landfill is the safe disposal of refuse -- not convenience or land reclamation. If the completed landfill can be planned for sequential use, so much the better, but the selection of a potential site must be made on the basis of safe disposal of refuse. c. Water Impoundment Sites - Artificial ponds, lakes and reservoirs often can be created by the judicious damming of a stream or by collecting the output of springs. The most important factors in the selection of potential water impoundment sites would be topography and
11-7 permeability of soil and rock. Surface waters, it must be remembered, are easily contaminated. Stability of soils under saturated conditions might be a critical factor. The construction of an impoundment requires that suitable materials for its construction be readily available.
d. Electrical Lines - Electric and phone lines should avoid crossing ridge lines at the high points and should follow contours across the hillside if at all possible. To be strictly avoided is the present practice of "straight shots" up the mountainside. This can be done by employing switch-backs, shorter swaths, and curved routings. All excessive clearing should be restricted.
4. ODen SDace Uses: (Conservation, Recreation, Buffers, Wildlife, Agriculture.) Open space can serve as a significant force in defining and giving form to major development areas. The natural resource inventory should make it easier for the Township to decide what lands should be left as open space. Unbuildable ridges, gorges and swamps can provide links between forest areas, wildlife habitats and parks. Waterways can form the skeleton of the open space system with easements and regulations of the banks. If a:: interconnected system of parks and trails is mapped as part of the Comprehensive Plan, developers, particularly those of cluster and planned residential development, can be asked to dedicate sections or links where their land falls within the planned park system. Low density zoning in dense forested areas or in active agricultural areas could play its part in preserving the open, rural feeling of tha valley. Actual purchase of lands and easements and donation by gift are among the means of open space acquisition.
11- 8 Recreation - Recreational uses can be placed in areas with an unlimited variety of land conditions. Only when land is sought for a particular recreational activity such as skiing, baseball or swimming or for building recreational structures do the land characteristics, such as slope become decisive. A community should try to provide many different kinds of recreation, both active and passive, for its citizens.
Agriculture - Maintenance of a generous amount of land in agricultural use will be essential to retaining the beauty of the region. The alluvium soils of the floodplains in the valleys are good for most kinds of farming. Multiple use is also served when agricultural uses can occupy the same land area as an aquifer recharge or potential sand and gravel deposit which may be utilized for construction purposes in the future.
LAND USE PROJECTIONS Land demand for future land development by Year 2000 is as follows:
I TABLE NO. 1 I I YEAR 2000 LAND AREA REQUIREMENTS I LAND AREAS REQUIRED LAND USE (IN ACRES) Residential 81 5 Commer c i a 1 75 Industrial 295 Recreation 25 Pub1 ic/Quasi -Pub1 i c 85 Rights-of-way 390 -- 1 TOTAL
11-9 This accounts for 7.72 percent of the total land area of Butler Township. There would be required for 76 additional persons per square mile or 3.8 persons per square mile per year for the 20-year planning period, an overall density factor of 3.2 persons per residential acre and an accompanying allocation for other uses.
PROPOSED LAND USE DESIGNATIONS As illustrated on the Proposed Land Use/Zoning Map, it is proposed that major development sectors develop into urban centers. There would be existing communities of Drums, St. Johns, Edgewood and the area of Routes 653 and 309. Each of these communities are separated by open space on the perimeter, and served by a system of radial and circumferential roads. Not only would such areas each be served with a complete system of urban services and facilities, but also each would contain a number of neighborhood shopping and community facilities. All areas would have a road network linking them with the regional highway network. Most development is encouraged to occur in the urban residential areas, and to a lesser degree in the suburban residential areas. Neighborhood business is selectively located, and its extent limited to these residential areas.
The areas of highest residential density are provided to give a large number of people immediate access to the commercial areas, and at the same time, to strengthen these centers so that a greater variety of merchandise and services could be offered. Also, they are to provide for a sufficiently large number of people in a relatively compact area to support efficient and economical public services and facilities, and concurrently reduce the public expenditures for these services. This pattern of residential development would encourage a variety of housing types within a land development, and relate living, shopping, and working areas. Planned developments are also encouraged.
11-10 The intermediate (suburban) residential density pattern would be accomplished by filling in underdeveloped areas and by expanding the existing urbanized area. It connects to the rural areas reserved for conservation, agriculture and very low density development.
Land area requirements for commercial use are relatively nominal as a percentage of total urban land use. New shopping centers and general commercial developments do, however, require sizeable tracts of land for off-street parking needs. The important consideration at this time is not how much land will be required, but rather where it should be located and what standards should be applied.
1 To ensure proper location and development of general commercial areas, the following requisites should be met:
1. Relatively flat and well-drained sites.
2. Close proximity to the population and function served. 3. Readily accessible road pattern with traffic movements facilitated. 4. Compact design with adequate off-street parking, and separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. 5. Available utilities.
The proposed general commercial areas are situated at the Inter- change of Routes 80 and 309, and along Route 309 near Nescopeck Creek. They are encouraged to expand or develop so as to provide a full range of goods and service businesses.
