North Huntingdon Township Comprehensive Plan
This is an interactive StoryMap document. Desktop viewing is recommended. See the Resolution of the adopted Comprehensive Plan here !
Purpose
The community's 2000 Comprehensive Plan provided recommendations on future zoning and land use planning. As there have been significant changes within the Township since that time, an updated comprehensive vision is articulating the goals and objectives of the community.
Local stakeholders, the community, and planning professionals worked together to develop long-term planning and zoning policies that will help guide the Township in future initiatives.
The preparation of this Comprehensive Plan was financed in part through a Municipal Assistance Program grant as administered by the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Let's take a look at the community and see with whom and for what we are planning.
Plan Summary and Ideas for Implementation
The 2023 Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary highlights the most critical parts of the Plan .
Executive Summary
Use the interactive window below to explore the official document.
Where Are We?
North Huntingdon Township lies on the western edge of Westmoreland County, just adjacent to Allegheny County.
The Township spans over 27 square miles and has a population of over 31,000 people.
Community Profile
Comparison with other Municipalities
It is essential to understand the development of North Huntingdon with the surrounding neighborhoods. A brief comparison of the municipalities surrounding the Township include Hempfield Township, Penn Township, Murrysville, Monroeville and North Braddock.
Comparing these communities reveals the similarities and differences and how they may be leveraged to support one another in long-term planning efforts.
This comparison helps highlight the Township does well when compared to its neighbors in most criteria but faces issues when the transport and accessibility is further studied. It, like North Braddock and Monroeville, does not have any regional bike/pedestrian trail. Further, the parks and open spaces per 1,000 people is much below the median value.
Thus, one of the main aspect for the proposal is to look into the transportation networks and access to green spaces.
Development
Generalized Pattern of Development (2004 to 2019) - NAIP Satellite Imagery
The southeast of the Township, the region experiencing the highest concentration of development between 2004 and 2019.
North Huntingdon Zoning Diagram
There are 14 unique zoning districts in North Huntingdon Township that regulate commercial, industrial, open space, residential, and special district areas.
Displayed is the Township's land use breakdown, according to 2022 Westmoreland County land use records.
The predominant land use of North Huntingdon is residential.
There are commercial uses concentrated in specific locations throughout the Township, specifically along Route 30.
The areas shown in blue are designated as Institutional, which indicates that these are primarily publicly-oriented land uses. These may include libraries, churches, police stations, fire departments, and some smaller parks.
Shown are the Township's publicly owned land, according to Westmoreland County records.
Highlighted parcel owners include North Huntingdon Township, Norwin School District, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, U.S. Postal Service, local volunteer fire departments, and more.
These parcels contain some of the most important neighborhood assets and should be considered when conducting long-term planning initiatives. These parcels can support neighborhood stability and provide important services to the community.
Housing Analysis
The developed region of the Township largely consists of housing parcels. While some residential parcels lie along the busy Route 30 commercial corridor, most are located in the south/south central portion of the Township.
The Township has 13,555 residential housing units. There is only a 5% vacancy rate, with nearly 90% of these units being owner occupied. Over 93% of the residential units are located in single-family structures.
Most houses that have developed follow a cul-de-sac system. Houses have been developed on either side of the tertiary streets that see low vehicular traffic.
The development of the Township has grown through the years. In 2004, residential development was primarily clustered south of Route 30 and the PA Turnpike near the eastern boundary of Irwin.
By 2015, the existing residential clusters grew denser. This especially noticeable along the eastern boundary of Irwin and towards the southwest corner of the Township.
This trend continued through 2019, notably in the southeastern corner of the Township.
North Huntingdon Township saw the greatest amount of residential housing development from 1950 through 1979.
In fact, the years between 1950 and 1969 contain over 40% of the total housing built in the Township. The years from 1970-1979 had 15%.
Since then, housing unit development has slowed, which means that 55% of the housing stock is over 50 years old.
Older housing contributes to a strong sense of place and neighborhood stability. However, it also requires more frequent maintenance and costlier investment.
The slider bar comparison reveals the neighborhood subdivision development.
Another factor in the housing condition is vacancy stabilization. 95% of the housing units are occupied which leads to only around 677 units (5%) that are left vacant. It is essential that this number, if not reduced, is maintained at this value.
This can be achieved by forming partnership with Westmoreland County. Greensburg and Westmoreland County have collaborated and mapped all properties in the region and assigned a status (Good, Fair, Poor) to track potential blight.
North Huntingdon could carry out a similar system with the county to better understand the residential fabric and, thus, look into better allocation of the funds.
Strengthening code enforcement could also help with reducing potential blight and the negative impact of abandoned properties.
Future Development + Preservation
The Township has seen a lot of development but still has a few empty pockets in it, especially near the boundaries of the region.
North Huntingdon Township sits on a diverse topographic landscape. There are constraints in many areas, such as steep slopes, floodplains, and legacy land uses. However, careful analysis of the Township's landscape has revealed areas that can support additional development that responds appropriately to these constraints.
Legacy land uses, such as agriculture, are common in areas of the Township that are not as steep or prone to flooding. Much of the pastoral landscape that has come to characterize the community is attributed to these areas. Unfortunately, the residential housing growth over the last two decades has encroached upon these areas.
Fortunately, a closer analysis of the Township's landscape reveals that there are four primary pockets that have the possibility of being developed with further residential uses that will not continue to impact agricultural land or face the challenges of steep slopes and the floodplain. These areas are an extension to the existing residential clusters, much like the recent development that has occurred since 2014.
New housing typologies that are denser, such as townhomes and similar smaller format residential dwellings that do not require large clear areas for development could be incorporated in these areas highlighted on the map to the right.
