Whitehall Township Comprehensive Plan Whitehall Township Lehi h County, Pennsylvania August 2005 4optec by the I ILilla Township Board of Comn;,;sioners on 8 August 2005 Resolution #2436 Board of Commissioners Planning Commission Kenneth S. Snyder, President James Molinaro, Chairman Linda K. Snyder, Vice President Kenneth Snyder, Vice Chairman Bruce A. Brinker, Secretary Thomas Billowitch Philip I. Ginder Neil Ehrlichman Clair D. Hunsberger Anthony Makris Daniel T. McNeil Robert Piligian Gerard F. Palagonia Robert Zentz Wayne Grim (former member) Township Staff Glenn D. Solt, Township Executive John D. Meyers, Assistant Township Executive Lee A. Rackus, Chief, Bureau of Planning, Zoning, and Development Frank J. Clark, Township Engineer Consultants Urban Research & Development Corporation Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in cooperation with Keystone Consulting Engineers Wescosville, Pennsylvania Whitehall Township Comprehensive Plan CONTENTS PAGE CONTENTS .......................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................... 1-1 BACKGROUND .................................................... 2-1 RegionalLocation ..................................................... 2-1 Lehigh County and Regional Policies ...................................... 2.2 History .............................................................. .-3 MajorHistoricSites ............................................................. 2-5 Population ........................................................... 2-5 Housing ............................................................. 2-8 Existing Land Use .................................................... 2.13 Residentialuses ............................................................... 2-13 Commercial Uses (Retail. Service. and Office) ....................................... 2-14 Industrial and Quany Uses ....................................................... 2-15 Community Facilities ........................................................... 2-15 Parks and Public Open Space ..................................................... 2-16 InstitutionalUses .............................................................. 2-16 Undeveloped and Agricultural Uses ................................................ 2-17 Natural Features ...................................................... 2.17 Physiography ................................................................. 2-18 Geology ...................................................................... 2-18 High Yield Groundwater Areas ................................................... 2-18 Soils ........................................................................ 2-19 SteepSlopes .................................................................. 2-19 Woodlands ................................................................... 2-20 Streams and Drainage Basins ..................................................... 2-20 Floodplains ................................................................... 2-21 Wetlands ..................................................................... 2-22 g.. .B I 1 Whitehall Township Comprehensive Plan PAGE Community Facilities and Services ....................................... 2.22 Government Admmistration ...................................................... 2-22 TownshipBuildings ............................................................ 2-23 Capital Improvements ........................................................... 2-24 PoliceProtection ............................................................... 2-24 Fireprotection ................................................................ 2-24 Emergency Medical Service ...................................................... 2-25 Library ...................................................................... 2-26 RecreationandOpenSpace ...................................................... 2-27 Parklanddopen Space ....................................................... 2-27 Administration ............................................................. 2-30 ~ Staffing .................................................................. 2-31 I Programs ................................................................. 2-31 I Funding ................................................................... 2-32 Issues .................................................................... 2-32 Schools ...................................................................... 2-33 ~ Sanitary Sewer Service .......................................................... 2-34 Systemcapacity ........................................................... 2-35 FutureExpansion ........................................................... 2-36 Waterservice ................................................................. 2-37 Whitehall Township Authority ................................................ 2-37 Northampton Borough Municipal Authority ...................................... 2-37 Publicworks ................................................................. 2-38 Otherservices ................................................................. 2-39 Transportation ....................................................... 2-39 Traffic ....................................................................... 2-39 Current Traffic Planning ..................................................... 2-40 Future Traffic Planning ...................................................... 2-41 PublicTransportation ........................................................... 2-42 Current Land Use Policy ............................................... 2-43 Adjacent Municipalities ........................................... 2-43 Community Survey ................................................... 2-45 PLAN FORTHE FUTURE ............................................ 3-1 LandUseandHousing .................................................. 3-1 Goals and Objectives ............................................................. 3-2 Recommendations ................................................................ 3-2 ii Whitehall Township Comprehensive Plan PAGE Natural Features / Agricultural Preservation ................................ 3-25 Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 3-25 Recommendations ............................................................... 3-26 Community Facilities and Services ....................................... 3-34 Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 3-34 Recommendations ............................................................... 3-34 Transportation ....................................................... 3-41 Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 3-41 Recommendations ............................................................... 3-41 Historic Preservation .................................................. 3-47 Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 3-47 Recomendations ............................................................... 3-48 Economic Development ............................ : ................... 3-51 Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 3-51 Recommendations ............................................................... 3-52 Plan Interrelationships and Timing ....................................... 3-55 ActionProgram ...................................................... 3-55 Role of the Planning Commission ................................................... 3-59 Role of the Board of Commissioners ................................................ 3-60 APPENDIX A -Whitehall Township Community Survey ................... A-I APPENDIX B .Community Development Funding Sources ................ B-1 Whitehall Township Comprehensive Plan PAGE Maps k 2.1 Regional Location ..................................... :............. 2-2 2.2 Regional Planning Policies .................................. following 2-2 9’ 2.3 Historic Sites ............................................. following 2-6 2.4 Existing Land Use ........................................ following 2-14 2.5 Temporarily Preserved Agricultural Lands ..................... following 2-1 8 2.6 Bedrock Geology ......................................... following 2-1 8 2.7 High-Yield Groundwater Areas ............’. ................. following 2-20 2.8 Prime Agricultural Soils ................................... following 2-20 2.9 Soil Limitations for On-Lot Septic Systems .................... following 2-20 2.10 Steep Slopes and Major Woodlands .......................... following 2-20 2.1 1 Water Features ........................................... following 2-22 2.12 Existing and Proposed Recreation and Open Space Sites .......... following 2-28 2.13 Public Sewer and Water Service Areas ........................ following 2-34 2.14 Existing Transportation Network .............................. following 2-38 2.15 Generalized Existing Zoning ................................ following 2-42 3.1 Land Use Plan ............................................. following 3-2 3.2 Transportation Plan ........................................ following 3-42 Tables 2.1 Major Historic Sites ................................................. 2.6 2.2 Total Population. 1960-2000 .......................................... 2.6 2.3 Population Change. 1960-2OOO ........................................ 2.7 2.4 Population