Mixed residential business and neighborhood commercial uses are included with the urban residential uses, as well as key locations on Routes 309 and 653. Neighborhood centers are considered to consist of those retail stores and service establishments which are used frequently by the neighborhood residents and which could be easily accessible to their residences. Such centers would require a population of at least 500 families, desirable
11-11 over 1,000 families, if they are to be successful. Crossroads shopping areas serve rural areas, and tend to rely on larger service areas due to low population densities. With the minimum market population, a center with 8 to 12 shops can be supported under average conditions. The best locations will normally be found on major streets and preferably at or near the intersection of primary or secondary thoroughfares. The siting involves relatively flat sites with enough space for parking and circula- tion. Neighborhood centers are encouraged to expand with population increase to provide a full range of shops and services.
On the other hand, general commercial centers provide a variety of goods and services at competitive prices. They also draw their trade from adjacent highways. These include such uses as service stations, restaurants and motels catering primarily to transients, but also generally include local trade and service establishments. Best located at interchanges and junctions of highways, they should be setback so as not to interfere with traffic and provide adequate parking area. In addition, they should be buffered from adjacent residential areas.
Industrial development will require good access to Routes 80, 81 and 309; fairly level land of 0 to 8 percent slope; relatively large parcels of land; sanitary sewer and water supply facilities; and, ease of buffering, screening and environmental design controls. With the lack of existing industry, Butler Township has no precedent, and is quite limited as to areas with said qualities.
With the projected increase in population, jobs must be created. This can be satisfied in both commercial and industrial sectors by expansion of existing sites and by creation of new sites in Butler Township to provide opportunities for employment. The industrial areas are divided between the light manufacturing and mineral extraction (and compatible associated activities). Light
11-12 manufacturing is oriented to an area bounding Route 309 between Sand Spring and Nescopeck Pass. Mineral extraction and potentially obnoxious industrial uses are directed to the southeast sector of the Township in the vicinity of Route 653. They should be subject to location and development standards inasmuch to protect adjacent non-industrial uses.
Future populations will require open space recreation and park land. One of the Township’s economic potentials lie in the development . of commercial recreation enterprise. Besides tourists, local residents need active recreation areas. There are lands which do not lend themselves to intensive development or to intensive recreation. The rural areas will serve for farm, forest and open space preserve. As implied, these areas represent land which is not suited to construction of structures by virtue of flooding, high water table, severe erosion potential, steep slopes, wetlands, and farmlands. They are found west of Route 81 and north of Route 80, adjacent to Kis-lyn, Lake of Four Seasons, east of Route 309; Rumbels, and the southern portion of the Township except for parts of Routes 309, 653, and 40013. Floodplains are further restricted by the Federal Emergency Management Agencyand the Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs.
In summary, Butler Township has been broken down into land use categories for planning and zoning priorities to reflect anticipated development pressures or identified critical areas. More land than will actually be needed has been allocated for development. This is to allow for maximum flexibility of choice and at the same time reduce the likelihood of land price spirals due to a shortage of land capable of being marketed. It is evident that the residential and non-residential (residential support) sectors would result in a capacity of over 26,625 persons, or ever three times the projected year 2000 population (using a conputed factor of 1.22 persons per acre which is derived by the year 2000
11-13 population divided by the existing and proposed development areas). Approximately one-third of Butler Township lands are designated for residential use. Conventional business and industry are limited to a support role in community development. About 13,720 acres are allocated to non-intense development and open space.
PROPOSED LAND USE LAND AREA (IN ACRES) Residential 7,379 Comme rc i a 1 161 Industrial 1,700 (Includes Mining) Conservation/ Agriculture 12,570
I TOTAL 21,810 Acres (Includes Critical Areas and Rights-of-way)
Furthermore, land use must be tempered by critical area constraints. They have been identified and their importance examined to recommend a policy for future land use, namely development and conservation. This is summarized as follows:
11-14 TABLE No, 3 CRITICAL AREA CONSTRAINTS
RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT- TYPE OF CRITICAL AREA LAND USE IMPORTANCE CONSERVATION POLICY Surf ace Water Scenic value; Provide refuge No Devel opmen t for wildlife; Water Supply. Wet1 ands Provide refuge for wildl ife; Parks, forestry, agriculture, Water storage and purifica- limited residential develop- tion; Very unstable areas; ment (5 acre or more minimum Difficult to build on; lot size) Scenic value. Wooded Areas With Provide refuge for wildl ife; Parks, forestry, limited resi- Slopes Over 25% Help reduce flooding runoff dential development (5 acre and drought; Prevent topsoil or more minimum lot size)* from being washed away; Scenic value; Climatic effect-temperature change and wind reduction, improve air quality; Very unstable areas; Difficult to build on. Aquifers Underground geologic founda- Parks, forestry, agriculture; tions which carry and supply Limited residential devel o'pment water; Care should be taken (1 acre or more minimum lot to avoid polluting. size), research-type industry, concentrated res i denti a1 Aquifer Recharge Points of interchange between development with public/central Areas aquifers and surface water; sewers only and groundwater Care should be taken to recharge ponds. * avoid polluting.
~~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ Wooded Lands With Provide refuge for wildl ife; Parks, forestry, agriculture, Slopes 25% or Less C1 imatic effect - temperature residential development (1 acre and wind reduction, improve or more minimum lot size), air quality; Stable/unstable researc h-type industry , areas; Scenic value. concentrated or clustered residential development." Poor Drainage Areas Bedrock close to surface, high Limited residential development water tab1 e , impervious soil s , (2 acre or more minimum lot etc. make drainage poor for size) unless public sewerage use of septic tanks, leaching system is present. f iel ds and cesspool s.
