HAZLE TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVI PATTE.RNS HAZLE TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PART ONE - DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS The preparation of this report was financed in part through an urban planning grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the provisions of Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended, administered by the Bureau of Community Development, Pennsylvania Department of Community Affai rs. Apri 1 I967 HAZLE TOWNSHIP PLANNl NG COMMlSS ION Frank A, Rowland, Chairman John A. Salata, Jr. Secretary John C. Homa, Jr. Michael A. Tranguch Joseph M. Sarosky TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter One CONS I DERATI ONS ........................ 1-1 Regional Area .................................. 1-1 Geology ........................................ 1-1 Historical Background .......................... 1-1 Population ..................................... 1-4 Housing ........................................ 1-6 Economic Factors ............................... 1-9 Summary and Conclusions ........................ 1-15 Chapter Two COMPONENTS ............................ 2-1 Background ..................................... 2-1 Historical Development ......................... 2-1 Population..................................... 2-4 Local Economy .................................. 2-6 Physical Features and Geographic Location...... 2-11 Chapter Three CHARACTERISTICS ..................... 3-1 Background ..................................... 3-1 Existing Land Use by Neighborhood .............. 3-1 Housing and Heighborhood Analysis .............. 3-14 Environmental Sanitation ....................... 3-18 Chapter Four COORDINATES., ........................ 4-1 Background ..................................... 4-1 Transportation ................................. 4-1 Uti 1 i ties ...................................... 4-5 Community Faci 1 i ties ........................... 4-7 Governmental Operations ........................ 4-10 Governmental Controls .......................... 4-14 Chapter Five CONSENSUS ............................ 5-1 Explanation ..................................... 5-1 Regional Relationships ......................... 5-1 Planning Concepts .............................. 5-2 Planning Characteristics ....................... 5-3 Planning Coordinates ........................... 5-4 Summary ........................................ 5-6 LIST OF I LLUSTRATI ONS Fol lowinq Paqe 1 Hazleton Area 1-1 2 Population 1-4 3 Employment Categories , Luzerne Co 1-9 4 Historical Map 2- 1 5 Employment CaTegories, Hazle Twp. 2- 7 6 Farni ly Income 2- 9 7 S lope Map 2- 13 8 Existing Land Use 3- 13 9 B1 ight i ng Cond i ti ons 3-15 10 Va 1 ue of Owner-Occupi ed Dwe 11 i ngs 3-17 11 Road Classification 4-2 12 C i rcu1 at i on P rob 1 ems 4-4 13 Community Facilities 4-9 I4 Mun i c i pa 1 Expend i tures 4- 12 INTRODUCTION PART ONE, DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS The volume entitled Development Patterns is the first of a three-part report comprising a Comprehensive Plan for Hazle Township. It is concerned with an analysis of existing regional and local conditions and growth trends which affect planning and development. In addition to the primary concern of basic data analysis, specific community problems and approaches to their solutions are also presented. Part One consists of the following five chapters, Cons i derat i ons This chapter is a general review of Luzerne County and the Hazleton area. Stress is placed on physical conditions, historical background, population complexion, and economic condition. Its purpose is to give insight to the individual community's position and role as an entity of the broader area. Components This chapter examines local history, population, economy, and physical con- ditions. Stress is placed on the relationship of these factors as they affect possible planning proposals. These conditions are relatively fixed and are not readily changeable from within the Township. Characteristics In this chapter more changeable aspects of local conditions are explored. These include existing land use, housing, and environmental sanitation conditions. Their immediate influence on planning proposals is quite significant. Favorable conditions should be retained and proper planning guides should be established to eliminate those which have a detrimental effect. Coordinates Existing community facilities and services are the concern of this chapter. The effectiveness of existing roads, utilities and other facilities and services is measured, and the financial commitment of the local government and school district to support them is examined. In addition, existing ordinances are reviewed in the light of their effect on planning. 