1992 EVALUATION AND UPDATE

of the COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

for

ECONOMY BOROUGH Beaver County Pennsylvania

PREPARED BY: !4. V. Kennedy municipal^ Planning Consultant Beaver Falls, PA

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE: Economy Borough Planning Commission

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE - PLANNING BACKGROUND

Previous Programs

Planning Element Review

Natural Features

Economic Structure

Population Factors

Land Use Status

Community Facilities

Thoroughfares

Summary

PART TWO - DEVELOPMENT OUTLOOK

Goals and Objectives

Planning Influences

Regional Relationships

Local Considerations

Development Plan

Land Use Concepts

Highways

Public Services/Facilities

General S,ummary

Paqe 1

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9

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16

23

28

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33

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35

38

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51

56

60

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i I - LIST OF PLATES

PLATE ONE Existing Land Use Features Appendix A

PLATE TWO Area Growth Patterns Page 3 4 a

PLATE THREE Development Concept Map Appendix B

PLATE FOUR Highway Systems Appendix C

PLATE FIVE Regional Highway Proposals Page 52a

PLATE SIX Water Service Areas Appendix D

PLATE SEVEN Sewer Service Areas Page 59a

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables

A

B

C

D

Largest Employers - County

Area Population T r ~ n d s

Area Population Projections

Land Classifications

Paqe

7

11

1 2

4 0

INTRODUCTION

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Economy Borough was among the initial group of municipalities in Beaver County to officially act to control the growth pressures which were exerted following World War 11. The Borough's first formal Comprehensive Development Plan was prepared in 1962 in response to the impact of this postwar urbanization. As a result of this early planning, many of the problems normally associated with uncontrolled development were deflected by the communities in which planning programs were implemented.

Significant growth was maintained throughout the local area from the early fifties until about a decade ago when many municipalities experienced a reduction in employment opportunities and decreases in population levels. This rather sudden turn of events resulted largely from the collapse of an established heavy industrial base of over fifty years duration. The downward spiral of the past decade seems now to have slowed or to have been largely halted. Although ongoing areawide recovery is expected to be modest in scope, there are indications that many local municipalities will start once more to experience population increases coupled with new and expanded business activities. This outlook, combined with social changes and innovations in development practices, strongly suggests that local governments should reassess development programs and administrative controls to determine if they are ccmptible with the needs and challenges of anticipated growth trends.

The following evaluation and updating of the original 1962 planning program for Economy Borough has been prepared to guide ongoing expansion activities during the coming decade. Consideration has been given to basic established features and strengths within the community as well as to the influence of potential developmental impacts. Many features,of the original study remain vlable while others have been adjusted to reflect changing times and conditions.

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Part One

Planning Background

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PART ONE

PLANNING BACKGROUND

PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

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Although independent studies had been prepared from time to time which related to utilities, highways, fiscal problems and other specific aspects of local government, the 1962 Comprehensive Development Plan was the Borough's first formal planning effort. That study predated the Beaver County Comprehensive Plan by three years and was m e of only a limited number of such programs developed in the regional area during that era. The foresight shown by officials in Economy Borough spared the community from many development related problems during the major growth years that occurred from midfifties through early eighties.

The primary stated purposes of the 1962 Plan included the evaluation of established development, conservation of positive community features, elimination of negative influences and the formulation of a guide for orderly growth. Basic findings in the original study suggested that the potential for industrial and commercial expansion was limited and advised that future development. should be focused on residential related functions and concern for environmental and aesthetic quality. These concepts and opinions remain valid today. Accordingly, this update of the original program is focused on the current status of basic informational data, the updating of inventory material, and a reevaluation of planning goals and proposals for community action within the context of present day condi ti ons .

Many of the basic elements of the original planning background material have remained largely constant over the past thirty years. Some of these planning components are highlighted in the current planning evaluation since they continue to be instrumental in shaping future community development. For example, natural features such as topographic conditions have

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little potential for modification but play a significant role in mandating land use patterns and the overall density of development. The configuration of existing land uses was determined largely in response to local topographic conditions. Land features will continue to be major factors in determining the siting, density and types of land uses throughout the community. Therefore, topography remains a major planning consideration.

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The 1962 study includes projections that outline proposed land use types and locations, as well as levels of anticipated population. These projections have been reevaluated and have been revised as deemed appropriate. Particular attention has been directed toward the changes in the areawide economic structure as part of these considerations since the original 1962 planning projections were formulated on the basis of assumptions that are no longer viable.

Other major planning elements, such as future land use proposals and thoroughfare plans, have remained largely constant during the past thirty year period in spite of severe modifications in the regional economic climate. Reasons for this local stability and what it portends for the future are discussed as part of the overall evaluation of the Comprehensive 'Plan.