11-15 TABLE No, 3 (CONTINUED)
RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT- TYPE OF CRITICAL AREA LAND USE IMPORTANCE CONSERVAT I ON POL I CY F1 oodpl ai ns Subject to inundation, there- Parks, forestry, agricul- fore, susceptible to flood ture, limited residential damage; Scenic value. development, as long as structures and sewage disposal are kept off floodplain area. Prime And Active Best soils for active farming Encourage existing farm use Agriculture Lands use. on these soils (2 acres or more minimum lot size) and promote compatible 1 and uses.
*Land coverage (including roads, parking and structures) limitations set by percolation.
11-16 REGIONAL LAND USE POLICY Each municipality surrounding Butler Township provides for zoning of its political jurisdiction. They are as .,follows:
MUNICIPALITY DISTRICT s Hollenback A-R Agricultural Residential Do r rance C-1 Conservation B-4 General Business R-1 Si ngl e-Fami ly Resi denti a1 rDenni son C-1 Conservation Foster Mini ng/Conservat i on R-2 Single-Family Residential Agriculture Hazl e R-20 Si ngle-Family Residential IP Industrial Park Sugar1 oaf A-1 Conservation A-2 Agriculture R-1 Si ngl e-Fami ly Residential C-2 Highway Commercial
All proposed land uses for Butler Township are compatible with adjacent municipalities. Foster Township is in the process of amending its Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Ordinance: presently, it recognizes existing land uses/development patterns in Upper Lehigh and Freeland areas, and those areas used for strip mining, farming, and other open space uses. Dorrance and Hazle Townships relate their urban uses to Route 309, and down-zone accordingly further along the Butler Township borderline.
The Luzerne County Land Use Plan indicates Butler Township for year 2000 to consider future development in the following areas :
11-17 TABLE NO. 5 LUZERNE COUNTY LAND USE PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BUTLER TOWNSHIP AREA
LAND USF GEOGRAPHICAL AREA I S) Res identi a1 CR38-TR348; LR653-West of 1-81 ; CR37; TR350; LR40012-TR350; TR366 ; TR368; CR32 ; LR653-TR347; TR354; LR40013-PA309; St. Johns; Rurnbels; Drums; Bella Vista; Sand Spring; Edgewood; Lake of Four Seasons. Commercial LR40013/PA309; I-80/PA309; CR41/PA309; Free1 and/LR653; Nescopeck Creek/PA309; LR653/PA309; LR40009/PA309.
Industrial 1 None ~ 7 Pub1 ic/Quasi-Pub1 ic Long Run; Nescopeck Creek State Park Kis-lyn ; LR653-TR335/PA309 ; and Little Nescopeck Creek.
Open Space Balance of Lands Not Designated I Otherwise. I
Essentially, the Luzerne County Land Use Plan reflects an expansion of the existing development pattern. The Butler Township proposed land use scheme presents greater detail with this theme in mind.
The Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania developed regional land use guidelines for future development in the Northeastern Pennsylvania: Toward The Year 2000 Report. The regional perspective is identified to analyze specific socio-economic and physical design objectives and policies. Butler Township is included in the Hazleton Urban Activity Area, and recommended to serve as the region's primary commercial, industrial, cultural and residential center. For this sub-area of the region, strategic objectives are provided and examined for implications to land development: development objectives are formulated to achieve these types of proposed actions consistent with their regional functions.
11-18 Strategic objectives and development objectives are presented in tabular form. They do not deal in detail with the specific environmental features, problems and opportunities of each area in the region; they deal with the broad land use principles.
TABLE NO. 6 REGIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR THE HAZLETON-BUTLER AREA
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
~ ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~ 1. Strengthen commercial activi- 1. Consolidate related commercial ties so as to more effectively activities in identifiable centers provide a choice of goods and that are more easily accessible services not readily available in from all parts of the Region. secondary centers. 2. Increase industrial diversifi- 2. Better interrelate industrial cation and output. developments with associated industrial uses, transportation and labor force so as to provide a more attractive and efficient milieu for desired industrial growth. 3. Improve the quality of the 3. Provide major consolidated 'residential environment and oppor- educational, recreational and tunities for education, recreation cultural facil i ties for Regional and cul tural development. use, while continuing efforts to provide quality facilities for this sub-area. 4. Better integrated coinmercial, 4. Improve the quality of existing industrial, cultural and residen- residential neighborhoods and the tial functions and activities. choice, quality and supply of housing avai 1 ab1 e. 5. Control land use and develop- ment so as to minimize conflicts between commercial, industrial and residential activities and maximize ef f i c i ency . 6. Expand open-space preserves.
