Meeting Minutes

Mercer County Regional Planning Commission
TUESDAY, May 24, 2005
7:30pm, MCRPC Office, Hermitage

MUNICIPALITY	PRESENT	ABSENT
FARRELL CITY		Jerry Miller
		William Morocco
HERMITAGE CITY	Rita Ferringer	James Pat White
		James A. Rollinson
SHARON CITY	Stephen Theiss	Darin Flower
		Vic Heutsche
CLARK BOROUGH	Richard Dunlap	James Carucci, Sr.
FREDONIA BOROUGH	Patricia McAdams	Ron Boyd
GREENVILLE BOROUGH	Burroughs Price	Robin Douglas
GROVE CITY BOROUGH	Clifford McCandless	Thomas D. Shaffer, Jr.
JACKSON CENTER BOROUGH		Debbi Stevenson
		Marvin R. McAfoose
JAMESTOWN BOROUGH		Darryl Pinney
		Doug McElhaney
MERCER BOROUGH	Jerry Johnson	Jim Carnes
NEW LEBANON BOROUGH		Janice Good
		Mary A. Ziegler
SANDY LAKE BOROUGH		Robert W. Kaltenbaugh
		Brad Martin
SHARPSVILLE BOROUGH		Bob Piccirilli
		Alex Kovach
STONEBORO BOROUGH	Samuel A. Scott
WEST MIDDLESEX BOROUGH		Mark David
		Tracy Thompson
WHEATLAND BOROUGH	Thomas R. Stanton
	Bob Davis
COOLSPRING TOWNSHIP	Robert L. McGhee	Robert M. Addison
DELAWARE TOWNSHIP		Donald Kremm
		Caroline Stoyer
EAST LACKAWANNOCK TOWNSHIP		Nancy Givens
FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP		Jane Clark
		Mont Clark
FINDLEY TOWNSHIP	John B. Courtney
	Elliott Lengel
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP		Pamela Brown
		Russell L. Dawes
JACKSON TOWNSHIP		Linda L. Baun
		Mary Gealy
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP	Richard H. McCullough	Bert Weston
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP	Dave Beatty
	Ron Faull
NEW VERNON TOWNSHIP		John Martin
OTTER CREEK TOWNSHIP		Paulette Young
		Richard Straub
PERRY TOWNSHIP		Richard Marshall
PINE TOWNSHIP	H. Thomas Paxton
	Fred Brenner
PYMATUNING TOWNSHIP		Walter L. Weir, Jr.
		Richard Witten
SHENANGO TOWNSHIP	Charles Gilliland
	James Eakin
S. PYMATUNING TOWNSHIP		David Lapikas
		Mike Nashtock
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP	Judy L. Hassler	Larry T. Gruntz
WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP		Charles Garrett
		Jeff Hoy
WOLF CREEK TOWNSHIP	Mark Smith	Ray Penland
MERCER COUNTY	Larry McAdams	Julie Widel
	Jean Hodge
	James Hughes
	Patty McClusky
	Jeff Fiedler
	James L. Hogan
BOROUGHS ASSOCIATION		David George
SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION		Robert Birtciel
COUNTY COMMISSIONER	Michele Brooks

 

STAFF	OTHERS PRESENT
Dan Gracenin, Executive Director Jeremy Coxe, Senior Planner Andrew Dash, Planner Carmen Reichard, Sr. Program Admin. Jill Boozer, Program Administrator Don Blakesley, Senior Program Administrator Margaret Heldorfer, Associate Planner	Robert Kochems, Solicitor

CALL TO ORDER

Mr. Tom Stanton, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Mr. Mark Smith, Vice-Chairman, led the Commission in the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance.

ATTENDANCE SIGN-IN

An attendance sign-in sheet was passed around and representatives present were asked to mark their attendance. A quorum was not present.

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ANY AGENDA ITEM

There were no public comments.

MINUTES OF THE APRIL 26, 2005 MEETING

A motion was made by Mr. Beatty and seconded by Mr. Lengel to approve the Minutes of the April 26, 2005 meeting with no additions, corrections, or deletions. The motion passed.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

A motion was made by Mr. Beatty and seconded by Mr. Johnson to approve the April 2005 Financial Statement as presented. The motion passed.

STAFF REPORTS

Mr. Dash, Planner, explained that he is in the process of reviewing the Draft Mercer County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. The draft ordinance can be viewed on the Commission’s web site. A meeting will be held with the Mercer County Commissioners to get final comments before we go to the public for a hearing.

Mr. Gracenin, Executive Director, explained that DCNR has come out with a Community Conservation Partnership Program (C2P2) for recreation funding. The C2P2 provides state and federal grant dollars to help fund community recreation and conservation projects. The application period is now open, with applications due by September 30, 2005. Pre-application workshops will be held around the State, with the closest one to be held in Clarion on June 14, 2005. If anyone is interested in the program or the workshop to contact him after the meeting.

