Fayette County Comprehensive Plan 2000 June 16, 2000 290 Executive Drive Suite 1A Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (724)779-4777 FAX (724)779-4711 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MISSION STATEMENT PLAN INTER-RELATIONSHIPS LAND USE Overview Topography Drainage Geology Woodland Development Limitations Floodplains Wetlands Environmentally Sensitive Areas Soil Resources Carbonate Geology Sloping Land Landslide Prone Areas Abandoned Mine Problem Areas Mine Subsidence Issues Mineral Resources Special Exceptions Open Space Districts Future Land Use Community Development Objectives TRANSPORTATION Introduction Mon-Fayette Transportation Projects Transportation Network Analysis Fayette County Transit Study Fayette County Public Participation Panel WATER, SEWER, AND UTILITY SYSTEMS Existing Areas of Public Water Service Fayette County Water Authorities and Resources Proposed Areas of Public Water Service Existing Areas of Public Sewer Services Fayette County Sanitary and Sewer Authorities Proposed Areas of Public Sewer Service Existing Infrastructure Utilities Fayette County Infrastructure Utilities Community Development Objectives HRG Fayette County Comprehensive Plan Page 1 PARKS, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE Introduction Parks and Recreation Facilities Playground Safety Audits Greenways and Open Space Recommendations APPENDICES 1. Historical Perspective General Overview Unique Historical Resources Key Transportation Corridors Fayette County Survey of Boroughs and Unincorporated Settlements National Register of Historic Places Properties Determined Eligible by the Bureau of Historical Preservation 2. Socio-Economic/Demographic Overview Introduction Population Trends Age Characteristics Racial Mix Households Median Income and Poverty Educational Levels and Enrollment Employment Trends Projected Population Trends 3. Housing Introduction Type of Dwelling Age of Housing Housing Density Housing Unit Occupancy Rates Housing Ownership and Rental Costs Utilities Single and Married Householders with Children Overview of Subsidized Housing Providers Review of Housing Redevelopment and Rehabilitation Providers Community Development Objectives 4. Playground Audit Guide The Dirty Dozen Checklist Playground Safety Audit 5. Regional Input Meeting Records HRG Fayette County Comprehensive Plan Page 2 6. Focus Group Meeting Records 7. Stakeholder Group Meetings MAPS Existing Land Uses County Parcels Agricultural Areas Enterprise Zones Watersheds Extraneous Land Uses Grouped Land Uses Development Limitations Current Zoning Districts Special Exceptions Future Land Use Areas Transportation Public Water Service Areas Public Sewer Service Areas Park and Recreation Facilities Greenways and Open Space HRG Fayette County Comprehensive Plan Page 3 DEDICATION The members of this plan’s staff and steering committee unanimously wish to dedicate this plan to the memory of fellow committee member and friend Wayland Smith. He served twenty-seven years as the Executive Director of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, but that only tells a fraction of his true worth to this community as the towering figure he was. Whether as professional or citizen, Fayette County will be hard-pressed to again find so dedicated and so true a visionary as this man. This Comprehensive Land Use Plan was a passion of Wayland’s, even after retirement in 1999. His energy, his dedication, his knowledge, and his drive were infectious and only made all of the rest of the committee strive to do better. Many components of the plan were dreams of Wayland’s for years, especially the mapping, and without him may never have been accomplished. Wayland Smith died on 14 February 2000, but the legacy he leaves is substantial. He is greatly missed, but those of us whom he has left behind, those of us who knew him, realize that the best testimonial we can give him is to continue his vision of making Fayette County the best it can be -- preserving the past, enhancing the present, and encouraging the smartest future. Land use that doesn’t simply sound good, but that is good and sound. We offer this plan as the anchor for this, and dedicate ourselves, as we hope others will, to that potential we all have to make real all that is good. Simply, all that was Wayland. Executive Director Office of Community and Economic Development Christopher Sepesy Chief Planner Office of Community and Economic Development Tammy Shell, Project Manager Steering Committee Members Harry Albert * Denny Barclay Janice Fosbrink James Hercik Lloyd Kendall Stephanie King Michael Krajovic Frank LaCava Dennis Martinak, AICP ** Susan Montgomery Scott Nicholson Dick Olgevee Joseph Pfohl Raymond Polaski Scott Pollack Edward Rinkhoff Brent Robinson Wayland Smith George Tanner Ralph Wombacker