PLANNING ELEMENT REVIEW

Natural Features

The historic capsule included in the 1962 study notes that Economy Borough had aivays been a predominantly rural area that accommodated farming and residential related land uses. This was a result of both the topographic patterns and limited highway accessibility. These factors are classic planning determinants which combine to form effective barriers to significant economic expansion in many areas of the immediate region. Overall, these restraints have probably been beneficial to Economy Borough by limiting negative deve 1 opmen t activities, such as speculative

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enterprises, conflicting land uses and a host of possible land use activities of marginal value to the general public. Natural features such as topography are of a permanent nature and will continue to influence future growth patterns as they have done in the past.

Nearly three-fourths of the land area throughout the Borough is in excess of 16 percent slope. Sloped land in the 16 to 25 percent slope category is difficult to develop and thus is more expensive to prepare for use than terrain of more moderate features. Such land can not adequately accommodate high density activities and its use can precipitate drainage difficulties and erosion to surrounding parcels. These areas are also difficult to service with utilities and vehicular access. Tracts of land with slope in excess of 25 percent are not conducive to most active use applications since development problems become even more pronounced than in the 16 to 25 percent category. The costs associated with these slope features limit the financial feasibility of utilizing such .land , areas for concentrated developments. 2. . ./ I

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Land with less than 16 percent slope is found scat,tered throughout Economy Borough. The highest concentrations are situated in the northern portions of the community, particularly the northeastern quadrant. Extensive residential growth has taken place in these areas and remaining vacant land will accommodate additional expansion. Other development sites throughout the remainder of the Borough are generally limited in size because of the lack of ample contiguous land masses of moderate to flat terrain and the resulting difficulty and expense of providing new streets and utility systems. The portions of the community where terrain features and the feasibility for access will most appropriately accommodate additional growth are discussed in Part Two of this report. As noted above, the topographic profile of Economy Borough is a given natural condition that is not subject to major alteration. This characteristic will continue to be a deciding factor with respect to the types and extent of new development, the design and location of the local transportation network and the costs associated with the infrastructure needs of the community. Local planning policy, as well as private development initiatives, will be directly influenced by these indelible terrain conditions.

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Economic Structure

The 1962 Plan includes a discussion of the relationships between local growth and the areawide economy. The narrative includes an outline of the wide scope of the regional industrial base then in existence and the key position of Beaver County within that industrial cqmplex. It was postulated that the local and regional industrial base was then in the process of diversification and that there were a series of favorable factors present which would assure economic stapility. The assumption was made that the development of Economy Borough would depend on the growth and prosperity of the broader regional area.

The assumption regarding the relationship between the regional economy and local growth has been proven during the last three decades; however, the economic outlook foreseen as part of the 1962 scenario has been opposite from what had been anticipated. The extensive heavy industrial base on which the economic structure of Beaver County had lony depended began to weaken dramatically during the 1970 decade and virtually collapsed during the next ten years. During that period, nearly all of the major basic metals oriented firms in the region either cut back on the scope of operations, relocated or ceased operations entixely. This rather abrupt reduction of the basic metals industry throughout the region had a widespread domino effect on ancillary businesses and service industries. A s a result, all sectors of the economy have declined.

Documentation contained in the original Plan indicates that there were 51,000 major job opportunities within sixteen miles of Economy Borough in 1962. That estimate encompassed all of the major employment centers in Beaver.County and did not even consider the extensive employment opportunities in adjacent counties and neighboring Ohio and West Virginia. The majority of the larger firms in the 1962 Beaver County listing are now relocated, restructured or out of business. Included in these employment sources are familiar names like American Bridge, J and L Steel, Hydrill, Pittsburgh Bridge and Iron, and a host of others. The basic metals industries that still remain today are limited in their scope of activities unlike the more extensive operations of earlier years.

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ighty percent of the employment sources listed previously cited 51,000 j ob opportunities were ied as heavy industrial and construction

activities. As noted above, many of those employment sources are now gone or significantly reduced in size. It should also be noted that a large portion of the original businesses that have survived are of a service related nature. These changes in the countywide employment profile are illustrated by Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry research data published in mid 1991 which lists the 25 largest employers in Beaver County. This data is shown on Table A.

