CAMBRIDGE TO'dnship CAMERIDGE SPRINGS BOROUGH I Rms Zilhaves, Chairman Stanley Woodring, Mayor Harry Boylan Mrs
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THE COMPREHENSIVE DEWLOPPENT PLAN FOU CMBRTVGE TOWNSHIP CAMBRIVGE SPRTNGS BOROUGH VENAMGO BOROUGH Compsisbg THE WRIDGE-VENANGO REGION Crawford County Pennsylvania Prepared with: CAbiBRIW;E-WMNGO REGIONAL PLANNING COIWISSION By: BEGKMAN, SWENSON 6 ASSOCIATES PLANNERS 9800 McKqight Road, Pittsburgh, Pem. 15237 - I eAMBR€DGE-VE%ANGO REGION I GOVERNING OFFICIALS I CAMBRIDGE TO'dNSHIP CAMERIDGE SPRINGS BOROUGH I Rms Zilhaves, Chairman Stanley Woodring, Mayor Harry Boylan Mrs. Marjorie Conroe, Sec'y. Homer Hmes I Philip F. Bideaux, President 30e L. Salen VENANGO BOROUGH Waid So Fosburg I Gerald M. Peters Thomas Deeter Joel F. Gilson Charles F. Knoedler Robert F. Sweetland I Mrs. Ann McCabe LQU~SRothenstein Lester Davis Ronald Harned Mrs. Grace Crowe I REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION I CAMBIIIKE TOWSHIP WBRIDGE SPRINGS BOROUGH Clinton L. Mitchell, Chairman Dr. 14. J. Parcinski, Chairman I Harry Mitchell Russell L. Crabb George Wihoth Charles Hines Harry Boylan Philip F. Bideaux I Joseph Bog& Earl F. Ash ENAIVGO BOROUGH I Charles F. Knocdler, Chairman I Larmar Davis Melvin Guttsidge James F. Acker I Tb.e preparation of this plan was financed in part through an urban planning grant I crom the Mousing and Home Finance Agency, under the provisions of Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended, admini- stered by the Bureau of Community lkvelop- I ment, Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. I I '1 1 I 'FABLE OF C0"ENTS I 1 1 CHAPTER ONE. NATURAL FEATURES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3 4 1 8 8 I 12 CHAPTER TWO. CURREN1: LAND USE IN THE CAMBRIDGE-VENANGO REGION 14 14 ~1 16 18 I 21 21 I 25 CHAPTER .FOUR, 'FME COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE I CAMBKLIX;E-V"ANGO REGION 41 Community Goals and Objectives - - 41 I Plan Description - - - - - - - - - 42 CHAPTER FIVE. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN - - 45 I 45 45 46 I 47 CHAPTER SIX. MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PLAN - 48 I Arterial and Collector Systems- - - 49 Local Streets - - - - - - - - - - -. 52 I Parking--- 52 CHAPTER SEVEN, S!300LS AND COI"IT11 FACILITIES PLAN - 53 53 I 53 54 I 54 I i I I 1 CHAPTER EIGHT. PUBLIC UTILITIES PLAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 58 I CAMBRIDGE TOWNSHIP CORE3ENSIVE PLAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - 62 1 V"G0 BOROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 64 I CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS BOROUGH CCBVIPREHENSIVE PLAN - - - - - - - - - - 64 CmRAL BUSINESS DISTma - .. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 66 I I 1 I I 1 I I I I I 1~ ii I I_ I I I I The Regional BPm anticipates development changes and sets forth program for improvements which will be needed during the coming I twenty-five year per;od, Its purpose is to provide a goal for resi- dents, developers, and governmental agencies, and to give guidance to their day-to-day decisions so that their efforts and investments I can result in an attractive and efficient regional growth. This Regional Plan was jointly prepared by the Township of Cambridge, the Borough of Venango and the Borough of Cambridge Springs. This I report covers the Regional Plan. for the three municipalities. The first two phases of the planning program -- Backgpound Studies of existing conditions and the Comprehensive Development Plan -- are I inter-related and thus have been presented together in a single publication. Additional publications concerned with putting the Plan into action include a guide for budgeting capital improvements and a suggested zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance for each I municipality. The Regional Planning Commission sincerely recommends that all resi- I dents acquaint themselves with the Plan since the knowledgeable sup- port and understanding of the people in the community is essential to effective action. These plans will result in an improved environ- I ment and a more efficient cmunity life, but only in proportion to the effestiveness of the leadership and support whish the residents I of the CamnaLaraity afford to the program. I I 1 I I 1 I i I I I D I I NEW YORK I I I PENNA. I YOUNGSTOW 1 I REGIONAL I LOCATION +I 0 s 10 I5 I-.