W ESTMONT 1BOROUGH PREHENSIVE PLAN 1980 Cambria County Planning Commission Westmont Borough Planning committee WESTMONT BOROUGH COMPREHENSIVE 0 PLAN e 1980 prepared by: the Cambria County Planning Commission Court House Annex Ebensburg, Pennsylvania 15931 (814) 472- 5440 for: the Westmont Borough Planning Committee 1560 Menoher Boulevard Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15905 (814) 255-3865 'The preparation of this report was financed in part through an Urban Planning Grant from the Department of Housing and. Urban Develop- ment, under the provision of Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amnded and administered by the Bureau of Planning, Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Community Affairs." CAMBRIA COUNTY COWISSIONERS T. T. Metzger, Jr., President W. Donald Templeton Joseph P. Roberts CAMBRIA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Thomas N. Crowley, Chairman John P. Kupchella Fred J. McFadden, Vice-Chairman Gilbert Salsgiver Daniel Byme , Secretary Leonard LaPorta James J. Long, Trea.-m-er Mark Blaisdell Elvin Overdorff WESMNT BOROUGH COUNCIL Eugene Riek, Mayor Cynthia Friedman John P. Roddy, President Sharon H. McGrath Robert S. Hanson 111, Vice-president Leonard Paul Joseph A. Dalesandro Robert G. Wallace WESMIIT BOROUGH PLANNING COM4IlTEE i Cynthia Friedman, Chair Sharon H. McGrath Robert S. Hanson, I11 Robert G. Wallace CAME3RIA COTJNTY PLANNING COINISSION - STAFF Bradford G. Beigay, Fxecutive Director Norman R. Berzonsky, Planner David L. Belz, Principal Planner Colleen A. Schall, Administrative Assistant Richard F. Truscello, Principal Planner Maryann Koza , Stenographer Gerald P. Parisi, Senior Planner Nanette G. Ludwig, Stenographer Thomas E. Koch, Planner 3IBLIOGRAPHIC DATA 2. 3 RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION NO. jHEET I TITLE AN0 SUBTITLE 5. REPORT OATE Westmont Borough Comprehensive Plan 1980 ' ' AUTHOR(SI 6 PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REP1 Staff 110 PERFORMING ORGARIZATION NAWC AN0 AOORESS IO PROJECT/TASM/WORK UNIT NO Cambria County Planning Commission Courthouse Annex II CONTRACT/GRAMl NO Ebensburg, Pennsylvania 15931 P-1127 2 SPONSORING ORGAYIZA~IONNAMC AN0 AODRLSS 13 rrPE OF REPORT e PERIOO COVERED Westmont Borough Planning Committee Final 1560 Menoher Boulevard I Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15905 I4 ~~ 5 SUPYLtHtHTARY MOILS. 6. ABSTRAC 1s The purpose of this report is to provide guidance for improve- ments and future development in Westmont Borough. Through an Inventory and Analysis of various conditions in Xestmont Borough, a Policy and Long Range Plan was prepared. Included are; Future Land Use, Future . Community Facilities, and Future Transportation. An Implementation and Control section is also included in order to provide direction for the Borough to follow in its endeavors to improve and guide further development in the comity. la 7 lrEV WORDS AM0 OOCUMEMT ANALYSIS 170 OCSCRiPTORS 15 IDEr(TlflCRS/OPEN-ENDED TERMS '0 8. AVAILABILITY ST~T~MCNT I9 SECURITY CLASS (THIS 21. NO OF PAGES 164 100 Copies 20 SECURITY CLASS ;THIS 22. PRICE TABLE of CONTENTS 7 11 25 30 39 58 70 87 114 LIST of MAPS page LIST of FIGURES Typical Temperatures and Precipitation - Johnstown Area -- 13 Population - Westmont Borough - 1930-85 ------------------ 31 Population F'yramids - Westmont Borough - 1960 and 1970 --- 34 Labor Force Trends - Westmont Borough - 1970-78 ---------- 52 Occupational Trends - Westmont Borough - 1970-78 --------- 53 Summary of Receipts - Westn-tont Borough - 1974-78 --------- 118 Summary of Expenditures - IVestmont Borough - 1974-78 ----- 122 e ~ a e e e a Introduction e INTRODUCTION Comprehensive community planning is a systematic and continuing process to help solve current cornunity problems and provide for future e needs. It includes the identification and continuous refinement of objec- tives and criteria; collection and analysis of pertinent data; consider- ation of alternative courses of action; policy decisions on selected courses of action; coordination of local plans, programs, and activities affecting the development of the area; the formulation, maintenance, and updating of a comprehensive development plan; and measures to implement the plan. The goal of any comprehensive plan is to develop a healthy, live- able environment sustaining adequate housing, comity facilities, and transportation facilities, thus, enabling the residents to maintain both an individual and collective pride and identity with the comity. To Q attain this goal , objectives aimed at establishing policies for preservation and creation of desirable physical elements must be promoted. Also, agencies actively involved in providing social services aid economic stabilization must be established and retained in the comity. The purpose of this study is to develop a