TABLE A LARGEST EMPLOYERS - BEAVER COUNTY

Employees Rankinq Employer 195 1 /i 990

1 Medical Center 180 O/ 180 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Duquesne Light County Government Westinghouse State Government LTV Steel Pennsylvania Power Zinc Corp. of America McCarl's, Inc. J & L Specialty Products Foodland Aliquippa Hospital Anchor Hocking Ambridge School District Arc0 Chemical Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit Federal Government K Hart Michael Baker Cnrp. Beaver Newspapers Sears Blackhawk School District Security Bureau, Inc. McDonald's Hill's Department Stores

1496/1248 1000/698 900/844 800/473 724/700 684/936 679/565 550/400

512/512 500/481 493/540 463/320 454/440 450/264 400/500 398/104 388/428 360/335 350/375 350/280 325/300 300/300 280/280

534/53 3

This current listing is not directly comparable with the economic statistics included in the 1962 listings; however, the seventy-six firms on the original list represented the major employers in each of the county

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employment centers and provided the major sources of jobs throughout the county. It is significant that over eighty percent of those firms were associated with industrial and construction businesses as compared to the twenty-five largest. employers in 1991, of which only twenty-seven percent are so oriented. The erosion of the heavy industrial economic base has brought health care, government and retail sales to the forefront as major sources of local employment, whereas these activities were previously secondary to major industry. The main impact of this has been a reductim in overall employment levels and a large proportion of lower paying positions throughout the labor force.

The analysis of economic conditions was included in the initial Plan to provide a barometer for forecasting local growth and development trends and to illustrate the need for adequate road systems. That economic forecast did not suggest that there would. be dynamic new development within the county or the broader regional area, but a stable slowly expanding economy was foreseen. It was predicted that ongoing growth in Economy Borough would result from natural increase and migration from the older urban areas. The transitions which have been experienced in the economic base have generally halted growth since 1980, although unlike many communities in the vicinity, the Borough population has stabilized, rather than recording major decreases.

Current forecasts from a variety of sources predict that the decline in the local economic base has been checked and that gradual growth will take place. This positive outlook is based on a realignment and

- diversification of local business activities and a lessening of dependence on a singular economic focus. Further encouragement for future growth and stability is found in ongoing regional projects such as the major expansion of the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, completion of the Beaver Valley Expressway and physical improvements to encourage new development of abandoned industrial sites. In addition, a series of projected improvements, such as the Crow's Run Corridor proposal and the Mid-County Expressway, further bolster the long range outlook for an improved economic climate.

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The emerging outlook is for a more diversified local economic foundation based on modest sized primary metals and high tech operations, business support activities and retail trade and service industries. This should halt the decline of countywide population and result in modest levels of development in communities such as Economy Borough where available land and infrastructure improvements are present.

It has been pointed out that natural features are predominant planning determinants of a permanent nature. They stand as predictable elements that can be factored into development projections with virtual assurance that significant changes will not occur. Economic considerations are equally important planning determinants which serve as barometers for gauging the outlook for future development, but unlike natural features, economic factors are unpredictable and subject to change. Fortunately, since basic land use patterns are already established throughout much of Economy Borough, the regional economic outlook will have more of an impact on the timing of local growth than on the physical makeup of land use patterns throughout the community. The economic vitality of the regional area will also influence the composition of the local housing inventory, the scope and types of new commercial activity and the financial ability of local government agencies to provide municipal service and amenities .

Population Factors

Current and projected community needs and governmental obligations relate directly to population levels. The number of current and future inhabitants and the distribution of population are important factors in determining the need for municipal services, support facilities and control measures. Accurate projections would allow municipal policymakers to plan and implement projects in support of either expanding or shrinking community needs, but as noted in the 1962 Economy Plan, projections for small areas are also subject to significant margins of error. Projecting population, like economic forecasting, is an inexact

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science primarily because of the extensive number of influences that can affeci; thc outlook for any given area. Complex computer models that utilize a vast number of factors have been devised to predict population but even these often fail because the input material is subject to a myriad of uncertainties. The future size of both large and small communities is influenced by a variety of diverse elements which may range from an international political crisis to a local tax policy.

In spite of these limitations, it is still of value to the planning process to set anticipated levels of population to serve as guidelines for long term planning purposes. It is obvious that growth or decline in Economy Borough will be related to areawide factors. Accordingly, the local growth outlook included in this report is based on population studies published by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission. The Commission works in association with county planning commissions throughout the regional area to provide periodic updated information for all of Southwestern Pennsylvania. This is the most comprehensive and authoritative areawide data availa5le at this time.

Economy Borough recorded consistent growth between 1950 and 1980 as shown by the figures in Table B. A portion of this growth resulted from both migration and from a shift of population from the older developed boroughs which flank the Ohio River. These shifts followed patterns of urbanization experienced throughout much of the country after World War I1 and which continues to some extent throughout Western Pennsylvania. An analysis of population trends in Economy and surrounding communities reveals that the Borough has been one of the fastest growing municipalities in the county. Growth has been consistent with areawide patterns, and it can be anticipated that the future size of Economy will depend largely on area influences.