- 5 IL "I CHAPTER ONE NATURAL FEATURES Regional Setting Cambridge Township, Venango Borough and Cambridge Springs Borough are situated in the north central part of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The accompanying map shows the Region's location to be almost equi- distant from the highly industrialized population centers of Cleveland, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The Cambridge-Venango area is within easy commuting distance of the manufacturing centers of Erie and Meadville and is, therefore, inter-related with the local economies of both ten- ters. The nearby higher education facilities of Edinboro State College, Alliance College and Allegheny College enhance the already outstanding school district. With the completion of the north-south Interstate 79 and connections with Interstate 80 and 90, the region will have excellent access to more than half the nation's population and to sixty per cent of its industrial capabilities. The Cambridge-Venango Region will be con- veniently served by interchanges at Edinboro and Saegertown. About 35 per cent of the Region lies across or within the Conneautee and French Creek flood plains--the latter of which flows south to the Allegheny River. The remainder of the Region is situated on a roll- ing plateau that joins with the flood plains to create an area of exceptional natural beauty. Agriculture and open recreation are pre- dominate uses in the flood plain. The location and size of the two creeks and their flood plains have had a strong influence on the I physical development of the Township and Boroughs. In 1967, the Cambridge-Venango Region lies between a prosperous era of resort activity and the bright prospects of new industry and tour- ist development; midway between farmland and suburban community; I astride Interstate highways and their economic promise for the future. I Generalized Geology The geologic structure of the Cambridge-Venango Region is basically of I two types--thebedrock geology and the later, less complicated, glacial geology. The bedrock, immediately underlying the glacial till, was formed in three different period of time; The Cattaraugus Formation i and the Oswego Formation belong to the older rock formations in the Devonian period. These grey shales, siltstones, and sandstones occupy I u 3 the northern half of the Kegion and extend south to include the slopes along Route 19 and LK 20060. These bedrock formations generally are not good aquafiers or water holders. The youngest of the rock forma- tions belongs to the Mississippian period. These are called the Pocono group and include sandstones, conglomerates, and shales, The characteristics of this formation is also not conducive to good ground- water supplies. Aside from the bedrock geology, the nature of the glacial deposits is of much greater concern to planning, Generally these glacial deposits cover bedrock at depths of 10 to 20 feet, and in some of the stream valleys range to 500 feet deep, When the glacier stopped and melted, the unsorted mass of silt and clay, sand and cobbles covered the old surfaces. This material is known as till, As the glaciers melted, large amounts of meltwater were released from the front of the ice. This water carried silt, sand, gravel and stones which were deposited according to weight to form glacial outwash. Frequently knobs, ter- races, and mounds occurred along the valley sides. These were composed of sand and gravels that were washed out of the glacier by the melt- water. These features were called "kames" and "kame terraces'' and make up much of the flood plains and the terrace areas of the Region. Mt. Pleasant is a very good example of a glacial knob or mound. The flood plain composed of French Creek and the Conneauttee and Tory Run Creeks is mostly of a sandy silt, The valley sides and plateaus are mostly sandy gravels. The flood plains have a drainage problem, not from the fact that the soil does not drain, but because the water table is seasonal and mostly is right on top of the ground for six months of the year, The higher elevations do not have a drainage problem because the water moves on through the sand and gravels. The I infiltration rate in some places is so high that there is danger of pollution of groundwater if sewage or other undesirable wastes are discharged into this material. The saturated flood plains with the high water table also are a health hazard if future development were permitted to discharge sewage into the groundwater, By and large, no mineral deposits of any significance are found in any of these three formations, Soils The glacial deposits which overlie the bedrock formations are the parent source of the soil types found in the Cambridge-Venango Region. In addition to the geology, the slope of the land, the climate and the plant life over a long period of time have formed a variety of soil types. These soils have significantly influenced land uses in the past and must be considered in determining areas suitable for future development, The accompanying Soils Associations Map shows the Region 4 \' . LWJ OSWAYGO FORMATION CATTARAUGUS FORMATION CAMBBIDQI . VINANQO BI(ODLUL ...mmmNo ............. commmo~ I-..._)I.".."..*...I *I.. wyl_ ". I.- ...........,".<. .,."=e....... G E N E R A L I Z E D GEOLOGICAL MAP _"".-... N.ll..w. W"..... .....I...I........"I(*.I, .. 1.. .....am." I=--,*. ... I.""... YI...."..,e. .. ""....A * .................. Rl... a*,.. Il.U". -"LI..II THE CAMBRIDGE VENANGO REGION T- I I divided into areas having sjunilas types of soils. The map is necessarily generalized at this stage of planning and cannot be used as a substitute for detailed soil maps such as used in site and farm planning. Approxi- I mately 75 per cent of Cambridge Township is covered by detailed soil maps and should be used in matters requiring detailed soil interpretation.