The regional land use policy plan serves as a framework within which Butler Township can orient itself to the region and the county as a whole. Therefore, land use policy guidelines are presented as follows:
11-19 TABLE No. 7 REGIONAL LAND USE POLICIES BY OBJECTIVE CATEGORY
LAND USE OBJECTIVES POLICY GUIDELINES IMPLEHENTATION TECHiiIOUES I To increase the productivity of these 1. Specific areas should be delineated 1. Zoning restriction. areas as the Region's primary comercial whose predominant functional land use is and industrial centers; to upgrade the either residential, commercial, indus- environment, amenities and facilities of trial or open space. residential neighborhoods; and to enhance the overall aesthetic qualities 2. In residential neighborhoods: of the urban areas. a. The quality and supply of 2. a. Code enforcement; Renewal; housing should be improved to meet Rehabil ita ti on. the full range of projected housing needs. b. Commercial, recreational, and b. Rehabilitation. institutional amenities and facilities should be improved to better meet the needs of the neighborhood population.
c. Uses not compatible with c. Rezoning restrictions; Renewal. residential living should be relocated.
d. The appearances of neighbor- d. Environmental assessment; hoods should be improved by elimin- Rehabilitation; Renewal. inating elements that are visually offensive and providing elements that contribute to an attractive environment.
3. Commercial centers of regional 3. Planned location of shopping centers; scope should be organized so that con- Market studies; Transportation planni ng. centrations of similar or related goods and services not available in secondary centers are easily accessible from all parts of the Region. 4. Industrial uses should be concen- 4. Zoning restrictions; Industrial loca- trated in integrated industrial areas, tion analysis; Environmental impact ' located and designed so as not to analysis . conflict with residential neighbor- hoods or their related activities.
To strengthen agriculture as a produc- 1. Non-rural uses and intensities 1. Zoning restrictions. tive economic activity and to preserve should be restricted to pre-designated the rural character of the agricultural areas that are suitable for such uses. areas as a regional environmental resource. 2. In areas designated for non-rural 2. Code enforcement; Zoning restrictions; I uses, the use of the land should be Planning unit development; Clustering. effectively control 1ed to :
a. Prevent overcrowding. b. Avoid underutil ization. c. Ensure efficient operation. d. Maximize negative impacts upon environment.
3. In areas designated for rural uses, 3. Zoning ordinances and restrictions; non-agricul tural development should be Site Oesign Controls. restricted as to minimum frontage and size, maximum density and type of use. 4. In areas designated for rural uses, 4. Code enforceittent; Environiiiental assess- along main transportation arteries, ment; Zoning restrictions; Sign controls. structures that are not associated with local uses should not be permitted.
5. Legislation should be promoted 5. Tax assessment evaluation; Priority to assure that the assessment of use zoning. agricultural land for purposes of property taxation is compatible with the preservation of such land for agricultural activities.
11-20 TABLE No. 7 (CONTINUED)
LAND USE OBJECTIVES POLICY GUIDELINES IWPLCI.IENTATIOl~TECHFIIOUES
~ To preserve and protect the Region's 1. Development should be restricted to 1. Zoning wstrictions; Environwntal distinctive recreational resource areas; types and to pre-designated areas where impact analysis. to expand recreation as a productive it will not encroach upon areas of: economic activity while maintaining environmental quality; and to preserve a. Significant recreational certain open-space areas for possible resources. future use. b. Wetlands. c. Steep slope. d. Water resources. e. Wildlife reserves. f. State gamelands and forests. 9. Public and semi-public open- space.
2. Within designated development areas, 2. Zoning restrictions; Code enforce- development should be restricted to ments; Clustering; Market studies; recreational, residential, and associated Envi ronniental impact analys is . commercial uses. Commercial centers of regional scope, and passive recreational, office and compatible industrial uses should be selectively located where they can be designed so as not to impinge upon scenic and recreational values.
3. Whenever feasible, second-home 3. Planned residential developments; types of developments associated with Clustering; Idarket studies; Environmental recreational resources, should be of a impact analysis. planned and integrated nature, designed to create a positive impact upon the environment and minimize public and social costs.
4. here planned-integrated develop- 4. Zoning restrictions; Code enforcement. ment is inappropriate in recreation and open space areas, development should be severely restricted as to minimum frontages and lot size. 5. In areas of signfi'cant recreational 5. Zoning restrictions; Code enforcement; or scenic resources, no more than the Environmental impact analysis. minimum of access and of other structural facilities necessary for enjoyment of the resource should be permitted.
6. On all arteries transversing recrea- 6. Zoning restrictions; Code enforcement; tion and open spaces, signs and other Transportation planning and design; structures that might impinge upon the Environmental impact analysis. visual and aesthetic qualities of the area should be controlled.
7. Legislation should be promoted to assure that the assessment of open-space for tax purposes is compatible with the preservation of this use.
To develop an efficient pattern of 1. Land adjacent to major arteries of 1. Zoning restrictions; Code enforcement; relati ons hips between res idential , transportation should be used for its Env ironmen ta 1 inipac t ana 1y s i s . commercial and industrial uses and to most productive and beneficial uses and ?issure that land allocated for one use designed to secure an attractive should not conflict with other uses. development with safe and efficient highway access.
2. Planning activities and development ?. Planned residential development; patterns should be community and neigh- Zlusteri ng; Code enforcement; Zoni fig. borhood oriented, aimed at providing integrated systems successfully meeting community needs and creating an appro- priate environment for residential living.
3. Major industrial uses should be 3. Zoning restrictions; Code enforcement; concentrated in integrated industrial Envi roniriental iiiqiact analysis; Industrial areas, and dwigned so as not to conflict location analysis. with the qual'ty of reiidentiai livisg or with existing systems for ineeting coi!unuoity and regional needs.