The preceding section of this report called attention to the changing economic climate in Beaver County and the regional area of which it is a part. The erosion of the basic metals industry, the resulting loss of jobs, and the shift to a service oriented economy has been largely responsible for the recent arrest of population expansion in Economy Borough and the losses

experienced by many surrounding communities in Beaver County. However, in contrast, growth has been uninterrupted in several adjacent communities in Butler and Allegheny Counties. This expansion, which has occurred in spite of regional economic retrenchment, is largely attributable to development that has been spawned in the Cranberry vicinity by regional highway systems. This anomalous growth is beginning to have a direct impact on neighboring New Sewickley Township in the form of commercial oriented activities. A spinoff from this new commerce, coupled with an anticipated improvement in the overall economic climate of Beaver County, should rekindle population expansion in Economy Borough and New Sewickley Township relatively soon.

?'ABLE c AREA POPULATION TRENDS

Economy Borough and Adjacent Communities 1950 - 1980

ECONOMY New Sewickley Ambridge Baden Conway Harmony Bell Acres Cranberry Franklin Park Marsha 1 1

1950

2,905 3,193

3,732

4,501 2,365 1,054 2,314 1,745

16,429

1,570

1960

5,925 ( + 104%) 4,831(+51%)

6,109 ( +64%) 1,926(23%) 5,106(+13%) 1,283( -46%) 3,596(+240"/9) 3,935(+7%)

.2,528(+45%)

13,865( -16%)

1970

7,176(+21%) 5,719 ( +l8%)

1 1 ,324 ( -1 W o )

5 536( -93'0) 2,822 (+47%) 5 022 ( -2%) 1,264( -1%) 4,873 (+36%) 5,310(+35%) 2,907 (+15%)

1980

9 538 (+339'0) 7,340(+28%) 9,575 ( - 1 5%) 5 , 318 ( -4%) 2,747( -39'0) 3,977(-21%) 1,307 (+woo)

11,066(+127%) 6,135(+16%) 2,594 ( -1 I%)

1990

9,5 19 ( -0 2%) 6,861 ( -%) 8,133(-15%) 5,074(-5%) 2,424 (-1Z%) 3,694 ( -7%) 1,436 (+lo"?)

14,8 16 ( +34%) 10,109( +65%) 4,010(+55%)

(00%) denotes 10 year change

The 1962 Plan projected a Borough population of 1 4 , 0 0 0 by 1975 and nearly 1 6 , 0 0 0 by 1980. This optimistic outlook discounted any slowing of growth in the State and County and cited the vigorous rate of local housing construction as factors supporting projected efpansion. Another consideration that obviously influenced the 1962 projection was a more than doubling of the Borough's population between 1950 and 1960. For purposes of this planning update, it is recommended that the population projections formulated by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission be used as a basis for future growth levels.

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Table C lists the year 2000 projections for Economy and surrounding communities as delineated by SPRPC. --This data suggests that population will stabilize in most of the older valley communities and resume in many areas that were growing prior to 1980. Significant continued development is projected for Cranberry Township which has been a contributing factor to growth in Economy Borough, neighboring New Sewickley Township, Marshall Township and Franklin Park Borough. The projections for these four municipalities are obviously influenced to a degree by their geographic relationship to Cranberry Township. New Sewickley Township and Economy Borough growth rates may also be influenced by successful industrial development efforts in the Ambridge area and by new highway proposals such as the Crow's Run and Mid-County Expressway projects which are discussed elsewhere in this report.

TABLE C AREA POPULATION PROJECTIONS

Economy Borough and Adjacent Communities 1990 - 2000

U. S. Census Projected % Change . % Change

1990 1980-1990 2000 1990-2000

ECONOMY New Sewickley Ambridge Baden Conway Harmony Bell Acres Cranberry Franklin Park Marshall

9,519 6,861 8,133 5,07:4 2,424 3,694 1 , 436

14 , 816 10,109 4,010

- 0.2% - 6.5% -15.Pb - 4.6% -11 .wo - 7.1% +lo.@? +34 .w; +65. @b +55 .wo

10 , 647 8 I 000 8 , 622 4,449 2 I 484 3 , 558 1,417

24 I 595 2; ,731

4 , 798

+12% +l7% + 6% -1 a0 + 2% - 4% - 1% +66% +15% +20%

Source: Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional P:anning Commi ss i on

As stressed throughout this discussion , population projections are less than reliable and require frequent reevaluation to account for continually changing conditions and events. However, in spite of these

herein uncertainties, the information contained provides a basis for anticipating the timing of ongoing development trends. This data, in association with the land use concepts and planning objectives delineated in Part I1 of this Plan, provides borough leadership with a framework for d,etermining the scope and scheduling of cOmmun i ty faci 1 it i eg-7 grid servic;e'&ii?.. %<.:*::-'