1. -Concerns T’he final chapter examines local problems, both existing and potential, facing the community. Most of these have been developed from existing conditions, while others are less readily definable. This chapter pro- vides a link between Part One and the development proposals presented in Part Two., PART TWO , DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS T’he second volume of the Comprehensive Plan will utilize the analysis developed in Part One. General planning goals will be presented, and long-range recommendations will be proposed concerning future land use, circulation and community facilities. Particular emphasis will be placed on the development of a continuing planning program and on the creation of plans for small areas within the Township. PART THREE, DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURES The final volume will review various methods of implementing the plan- ning proposals advanced in Part Two. Emphasis will be placed on land use controls, particularly zoning and subdivision controls, as a means of enforcing the plan. Methods by which future proposal can be evolved will be reviewed. Other effectuation techniques will be discussed with attention focused on fiscal planning through capital improvements sched- uling and programs of community involvement. 2” Chapter One CONS I DERAT 1 ONS REG1 ONAL AREA_ For statistical purposes Hazle Township is placed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in the Wi lkes-Barre - Hazleton Standard Metropolitan Statis- tical Area (SMSA). This SMSA includes all of Luzerne County. To better understand the Township's position with respect to its region, and for purposes of comparisqn, the larger statistical area has been sub-divided. Hazle Township has been grouped with the Townships of Black Creek, But- ler, Foster and Sugarloaf; the Boroughs of Conyngharn, Freeland, Jeddo and West Hazleton; and the City of Hazleton to form the Hazleton Area. This area is delineated on Map 1 on the following page. --GEOLOGY Geologically speaking, Luzerne County has a relatively short history when compared to other sections of Pennsylvania. About 300,000,000 years ago this section of the State was swampland, During the next 240,000,000 years the area was intermittently covered with water, never rising suf- ficiently to become more than swampland, The carboniferous rocks creat- ed during this period still dominate the area. Intermixed with these rock formations are a large number of plants which fossilized under the pressure of the uplifting action beginning 60,000,000 years ago. In the Hazleton Area the predominant geologic formations are the Post- Pottsville, Pottsville and Maych Chunk shale formations. These form a part of a larger formation referred to as the Pennsylvania system. Only the Post-Pottsville formation is a prime coal condition. The coal is mixed with sandstone, shale, fire-clay, carbonaceous slate and conglom- erates. HI STOR I CAL BACKGROUND The County was named for De La Luzerne, the French minister to the United States in 1778. The Hazleton Area was first explored by Captain 0. Klader in 1780. In 1804 the Lehigh and Susquehanna Turnpike Company was chartered to build the Berwick Turnpike to connect Berwick with the Lehigh Valley. Hazleton developed from Drumhaller's Tavern, which was built in I809 at the intersection of the Berwick Turnpike with q new road to Wilkes-Barre. By 1840 there were ten houses located at what is now the center of Hazle- ton. Experiments conducted by Colonel Jesse Fell in 1808 at Wilkes-Barre assured a domestic market for the anthracite which had been discovered in that 1 '- 1 HAZLETON AREA area in 1762, One of the world's most valuable coal fields, the Eastern Middle Coal Field, was discovered in Southern Luzerne County in 1826 by Iohn Charles, It is not a large coal field, covering only ten square miles, but it has few faults and its depth extends 1,500 feet, which is exceprionslly deep, The major seam is thirty feet thick; of this, eighteen feet is prime coal. With this discovery, the development of the hazleton Area began, The area experienced arl economic boom as well as a corresponding popu- lacion growth One year after tlazle Township, which then included both hazleron City and West Hazleton Borough, was created from Sugarloaf [omship in 1839, ies population was 895. By 1860 the population reached 10,550 In the early history of the Area are recorded many success stories such as chose of Thomas Minford and William Hale, who at very early ages worked up the ranks from breaker boys to mine foremen. Not everyone was so successful, and many toiled long hours as common miners with very lit- tle to look forward to. Nonetheless, there were few of the immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe who did not enjoy a better life than they had left, The coal industry brought with it unprecedented prosper- ity which while equally shared touched nearly everyone. Coal production