TI-?; TABLE No. 7 (CONTI NUED)
LAND USE OBJECTIVES POLICY GUIDELINES IMFLE14EHTATIOII TFCHNIOUCS 4. Commercial facilities should be 4. Planned location of shopping centers; located and designed for effectively Market studies; Zoning restrictions. meeting community and neighborhood needs except that, where commercial development of regional scope is appropriate, it should be located and designed so as not to conflict with other areas..
5. To the extent feasible, development 5. Comprehensive planning. should be directed at strengthening existing neighborhoods, communities and centers.
6. Where feasible, existing agricul- 6. Zoning. tural and open-space areas should be ma inta i ned .
11-22 PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING DISTRICTS The Land Use Plan has determined the most optimum land uses for each area of the Township, and they are graphically depicted on a map sheet (Sheet 13 of 13). They are described as follows:
RURAL DISTRICTS - Densities of less than one dwelling unit per acre.
-RC - Proposed for residential density of 0.2 dwelling unit per acre, it includes those areas because of natural geographic factors and existing land uses. They are desireable to conserve extensive lands which are steeply sloped, wooded, wildlife habitats, critical open spaces.
-RA - Proposed for a residential density of 0.5 dwelling unit per acre, it includes those areas with active farming and prime cropland soils, are desireable to preserve and to provide land uses which do not require public or central water and sewer facilities, and other urban services.
RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS - Densities of over one (1) dwelling unit per. acre.
-SR - Those areas with few, if any, environmental constraints. They are immediately surrounding developed areas, and logically can sustain growth at a range of 1 - 4 dwelling units per acre.
-UR - Those area which are able to readily expand, and where full service utilities are provided. They could absorb up to six (6) dwelling units per acre, as well as multiple family residential development at much greater densities providing that water and sewer service is available, adjacent streets are adequate to serve traffic generated by such development: and sufficient community facilities and services are in close proximity and can meet development demand.
-MRB - Those areas where retail services are needed by the neighbor- hood population and interspersed with dwelling units. They can be served with community facilities and services, including public
11-23 water and/or sewer. Home occupations, offices, clinics, shops, schools, churches, other land uses would be encouraged not to conflict with the existing character of the residential neighbor- hood. Dwelling units could be co-situated with businesses.
COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS - -NC - Those areas containing existing stores and services which serve the neighborhood or the community.
-GC - Those areas providing locations of a more general nature of a neighborhood, such as retail, wholesale, processing, shopping, offices, banks, restaurants, service stations, motels, other businesses situated at a highway interchange or highway corridor.
INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS -
-RI - Those areas accessible by major roads, with full-service utilities, no environmental constraints, and relatively large amounts of land.
MI- - Those areas used or compatible for mineral resource extraction.
SPECIAL DISTRICTS - These will be overlay zones, if applicable to a certain area of the Township, would respectively substitute or impose a specific set of zoning and land development regulations, in addition to the underlying districts as indicated in the above categories.
- _.FP Those areas which must be protected by State and Federal floodplain management law.
-PD - Those areas which prefer to incorporate a variety of building types, open spaces, other design features as per statutory provi- sions and local policies.
11-24 EXISTING/PROPOSED ZONING COMPARISON Rural Districts replace the Agricultural District, and substitute much greater lot requirements. The Residential Districts identify the availability of public sewer only, and provide for appropriate lot requirements. Obviously, the Urban Residential and Mixed
~ Residential Business Districts follow existing land use patterns. The General and Neighborhood Commercial Districts reflect the level of market area and types of uses and dimensions of lots specified for such lands.
The Industrial District is precisely prescribed for lot require- ments rather than conformance to performance standards. The fjiining District is determined to protect the general public and the private sector's economic interest; it is reconciled to the actual mining operation and the after use of the area mined. Also, Special Overlay Districts are established for floodplain protection and planned development. The new Zoning Ordinance will be recommended for revisions in Part C. The existing Zoning Ordinance is as follows.
11-25 TABLE No, 8 EXISTING ZONING REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM LOT SIZE MINIMUM YARD NO PUBLIC PUBLIC WATER PUBLIC IlATER MINIMUM SETBACKS MAXIMUM BUILDING MAXIMU14 LOT ZONING DISTRICT WATER AN0 SEWER AND INDIVIDUAL SEWER AN0 SEWER ~---LOT WIDTH FRONT REAR SIDE HEIGHT COVE RAGE
A-1 Agricultural 1 Acre 150' 50' 50' 25' 35' N/A R-1 Single Family Residence 20,000 Sq.Ft. 15,000 Sq.Ft. N/A 100' 35' 30' 25' 35' 30i R-2 Two-Family And Apartment Residence 20,000 Sq.Ft. 15,000 Sq.Ft. 7,200 Sq.Ft.(l5,000 100' ' 35' 30' 10' Distance To 45;; For First Family + Street Center1 ine 5,000 Sq.Ft. for Each Additional Family 6-1 Neighborhood Commercial and Shopping Center N/A N/A 35' 30' 10' 30' 252
8-2 General Comnercial N/A N/A 35' 30' 10' 40' 302 NI m 1-1 Industrial N/A N/A 35' 30' 10' 40' 30::
bl-1 Mining N/A N/A 40' . 50' 25' 40' 10.:
SOURCE: Zoning Ordinance, Butler Township
N/A = Not Applicable 111, TRAFF I C MOVEMENT PLAN
PURPOSE The purpose of this plan element is to identify and define various transportation corridors which will allow for safe and convenient movement of pedestrians and all types of vehicles into, through and out of the Township. The transportation corridors must be coordinated with future land use and community facility proposals for the Township in order to provide for optimum accessibility and safety. This proposed plan will address the needs of all types of vehicles including autos, trucks, buses, motorcycles and bicycles.