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Land Use Status

A comparison of land uses throughout Economy Borough thirty years ago and present land uses reveals that little change has taken place with respect to the categories of use. The 1962 land use analysis also noted that growth until about the mid fifties had been confined largely to strip development along existing roads and highways. This was referred to as the "line of least resistance" since it did not entail the development of new site access roads. Strip development was accomplished with little or no development expense other than the costs for land acquisition and site preparation. Lineal development patterns of this type continue to prevail in much of the interior sector of the Borough where sites are characterized by prevailing heavy slope conditions that make more extensive activity very costly. Portions of the Ridge, Hoenig, Cooney Hollow, Amsler Ridge, Wallrose Heights and Friel Road areas are typical examples of such strip development.

Historically, most of the development in the Borough has been residential related. While this land use characteristic has not changed appreciably, the physical configuration of new growth has taken on new dimensions. As previously noted, lineal growth continues but it has been eclipsed since the mid fifties by the subdivision of larger contiguous land areas. This type of development has been responsible for the major portion of local population increases since 1960 and has had a significant impact on many facets of the municipal makeup. Such concentrated development has resulted in higher population densities, a greater variety of housing types and values, generation of local convenience commerce and an expanded local highway system. These factors have in turn necessitated higher levels of government services and have created a growing need for expanded public utility systems.

Residential Land Use has always been predominant in Economy Borough. This is largely due to the Borough being strategically situated to absorb areawide expansion. Although locational factors have attracted shifting area population patterns to Economy Borough, such factors have not been particularly conducive to the generation of nonresidential land uses such a s commerce. This is a result of access and terrain features which have been deterrents to uses other than nonresidential activities.

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The urban nature of Economy has resulted in a predominantly singic family housing inventory. The highest concentrations of housing are found in the northern sectors in the Higlifield, Sunset Hill, Ridgewood and Bradford areas. Others are situated in the Ridge Road (Route 989) vicinity in the southwest sector. There are smaller subdivisions in other sections of the Borough but much of the remaining housing in these areas has been established in a linear manner along local and state roads. Some of this latter development is concentrated in neighborhood "strips. Where steeper terrain conditions prevail, more scattered patterns are evident.

Geographic patterns of current development are similar to those which existed when the original planning study was prepared although the density of activity is now much greater, particularly in the northeastern area where accelerated subdivision activity. has prevailed. Future growth can be expected to emulate this prototype because of topographic and site access features. Although spatial land use relationships should remain stable, the characteristics of the housing inventory will probably be modified due to economic and social interventions. This aspect of future growth is discussed in Part Two of this report.

Commercial Land .Uses and industrial sites are limited in Economy Borough. The major focus of commercial activity is the Northern Lights Shopping complex which had been establ.ished just prior to the 1962 Comprehensive Plan. Northern Lights is the only concentrated regional commercial facility within the Borough. At the time it was developed, Northern Lights was considered the most up to date concept in retail facilities within Beaver County. Although it has been eclipsed to some degree since its construction by new competitors such as the nearby Quaker Valley Center and the more expansive Beaver Valley Mall, it remains a viable commercial facility serving the lower Beaver Valley and surrounding vicinity. Northern Lights provides local residents with a major shopping outlet and is a significant component of the local economic base.

Other sales and service establishments are in evidence throughout the Borough, but the majority of these commercial sites are situated in the Wallrose area and

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along Big Sewickley Creek Road. Most of this commerce in the Wallrose area is oriented to consumers in adjacent neighborhoods and the immediate district. It is of a light commercial type of activity and includes auto services, groceries and food service. Similar activities are found along Big Sewickley Creek Road in conjunction with heavy commercial and light industrial land use categories.

The only heavy industrial site in Economy is the river terrace which lies between the Ohio River and State Route 6 5 . This site is approximately two-thirds of a mile long and is an integral part of a more extensive freight yard.

Public and Semi Public Land is dispersed at random throughout the community. Included in these categories are municipal, schooi, religious, recreation and public oriented fraternal activities. Significant additional public uses during the last thirty years include establishment of a governmental complex along Conway-Wallrose Road and a third fire station in the Highfield Plan vicinity. These amenities have been developed in response to needs generated by community growth and have generally followed the guidelines spelled out in the 1962 Plan.

Open Land, those areas devoid of development, are a factor in the future growth outlook of a community, but open land is not necessarily a valid gauge of future expansion potential. It was emphasized in the original planning study that nearly three-quarters of the Borough's land area is characterized by slope conditions in excess of sixteen percent. Much of this land is in the sixteen to twenty-four percent range and will support limited building activity, but the preponderance of difficult terrain is a factor that will limit the ultimate density of development throughout Economy Borough.