Note: *former commissioner ** former director of Community and Economic Development County Commissioners Vincent A. Vicites, Chairman Sean M. Cavanagh, Vice Chairman Ronald M. Nehls, Secretary Planning Commission Robert Baker, Chairman Larry Franks, Vice Chairman Sturge Hughes, Secretary Richard Adamovich Edward Andria Louis Agostini Chip Ciarrocchi Joseph Pratt, Jr. Scott Pollack Gary Altman, Esquire The purpose of the Fayette County Comprehensive Land Use Plan is to provide a basis on which to . Manage growth and development, particularly around the interchanges of the proposed Mon-Fayette Expressway; Identify infrastructure needs and manage the development to meet those needs; Preserve agricultural land and open space, and conserve natural resources; Enhance land use controls (zoning, watershed management, subdivision, and land development) to provide adequate protection and direction of future development within the County Improve the current quality of life while preserving the essentially rural character of the County; Enhance economic development and tourism opportunities involving natural and historic resources; Increase housing diversity and availability; Improve cooperation between all levels of local government in order to position the County effectively to leverage regional, state, and federal development programs for the future. PLAN INTER-RELATIONSHIPS The scope of a Comprehensive Land Use Plan includes the planning of social, economic, administrative, and fiscal matters, many of which are interrelated with physical planning. In order to be effective, the plan must function as a process. Fayette County realizes the need to have each element build upon one another as well as a process within each element individually to attain an objective or goal for that single element. Fayette County is unique because of countywide zoning, subdivision, and land development in thirty-two of the forty-two municipalities. The remaining municipalities govern at the municipal level. Through the comprehensive planning process, community goals and objectives were identified to direct the needs and issues of not only Fayette County, but also individual municipalities. Fayette County will utilize this Plan as a guide to update the zoning, subdivision, and land development ordinances and to make sound land use decisions at the county and municipal level. The overall goal of Fayette is to have managed growth and make sound land use decisions by preserving the character of this rural county. Furthermore, this plan references other plans/studies that are completed in the County, such as: the Strategic Plan for Fayette County, the Solid Waste Plan, and the Natural Heritage Inventory Study. Also, there was consideration of the Mon-Fayette Expressway impact, the construction of the State Correctional Institute, and the economic zones as identified at both the state and federal levels as relating to land use. This is not inclusive, however the Plan must consider all other plans/studies being completed as to have continuity among the numerous plans that will be implemented within Fayette County. Land Use Overview Fayette County is a unique and diverse area of southwestern Pennsylvania that makes up approximately 794 square miles of land and is home to an estimated 147,000 people. In natural resources alone the County contains two highly influential ridges; the Laural Highlands and Chestnut Ridge; bountiful agricultural land and mature forests; and some of the highest quality bituminous coal in the State of Pennsylvania. The County has 42 municipal entities, which are represented by two cities, Connellville and Uniontown, 24 townships, 17 boroughs, and numerous villages and unincorporated settlements. The County is comprised of two distinct geographic regions, which are separated by Chestnut Ridge. The western portion of the County is a rolling plateau, which contains the majority of the developed land. The eastern half is more rugged in terrain, sparsely populated, and contains many of the County’s scenic parks, State Game Lands, natural areas, and agricultural lands. In its ever-changing state, Fayette County has influenced national history as a battle ground for military skirmishes, contributed generously to industrial development through coal mining and the coking of coal to be used in steel production, and served as a home to migrants and immigrants alike since the 1700’s. The economic decline that occurred following W.W.II has led the County to diversify and find alternative opportunities for economic development and employment. Fayette County, as a region, is within an hour commute of two major metropolitan centers; the City of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, West Virginia, which gives it a superb locational advantage for access to employment