SCOPE
The circulation pattern established by the Comprehensive Plan serves as the framework within which the land use components of the community can interact. The Plan does not involve the building of a completely new system of roads. Instead, it attempts to build upon the existing system either through relocation, widening or other improvements which are necessary in order to have an operative transportation system. The Plan is based upon the following elements:
1. A functional classification of the roadways in order to provide a more effective transportation network. 2. An analysis of the existing road system considering rights-of-way, traffic volumes, future land use and development trends. 3. Recommendatioqs for improvement of the system by improving the capacity of existing roads and relocating or building new roads where necessary.
111-1 FUNCTIONS OF A THOROUGHFARE SYSTEM A properly developed highway system should provide for the collection, distribution, movement and the separation of through and local traffic. Accessibility is important because a factory, home or commercial area is rendered fairly useless if there is no access to it.
Providing adequate collection and distribution of vehicles is essential because it serves to move vehicles between the local areas and the major paths of movement. This function helps to delineate and control the number and direction of movement routes.
A third function, movement, must be integrated into the system because congestion and slow moving traffic can render the circulation network virtually ineffective. Movement channels must be provided in the system so that vehicles can proceed at reasonable speeds and with a minimum of interrup- tions between collection and distribution points.
Another function of the transportation system is to provide for the separation of through and local traffic. It is impor- tant that certain channels of movement be designed primarily for the free flow of through traffic. Others should be designed in such a way that they discourage through movement and primarily serve local traffic.
The separation of these two types of movement lessens congestion, promotes safety and provides for ease of movement on the various categories of roads.
By providing for these functions through a functional classi- fication of roadways in the Township, it is intended to achieve a transportation network which efficiently allows people to circulate within and through the area.
111-2 The effectiveness of a circulation system is its ability to maintain a level of service that is accessible to the motorists utilizing the system on a daily basis.
The major road system (freeways and arterials) as proposed, is designed to move traffic between and among activity areas of the Township and to connect to the regional road system. It is planned to minimize opening new areas for development, minimize construction of new roads, maximize the use of existing roads and maximize service to major development areas.
The basic circulation system includes five (5) classifications of roads: Freeways; Major Arterials; Minor Arterials; Collectors; and Local Roads.
Freeways are limited access roads intended to service regional traffic making long trips. Because of the frequency of inter- changes on such roads, they are often used for local trips. No improvements are recommended for Routes 80 and 81.
Arterials are designed to provide for inter-municipal or through community trips, generally to go from one part of the Township to another. These roads and adjoining development should be designed with as few road openings as possible in order to allow free flow of traffic.
Such roads act as the backbone of the highway and road system in the Township, by linking it with other municipalities in the County and the region. They are the major traffic generators in the Township. Designated arterials are differ- entiated between minor and major ones on the basis of the average annual daily traffic volumes recorded and the functions the road serve presently and in the future.
Development along Route 309 and in areas that would provide traffic to Route 309 indicate that widening will be necessary. As this occurs, turning-slot lanes or jughandles should be
111-3 installed to accommodate cross-traffic turning movements. This would increase the carrying capacity of the road considerably. Also, every effort should be made to reduce congestion in this area by discouraging strip commercial development and encouraging a long-range consolidation of ownership along the highway either through public acquisition or other means to minimize the potential number of direct access points to the highways. The same is applicable to Route 653.
Furthermore, the narrow right-of-way, absence of shoulders, relatively high volumes of peak traffic times and small lot sizes along this road combine to produce highly vulnerable accident areas, which can only continue to create problems as traffic loads increase over the years and as demands for development along Route 653 increase.
Collector roads are designed to carry traffic between major roads, generally connecting traffic from adjoining neighborhoods or other concentrations of development. While the plan incorporates only one category, such roads that serve residential uses primarily can be built to a lower standard than those serving major employ- ment areas.
Roads shown as collectors are those which coincide with existing road alignments, although in most cases some improvements are required to properly accommodate future traffic flows. Right- of-way widths of 60-66 feet are suggested for Routes 653 and 40009, which are roads maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. This would allow for two moving lanes and two roadside shoulders, or in high volume situations, four moving lanes of traffic. To a lesser degree, Routes 40012 and 40013 serve as collectors.
Local roads provide access to individual properties. Planning for local roads occurs on a neighborhood scale and as part of the land development review process. As a matter of policy, all major roads should be the responsibility of State government.