As a result of topographic conditions and the configuration of road patterns that have developed in response thereto, overall land use patterns are not expected to change appreciably as growth continues. Densities of development will increase but the general categories of land use and the siting of various activities throughout the Borough can be expected to remain largely unchanged. The municipality should

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continue to be primarily residential in nature and remain a bedroom community that provides housing resources for the general area. Under this scenario, light commercial activity, except 'for the regional oriented Northern Lights business area, will expand but continue to be largely convenience oriented and directed to local markets. Heavy and industrial related businesses will have the po'iential for modest growth along the south and west perimeter where such activities have been previously established.

Community Facilities

The term community facilities encompasses a broad range of services, programs and physical amenities that relate to the social and physical well being of a given populace. Some of these are essential to the health and safety of the general public, while others are of a less critical nature.

Examples of essential community facilities include a variety of utility systems, public safety provisions and basic educational facilities. Some recreation activities and many social and cultural pursuits represent facilities that are not of a mandgtory nature. Within certain parameters, many of the less critical facilities are often categorized as optional. While many of these' programs and services are important to the overall well being of local inhabitants, their availability many times becomes subject primarily to financial priorities. Budgetary limitations require local officials to make hard choices between basic needs and luxuries.

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Community facilities may be provided from a variety of public and private sources. Providers in the public sector include federal, state, county and local levels Of government. In addition to these basic jurisdictional units, there are' government created boards, agencies and authorities. These are typically autonomous bodies created for the purpose of providing specific services and facilities. Examples of private and semipublic providers include private utility companies and suppliers of energy resources, many of which are categorized as semipublic because of their regulation by government. Private philanthropic and ecclesiastical organizations and individuals are also major providers of social services and cultural programs.

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A s previously noted, there are a wide variety ,of physical and social elements enveloped under the general heading of "community facilities. The specific needs and the levels of demand for facilities will vary according to the profile of the areato be served. The urban or rural nature of a community, the types and densities of development, the social structure, proximity and availability of adjacent resources and financial considerations are all factors in determining facility needs and formulating programs.

One of the basic obligations of responsible government is to provide for the current and long term needs of the citizenry. The process utilized to achieve such objectives must include a determination of basic needs and an awareness that follow-up evaluations will be necessary to compensate for changing conditions. Policies should be adopted that are geared toward providing a blend of physical facilities and programs that are oriented both to the local situation and within the framework of sound fiscal management. Essential facilities must be provided even if it involves sacrificing lower priority services to which the general public have become accustomed or for which they express a desire. Amenities of a less critical nature should be financially feasible both in terms of the cost of their establishment and the cost of operation and maintenance duri.ng their tenure.

Economy Borough is a modest sized municipality and even though the population has increased by over sixty percent during the past thirty years, the overall density of development remains low. With the exception of the commercial concentration at Northern Lights, the local tax structure is heavily dependent on medium cost housing. This type of a tax base is of a limited nature and seldom produces revenues in excess of the cost associated with basic needs.

In spite of these limitations, local officials have presided over a progressive program that has provided a high level of community facilities to serve residents. The majority of the general recommendations contained in the original 1962 development plan have been implemented. Fcllowing is an outline of the current status of facility programs fn the Borough.

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Public Education is provided through the Ambridge Area School District. The 1991 reported enrollment of 3,513, the largest in Beaver County, is comprised of students from Ambridge, Baden, Economy, Harmony and South Heights. Three of the district's facilities are sited within Economy Borough. These include the Junior High in the northwest corner of the community, the Ridge Road Elementary facility along Route 989 in the southwest corner and the Economy Elementary School in the east-central area. Long range planning to determine the required levels of primary, elementary and secondary school facilities is the function of the area school administration. An elected school board which includes representation from the Borough establishes overall program policy.

Advanced and special educational resources are available to local residents from public and private providers. A local branch of the Pennsylvania State University and the Beaver County Community College both have campuses in neighboring Center Township. Geneva College, a private liberal arts institution which has a large area enrollment, is in nearby Beaver Falls. In addition to these local resources, there are many private and state related institutions of higher learning, vocational schools and other instructional and training options available throughout the immediate regional area. Although none of these resources . are directly associated with local government functions in Economy Borough, they represent a segment of the cultural wealth of the region and are a part of the local community facility inventory.

Economy Borough has an excel lent record of providing essential municipal facilities and services. A proposal in the original plan called for new facilities to house basic Borough services. This proposal was implemented with the construction of the governmental complex on the west side of Conway-Wallrose Road between Concord Church and Frederick Roads. This facility is centrally sited to serve the, highest densities of development in the Borough and is readily accessible from all areas of the community. Municipal offices, public meeting rooms, police headquarters, maintenance functions and a public recreation area are all accommodated on this ample site.