community plan that will lead to the attainment of these desired goals. To effectively initiate and successfully develop a comprehensive comity plan, physical analysis of topography, climate and land use factors mst be evaluated together with studies of population and economic conditions, recreational and community facilities, transportation systems, and public utilities. Once examined thoroughly, the existing conditions may shed light on why the comity has deteriorated, and therefore may hold the key as to what future proposals and develcpment policies must be established to correct and prevent any future deficiencies. This plan contains an in-depth detailed study of the Borough of Westmont, utilizing all the elements of a comprehensive plan. It is presented in three parts with individual chapters and subheadings of the various topics. Part I, Inventory and Analysis, addresses the physical, economic and social aspects of the Borough. Its purpose is to provide an overall view of Westmont Borough utilizing te-xt, graphs, tables, and maps. Part 11, Policy and Long Range Plan, presents goals and objectives developed through an understanding of the Borough gained from the analysis phase which sets a sense of direction for the Borough to follow. Specific recommendations and proposals are outlined following the basic policies. Part 111, the Implementation and Control, suggests and explains various ways of; implementing the recommendations set forth in the Policy and Long Range Plan. A Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, and Capital Budgeting are the means in which the Borough of Westmont can implement the Comprehensive Plan. The preparation and adoption of a Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, and Capital Budgeting is not a cure-all for any municipality. It is, however, a systemtic approach prescribed by law for municipalities to establish a direction for the future of their community. I PUBLIC INPm SURVEY The following tabulations are a result of a random survey of 600 residents e' of Westmont Borough. The purpose of the survey was to obtain general public input and to determine their attitudes toward several components of the Borough's Comprehensive Plan. Of 600 surveys sent, over 300 were returned for a SO%+ response. The condensed comments following the tabulations are included to show the most frequently mentioned topics or locations and also to show a range of various attitudes. e 1. Do you feel that there is a need for mre single family residental develop- ment within the Borough? -123 Yes *181- No -304 Total Mound, - Grove, llOld'l Wesmont , Lehigh St. , Shelburne Dr. , Menoher past St. Clair Rd., Westmont High School area, subdivide large properties past St. Clair Rd., Greystone, Woodcrest Dr., Parkview Dr., Vacant lots. 2. Do you feel that there is a need for more multi-family residential develop- ment within the Borough? "184- Yes -118 No -302 Total If yes, what type(s) : 44 High Rise (More than 3 stcries) "105- Tom House -86 Low Rise (3 stories) -99 Condominhum (owner-occupied) At what approximate rental range? .$ 200-400 per month bund, Edgehill Dr., Grove, l'Old'' Westmont, Tioga St. , edge of Stackhouse Park, Lehigh St., behind Synagogue, near Sunnehanna, near shopping cen.ter, Goucher St., Shelburne Dr., Woodcrest Dr., corner of Menoher and St. Clair, vacant land, near public transportation. 3. Do you support the conversion of older single family houses into two or mre aparbnent units? "189- Yes -121 No -310 Total parking problems, only with strict building codes, only if omer occupied, with proper upkeep, limit to only two apartments, conversions can some- a times destroy the quality and character of an older home and in turn destroy the quality and character of the neighborhood. 4. Do you feel that certain sections of the Borough suffer from residential blight ? -125 Yes "161- No -286 Total e "Old" Westmont , ttOld'' Westmont towards Brownstom, higher population density in "Old" Westmont , sidewalk repairs needed in "Old" h'estmnt , Elknaud Lane, Luzerne St., Spear Ave., Wnoher and St. Clair. ECONOMIC BASE 5. Do you feel the Borough should pursue the establishment of light industrial. enterprises in order to increase job opportunities within the brough 1. limits? -95 Yes "223- No -318 Total no room, keep residential, industry belongs in the city. 2 6. Do you feel that additional commercial service areas (commercial shops, professional or business offices, etc.) should be expanded within the Borough Limits? "179- Yes -136 No -315 Total shoe repair, meats, bakery, conversion of some present buildings into offices, only in commercial areas, belongs Downtown. COWITY FACILITIES 7. Do you feel that the water, sewer, and street lighting service within the Borough is adequate? Water "269- Yes -46 No -315 Total low pressure in area around St. Clair Rd. water tank, water