Denser housing typologies that are strategically located in existing developed areas can reinforce greater walkability and connection to other places of interest. Diversifying housing and locating it in areas that are currently developed will also help with the aging population in the Township.
Township Circulation
Sidewalk network (green) and regional trails (orange)
Pedestrian network
The Township's sidewalks are concentrated in newer housing developments in the south, as well as areas immediately surrounding schools and parks.
The Township is situated in the middle of an extensive trail network. The Youghiogheny River Water Trail runs along the southwest border of the Township and the Great Allegheny Passage is located just across the Youghiogheny River.
Active rail lines (red) and Inactive rail lines (blue)
Rail network
Norfolk Southern's active Pittsburgh Line runs through the northern portion of the Township (shown in red). The rail line generally follows the path of Brush Creek.
The Township also contains approximately 3 miles of inactive rail line (shown in blue), running north-to-south out of Irwin.
Roads, thickness based on Current Average Annual Daily Trips
Road network
The Township contains an extensive road network.
Route 30 and the PA Turnpike are the greatest source of traffic volume, each hosting over 20,000 Average Annual Daily Trips, according to 2022 PA traffic data.
Connectivity and Mobility
As the Township has grown away from the main Route 30 highway, connective routes have been developed.
These routes, however, do not experience very heavy activity because they are largely residential in nature. The table below highlights the busiest routes within the Township based on daily traffic volume.
Daily Traffic Volume
As can be seen from the table, the most active points are from where the highways turn into the residential corridors.
The difference can also be seen in the road designs. For example, the image shows Route 30 which is a multi-lane wide road with active commercial uses.
Whereas the secondary roadways are narrower with residential uses located along the edges. These corridors contrast significantly with Route 30 and some of the other commercial-oriented routes. However, there is little to no pedestrian infrastructure that facilitates safe connections between points of interest, such as public parks and open spaces.
Township Assets
North Huntingdon has a number of parks and open spaces, with a variety of passive and active uses that include sports fields, youth playgrounds, hiking trails, and large gathering lawns.
Penn's Woods Park
Park contains a ballfield with dugouts and spectator seating, 2 picnic pavilions, and restrooms.
Ackerman Nature Preserve
The Preserve contains five hiking/walking trails, a scenic overlook, and waterfalls.
Oak Hollow Park
65-acre park contains a pond and numerous recreational facilities. The park is the site of summer soccer and sports camps, as well as movie in the park events.
Jacktown Acres Park
Predominantly a wooded area, with a full basketball court, picnic pavilion, and playground.
Lions Park
Large open field with a walking and hiking trail, playground, and pavilion.
Lincoln Acres Park
Park facilities include a picnic pavilion, basketball court, and playground.
Hilltop Park
Contains a pavilion, playground, basketball court, ballfield, dugouts, hiking trail, and portable toilet.
Tinkers Run Park
Contains a bocce court, pavilion, playground, ballfield, and dugouts.
Country Hills Park
Hosts a ballfield and portable toilet.
Westmoreland City Park
Contains basketball court, playground, ballfield, dugouts, and portable toilet.
Braddock's Trail Park
This is North Huntingdon's largest park and one of Western Pennsylvania's most scenic locations. It also has historical ties to Braddock’s Military Road and contains a variety of nature trails.
Indian Lake Park
Park features a covered bridge, fire pit, paved walking paths, hiking trails, pavilion, 5-acre lake, youth playground, climbing area, and outdoor fitness stations.
North Huntingdon is served by the Norwin School District and is home to four (4) elementary schools, one (1) intermediate school and one (1) high school.
Age Friendly Communities
Keeping in mind that 34% of the residents of the area are above the age of 65, it is imperative that the proposal looks into developing and bolstering age friendly communities. It aims to do so by :
- Safe and walkable Neighborhoods
- Affordable housing
- Transportation Options
- Age friendly outdoor spaces
- Healthy Living
- Employment opportunities
- Civic engagement options
- Strong Social Services network
Example - Johnson County
With the age of the population on the rise, communities need to be age friendly. AARP has done some work in the same and mentioned 8 domains that need to be checked and maintained for the goal to be achieved.
The Johnson County, Iowa, is one of the first to attain the status of an Age-Friendly Neighborhood. A few key feature includes the high walkability of the area. It allows for easier commute for the people and increases the livability and accessibility.
Prioritized Corridors
To allow for the community to be a age friendly one, the various systems that exist need to be looked at. One of the main feature has to be connectivity and ease of access.
To allow for this, the various spaces that are needed by the residents need to be mapped out and the existing connections need to be studied.
The project looks at the spaces such as parks, schools, police stations, etc.
When these spaces are seen with the existing roadways and sidewalks, along with their activity levels, it becomes clear that these are not easily accessible to all. The sideways are not present at all areas and they are especially absent along the busy corridors. This limits the access for people unless they have a vehicle for use.
Also, most of the green spaces are located in pockets that do not get serviced by the sidewalks.
When seen with respect with the residential fabric, many parks lie in regions with very little development and have no access points for people who live slightly further away.
A prime focus, thus, has to be the development of more sidewalks and bicycle lanes that connect the various parts of the township with special focus on the residential areas with an absence of green space. This will allow for the township to be easily livable for all, helping it achieve the goal of an age-friendly neighborhood.
Community Feedback
Public feedback informed the 2023 Comprehensive Plan. There were over 950 comments recorded as part of survey outreach! An all-day workshop was held on March 18, 2023 at the North Huntingdon Municipal Building. There were over 30 participants and hundreds of comments recorded that focused on quality, connectivity, and value.