111-4 The functional classification of Township roads is depicted on the Comprehensive Plan Map Series (Plate 11). Since land use relies in a large part on the transportation facilities which serve the various uses. Local roads include all rights-of-way which do not have potential for carrying appreciable amounts of traffic. Right-of-way widths of 40-50 feet are suggested to relate to the proposed land use pattern according to the anticipated traffic intensity and types. Curbs and sidewalks should be required in all residential and commercial districts as well as planned developments providing that alternative design schemes should be considered. All new development should provide for required dedication of right- of-way measured from the centerline of any existing road, to meet right-of-way standards.
111-5 IV, COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND PUBLIC UTILITIES PLAN
PURPOSE The purpose of this plan element is to take the inventory and analysis of the Township's existing facilities and utilities. It is then determined, based on the Land Use Plan, where these services are adequate, or need upgrading. Police, fire, school, park and other municipal facilities should be nearby to serve proposed development. The further development is built from where existing facilities are located, the more it would cost the Township to provide those services. Therefore, concentrated development patterns are encouraged. This may cost the Township added expense over time, but at least, the cost can be accomplished in phased increments to match the growth of development. Municipal facilities satisfactorily service current populations. The land development review process and an annual capital improvements program should account for facility needs and their provision.
On the other hand, utilities include the provision of public/ central/individual water supply, sanitary sewerage disposal, gas and oil transmission pipelines, and overhead transmission lines for electricity and telephone. Water and sewer are generally intra-municipal; that is, they are designed to serve Township residents, businesses and industries. Pipelines and overhead/underground utility lines are inter-municipal, in other words, regional. The existing municipal sewer system provides service to existing development and developing areas. Public water resources have not been developed to date. Within the sanitary sewer service area, there are over 2 million gallons per day of groundwater supply. The predominant constraint to development is water quality of surface and sub-surface sources. Coordination with the Butler Township Authority
IV- 1 is important so that any sewer extensions and improvements are consistent with the Land Use Plan.
SCOPE Each municipality should consider a priority program for capital improvements to provide an orderly means of acquiring or constructing public facilities, or accomplishing capital projects based on a priority schedule and the ability of the Township to finance them. Some general standards exist, such as the following:
1. School Needs - One elementary school site of 20 acres is required for every 500 dwelling units (of course, the local School Board and State Education Department requirements should be consulted); 2. Recreation and Open Space - 78 Acres are needed for every 1,000 people (however, this varies with age, sex, education, etc.); and 3. Other Municipal Services - One acre per every 1,000 people.
The population base does not require the provision of all the community facilities found in larger urban areas like Hazleton. Instead, criteria for facility planning should be provided. Any proposed action of the School District relating to the location, erection, demolition, removal or sale of a building, structure or land, must be shared with the Township in order to assure compliance with the Comprehensive Plan. In addition, any public structure, road, ground, watercourse, other land improvement or feature must be evaluated against the plan. Besides community facilities, public utilities have been reviewed to include water supply, sewage disposal, refuse disposal, storm drainage and the like. They must be incorporated into the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, which would base their revisions as necessary on the plan and new legal, engineering and planning concepts and techniques. Also
IV-2 an Official Map should be prepared to delineate public facilities, rights-of-way, easements, other public land uses.
CRITERIA FOR FACILITY PLANNING The evaluation of existing public facilities, and the determination of needs for future facilities, involves several related criteria. While not absolute, these criteria provide a logical framework for community facility planning. Whether a community facility or service is to be improved, replaced or initially provided, the following criteria should be given consideration:
1. Location - The location of any public service facility must be favorably related to other elements of the community, e.g. existing and future population distribu- tion, major thoroughfares, and topography. 2. Accessibility - Community facilities should be accessible by major thoroughfares; providing the best possible access to the largest number of citizens who will use the facility. 3. Relation to Supporting Facilities - There are advantages to grouping related services within one complex or area. Convenience to the public is often enhanced; operational economics are achieved; and less land is required to provide common parking and other shared accessory facilities (e.g. recreation and school complexes or recreation, and public building complexes).
4. Condition - The present state of repair of existing facilities should be determined. The operational efficiency and its adaptation to change must be reviewed to determine relative obsolescence. Poor condition or a high degree of obsolescence may indicate a need for replacement. 5. Capacity - The current level of performance of any particular service or function must be related to present and future utilization. Increased demands for service will normally require increased staff, equipment, or area. 6. Adequate Land Area - The site for each facility should be adequate to provide for: (a) The space needs of the function and any possible future additions;. (b) Parking space; and (c) Sufficient landscaped area necessary for satisfactory appearance. 7. Appearance - For those man-made facilities which are visible to the public, a measure of usefulness is contained in the facility's ability, by its appearance and arrangement, to inspire civic concern and identity in those who see it and use it. An attractive public structure or place is a reflection of cultural attainment and a credit to its owners, the citizenry of Butler Township.
No proposed facilities are indicated on the Comprehensive Plan. They are formulated as a function of the Land Use Plan, and will be expanded over time through detailed plans, for example, for public and/or central water resources.
IV-4 PART C PLAN IMPLEMENTATION THE NATURE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The Comprehensive Plan sets forth the desired pattern of land development in the community and a program for its achievement. The plan also contains, where necessary, statements on the order of priority, or the sequence in which goals are to be achieved. The Comprehensive Plan is intended as a guide for both public and private activities. Future policies should be examined in terms of the objectives of the overall plan. It should be clearly understood that, even after its adoption, a Comprehensive Plan is not an unalterable document to be followed regardless of unfolding events. On the contrary, a plan of this nature should be peiodically reviewed to determine its continued applicability and should be adjusted accordingly.