The Economy Police Department provides fulltime protection to Borough residents. The manpower and equipment needs for public protection services are ever

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changing since security and control requirements multiply as new land use elements and higher densities of development materialize. Although service and facilities rarely reach optimum levels, officials have maintained excellent local standards commensurate with ongoing growth. Continual monitoring and periodic evaluation of operational procedures and capital needs should be accomplished by personnel responsible for day to day activities and by the Borough administration. Public security needs must continue to be a high priority element in the funding of community facilities.

Fire Protection is provided by the Eccnorny Volunteer Fire Department. This organization has provided excellent service to local residents and businesses for many years. In addition to local coverage, the department cooperates with neighboring fire departments when mutual assistance is required. Fire fighting facilities have been established at three separate locations.

Station Number Three is in the northwest vicinity at. Conway-Wallrose and Tevebaugh Roads. It serves built-up areas in the Sunset, Highfield and Ridgewood subdivisions and other immediate neighborhoods near the Junior High School and the western perimeter. Station Number One at Valley Road and Conway-Wallrose Road provides coverage to the active developing areas throughout the eastern quadrant. Both of these stations are ideally sited to provide coverage to the developments in the northeast corner of the Borough.

Station Number Two along Ridge Road Extension (Route 989) is ideally situated to cover the southwest and interior portions of the Borough. This facility is sited at the core of moderate density housing. All of these service units are coordinated to function individually or in tandem to meet emergency situations which arise. This broad coverage is unique for a semirural jurisdiction and allows for short response time throughout the municipality.

Volunteer services of this nature require unique civic dedication and skills which encompass recruitment, management, training, operation and equipment procurement and maintenance. Fundraising is another aspect of importance since volunteer fire protection

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operating expenses are derived from both public and private sources. It is imperative that the public and the governing body of the Borough continue to avidly support these services and provide the encouragement for extension of fire protec'iion as community development patterns dictate.

There is another general category of essential facility needs to consider. These involve potable water supplies, and systems for the disposal of sewage which are necessary to support nearly all types of development. These facilities may be provided either as independent systems on a parcel by parcel basis or on a larger scale to serve multiple development sites. Historically, practically all initial settlement depended on separate water and disposal facilities oriented to individual development units; however, as higher densities of growth materialized and hygienic principles became more advanced, the inadequacies and dangers associated with these practices resulted in the creation of more sophisticated systems designed to support multiple units of development. .Today, single and multiple systems are found in the majority of communities in this regional area.

Public Water and Sewer Systems are most commonly, although not always, provided by some form of public entity. Municipalities may provide services as a direct function of the local government, but this has not been the general practice in small to medium sized communi t i es . The most widely used alternative throughout Pennsylvania has been to create separate municipal authorities which assume the responsibilities for developing, operating and funding utility systems. These authorities are quasi-public bodies governed by a board whose members are appointed by municipal governing bodies. It is not unusual for such organizations to operate within service areas that encompass more than one municipality. Depending on the organizational structure of aii authority, its governing body may not include representation from the entire service area but only from the seat of its origin.

At the time the 1962 Economy Plan was published, there were only a few public utility systems established. The Plan noted that there were "generally speaking - no public sanitary sewer lines" and only two areas were supplied with public water service. The Plan further noted that governing officials were cognizant of the growing need for public utility systems to support both existing and projected development and that plans were being formulated to respond to needs - - that had been identified. . .

Significant strides have been made to extend utilities to most of the developing portions of the Borough since 1962. Water service is currently being expanded to most sections and a program for improving public sewerage is being formulated. These services are being provided through the framework of two different municipal authorities. These systems are discussed further in the Development Plan in part Two of this Comprehensive Plan Update.

In addition to schools, public protection and municipal oriented utility systems, there are other essential community facilities needed to support development. Private and semipublic entities usually assume the responsibility for providing basic utility services such as electricity, communication, natural gas and related necessities. Except for a few isolated cases, all of these services are ubiquitous and locally available on demand. A measure of local control is exercised over some activities such as cable television contracts, but for the most part, utilities of this nature are regulated by state and federal agencies and are not a dirxt concern for local governmental jurisdictions. District sprvice levels for all of these services are adequate and long term supply and distribution requirements are within the capabilities of current providers.

All of the facilities and services outlined above represent essential elements that are necessary to support and maintain the public wellbeing. There are in addition a variety of other facilities of importance to the wellbeing of a community that are of a less imperative 'nature. Included in these are social, cultural and related features such as recreational opportunities. Money to provide many of these functions is often derived from private as well as public sources, and in some instances, involves cooperative ventures from a variety of funding sources.