ZONING & SUBDIVISION REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT

Mr. Scott, Committee Chairman, noted that the Committee met prior to tonight’s meeting, a quorum was present, and took action of the following items:

1. Rezoning Request – City of Hermitage – Mr. Scott explained that the Committee reviewed a rezoning request by Mr. Dan Leali to rezone approximately 5.2 acres on the southwest quadrant of East State Street (US 62) and South Darby Road from High-Density Residential (R-4) to Central Commercial-1 (CC-1). The nearest Central Commercial zone is located at the intersection of Keel Ridge Road to the west, and at the intersection of East State Street and Neshannock Road to the east. In addition, the City has made zoning decisions within the past two years to limit the expansion of the Commercial zones, so that the Commercial development stays in the City’s core. A motion was made by Mr. Scott and seconded by Mr. Hogan to deny the rezoning request by Dan Leali, due to it being a spot zone, and to limit the size of the Central Commercial zone to keep development in the City’s core and in the vacant areas already in that zone, as recommended by the Committee. The motion passed.

2. Rezoning Request – Mercer Borough – Mr. Scott explained that the Committee reviewed a rezoning request to rezone the property on the east side of McKinley Avenue from Industrial (I) to General Residential (R-2). This property was rezoned to Industrial from General Residential when the Borough’s Zoning Ordinance was revised in 2002. The land use of the property is single-family, and the owner wishes to continue its use as such. A motion was made by Mr. Scott and seconded by Mr. Lengel to approve the rezoning request by Mercer Borough, as recommended by the Committee. The motion passed.

3. Revisions to the Mercer County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance – Mr. Scott explained that the Committee discussed the revisions to the Mercer County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Included in the discussion was: 1) the recording of land development plats, and including provisions regulating land developments; 2) three new classes of subdivisions and the improvements required with each; 3) how municipalities and MCRPC handle engineering review for certification of improvements; and 4) changes previously approved to the fee schedule. The Committee also discussed how to inform the municipalities about these changes, and decided that MCRPC staff should prepare a process guide for municipalities that are under the County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, as well as sitting with them and discussing these changes at municipal meetings.

FINANCE-PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT

Dr. Brenner, Committee Chairman, noted that the Committee met on May 13, 2005, and interviewed three candidates for positions with the MCRPC. We offered employment to two candidates, of which one accepted, Mr. Brian Barnhizer. Mr. Barnhizer had worked at the Erie County Planning Commission for many years and will be joining MCRPC on June 6, 2005 in the position as a Senior Planner. Mr. Gracenin explained that we still have one position open and the Committee will interview a few more candidates within the next couple of weeks.

SUMMER PICNIC

Mr. Gracenin explained that MCRPC has annually held a summer picnic for members. In discussion, members were interested in holding a summer picnic sometime in mid-July. Mr. Gilliland suggested that we hold the picnic at the Shenango Township Park behind the Municipal Building. Mr. Gracenin explained that we will confirm a date and make arrangements with a caterer, with invitations to follow.

AUTHORIZATION FOR COMMITTEES TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THE FULL COMMISSION WHEN NOT MEETING IN SUMMER MONTHS

Mr. Gracenin stated that the full Commission does not meet in June, July and August, but would need to authorize the Committees of the Commission to act on behalf of the full Commission. A motion was made by Mr. Beatty and seconded by Mr. Hogan to authorize the Committees of the Commission to act on behalf of the full Commission in the months of June, July and August. The motion passed.

GREENER VISIONS – SMART GROWTH OPTIONS PRESENTATION

Mr. Gracenin introduced Mr. Rick Grossman from Graney, Grossman, Colosimo and Associates from Grove City Borough. He stated that the MCRPC is completing the Greener Visions project for Mercer County. The project was developed in association with Graney, Grossman, Colosimo and Associates through a grant with the PA Environmental Council. Mr. Grossman explained that this state-wide organization tries to bring together interest of the environmental community and interest of industry and homebuilders associations in Pennsylvania. The project would provide education and sample conservation type ordinances that can be used by municipalities and developers to provide alternatives to traditional residential developments. He noted that Mercer County will be facing a demographic crisis. Mercer County has a smaller population than it did in 1960. The median age of a county resident is over four years older than the median age for an American. He stated that for Mercer County to grow and thrive, we need to attract new residents by marketing its many attributes and by providing housing choices that appeal to today’s homebuyers such as highway access, walking/bike trails, sidewalks on both sides of the street and parks/playgrounds. Mercer County can recognize the need to attract new development by promoting the expansion of choices for housing and residential land development within the County through the Greener Visions initiative. Greener Visions promotes the use of new planning tools enabled by the PA Municipalities Planning Code and the creation of new design standards. These new tools and concepts include: 1) Planned Residential Developments; 2) Rural Conservation Subdivisions; and 3) Traditional Neighborhood Developments. He stated that these tools could be a development option in their community if they would adopt one of the new model development ordinances prepared as part of the Greener Visions Initiative. MCRPC can work with local planning commissions and elected officials to examine how the new tools could work in their municipality. He noted that by adopting one or more of these tools, you will be providing your community with choices to meet the needs of future homebuyers. If you do not make use of these tools, developers who wish to build in your community may be forced to build conventional subdivisions that are land consumptive, automobile dependent and at odds with community character.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business or discussion, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Submitted and Certified By:

Patricia McAdams, Secretary - MCRPC

 

Mercer County Regional Planning Commission
2491 Highland Road, Hermitage, PA 16148
mail@mcrpc.com    www.mcrpc.com

 

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