The first phase (Part A) in the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan involved an analysis of the existing physical, economic, and social patterns and trends. The results of these analyses formed the basis for the Plan which delineates, in broad outline, the recommended future use of land for residential, commercial, industrial, and public and quais-public purposes. The next phase (Part B) proposes the Comprehensive Plan.
The initial steps in moving from plan to reality are taken with the adoption of certain "Planning Tools" which are provided for in State Legislation. The Comprehensive Plan, a statement of policies and proposals covering all significant aspects of the community's physical advisory, is the most important of the planning tools since it forms a basis for all others. The. other planning tools all have the legal function of influencing
-1- or controlling private or public actions in connection with community development envisioned by the Plan. The two most important of these ,tools are the Zoning Ordinance, through- which the community exercises general control over the use of all land; and the Subdivision Ordinance, which sets forth the standards of layout for new lots and improvements created through the subdivision of vacant land. A draft Zoning Ordinance and proposed amendments to the Subdivision Ordinance are provided.
ZONING ORDINANCE Land development is the result of both private and public actions. For this reason it may become imperative that the Township of Butler guide private development through powers granted to it by State statute. The zoning power is one of the most significant measures whereby communities can give direction to private uses of land -- both in the continuation of desirable land use patterns which exist today, and in guiding the development of areas to be developed in the future. The specific purposes of zoning are prescribed in Article VI, Section 604, Zoninq Purposes of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code as follows:
1. To promote, protect and facilitate one or more of the following: the public health, safety, morals, general welfare, coordinated and practical community development, proper density of population, civil defense, disaster evacuation, airports, and national defense facilities, the provisions of adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking and loading space, transportation, water, sewerage, schools, public grounds, and other public requirements; as well as to preserve prime farm land.
2. To prevent one or more of the following: overcrowding of land, blight, danger and congestion in travel and transportation, loss of health, life or property from fire, flood, panic, or other dangers. Zoning Ordinances shall be made in accordance with an overall program, and with consideration for the character of the municipality, its
-2- various parts, and the suitability of the various parts for particular uses and structures. I SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE Land subdivision is the most common method by which development takes place in a community. The need for new housing will undoubtedly continue far into the future, and the subdivision and streets that are laid out and created today and tomorrow will to a large extent be responsible for shaping the future community. Since the manner in which new streets an6 lotsare laid out have an effect not only on the land directly involved, but also on adjoining properties and the entire surrounding area, there is a township-wide interest in the proposed layout of each subdivision.
New lots, land uses, and streets can change or intensify traffic; they can increase the storm water drainage from an area; they can create a need for more water supply and sewage disposal facilities; and eventually they will enlarge, to some extent, the need for a whole series of public services. Local officials and others
I interested in land development should therefore strive to insure that each new addition to the Township is the best that can be I provided. The State's planning laws permit Townships to review proposed subdivisions to see that good subdivision design is obtained. Specifically, the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code under Article V, Section 503 suggests that:
The subdivision and land development ordinance may include, but not be limited to:
1. Provisions for the submittal and processing of plats, and specifications for such plats, including provisions for preliminary and final approval by stages or section of development.
2. Provisions for insuring that: (i) the layout or arrangement of the subdivisions or land development shall conform to
-3- the comprehensive plan and to any regulations or maps adopted in furtherance thereof; (ii) streets in and bordering a subdivision or land development shall be coordinated, and be of such widths and grades and in such locations as deemed necessary to accommodate prospective traffic, and facilitate fire protection; (iii) adequate easements or rights-of-way shall be provided for drainage utilities; (iv) reservations if any by the developer of any area designed as use as public grounds shall be suitable size and location for their designated uses; (v) and land which is subject to flooding, subsidence or underground fires either shall be made safe for the purpose for which such land is proposed to be used, or that such land shall be set aside for uses which shall not endanger life or property or further aggravateJ or increase the existing menace.
3. Provisions governing the standards by which streets shall be graded and improved, and walkways, curbs, gutters, street lights, fire hydrants, water and sewage facilities and other improvements shall be installed as a condition precedent to final approval of plats.
4. Provisions which take into account land development not intended for the immediate erection of buildings where streets, curbs, gutters, street lights, fire hydrants, water and sewage facilities and other improvements may not be possible to install as a condition precedent to final approval of plats, but will be a condition precedent to the erection of buildings on lands included in the approved plat.
5. Provisions for encouraging and promoting flexibility, economy, and ingenuity in the layout and design of subdivisions and land developments including provisions authorizing the planning agency to alter site requirements and for encouraging other practices which are in accordance with modern evolving principles of site planning and development. THE FUNCTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION The Township Board of Supervisors is the most important local policy making body since it adopts the Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, the Subdivision Ordinance, and controls public expenditures. The Planning Commission, on the other hand, is primarily an advisory body. It prepares the Comprehensive Plan, an advisory document, and reports to the Township Board on zoning changes and other policies relating to the development of the community. However, through the review of land subdivisions and development plans, the Planning Commission will influence the design of various areas of the community's development process.
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