Social Facilities arid Proqrams involve a broad range of activities and services of importance to the general population which are not typically a direct concern of local municipal government in terms of delivery and funding. Health care, financial assistance programs, counseling services and other social endeavors are provided by higher eschelons of government, semipublic entities and private agencies. These functions are not ordinarily the direct obligation of local government but they are of importance to the overall social status of the community. There are a wide range of societal support services available to Economy residents that are underwritten by county, state and federal agencies.

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Economy Borough has been in the vanguard of urban communities throughout this locale in providing municipal recreation resources to supplement ,school and private facilities. The municipality has established a seven member Recreation Board and budgets funds for operation of the program. At the present time, the principal municipal owned recreation area is a park and playground located at the site of the municipal complex. This facility includes outdoor recreation equipment and ample area for community sponsored activities.

Additional sites are being uev-eloped in the Sunset Hills and Bradford Park areas. These recreation areas will provide facilities for two relatively high density residential neighborhoods. The Recreation Board pursues an active municipal level program of seasonal activities which includes functions such as egg hunts, road runs and tennis lessons. Local recreational processes benefit all segments of the community and should be maintained and expanded beyond current levels as economically appropriate. x s .

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In addition to social service programs, there are a variety of cultural resources available throughout the region that are available to Economy residents. Among these are libraries, art galleries, museums, drama and music programs, and numerous private and civic sponsored entertainment and activity opportunities. The majority of these community facilities are not a direct function of local government, but they often depend on the cooperation and monetary contributions from different levels of government as well as private contributions . Municipal Recreational Proqrams are both social and cultural facilities that are sometimes partially provided for as a function of local government. The priority assigned by a municipality for such amenities is ordinarily predicated on the general characteristics and the density of development unique to the particular area. A predominantly agrarian community consisting of low density patterns of development will not generate the demand for the level of recreation facilities that may be appropriate for a more urban area. In many rural areas, residents provide their own private recreational outlets and depend on school or social organizations for group recreation activity resources. Inhabitants of highly populated areas are generally more likely to expect the use of local tax resources to provide recreation opportunities .

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In addition to Borough level resources, there are other local and nearby recreation outlets available to Economy residents. Facilities in the immediate vicinity include the county's Old Economy Park which features activity and picnic areas and seasonal public swimming, the Ambridge Sportsmen's Park and the three local school sites. Beyond the confines of the community are two additional county parks, one of which includes an all year ice arena, and numerous commercial recreation endeavors which range from golf courses to riding stables.

Thoroughfares

Access routes are influenced largely by terrain conditions. As a result, accessibility and local physiography are primary determinants of growth potential. Existing highway configurations throughout the Borough provide tangible evidence of these influences and the impacts that'both access and land features have had on local development patterns.

Native trail systems followed valleys and parallel ridges since these alignments provided lines of least physical resistance to early travellers. Current road patterns evolved primarily along these same historic access corridors. Many of these early routings are still used and provide the framework for the present access systems. Accordingly, today's roads are plagued by narrow and circuitous alignments and by wide variations in grade. With the interstate routes, these conditions have been inherited and are difficult to rectify because of engineering challenges and high right-of-way costs.

As roads were established, they provided not only a means of conveyance from point to point but they afforded access to additional land parcels, thus making development possible in previously remote sectors. Access influences which helped to sculpt past growth patterns also come into play with respect to continuing development. Any new or improved accessways within Economy Borough and the surrounding regional area will have an impact on the type, the quality and the timing of development throughout the community. Conversely, a

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deterioration or the lack of any tangible upgrading of the transportation system could stabilize or reverse the current outlook for modest growth during the coming decade. Since highway systems are an integral part of the basic structure that controls community development, it is important that they be considered with regard to the impact on local planning goals and obj ect ives.

Road Classifications are based on the functions that roads serve. Ideally, all roads should be designed and constructed to meet specific functions; however, due to development impacts, existing highway corridors frequently must serve multiple functions not originally contemplated. As a result of changing circumstances, many roads become physically inadequate to accommodate the demands of the traffic that must be carried. State Routes 65 and 51, which traverse Beaver County, are examples of highways that originally provided access to major regions beyond the immediate vicinity, but which over time were continually saddled with increased burdens of local traffic. This resulted in chronic traffic strangulation and high accident rates which required costly realignments and related improvements. Although various measures have been implemented over a period of several decades, many inadequacies remain today. These are just two of many similar examples which could be cited to illustrate the impor-tance of coordinating land use planning' and circulation systems.

The 1962 Plan outlined four highway classifications as a basis for regional and local development proposals. Those descriptions remain pertinent today. They include: '

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Interstate Roads Major highway routes that pass through the region and state. No such highways exist-within the Borough; however, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 79 provide highspeed access to all parts of the state and nation.

Primary Roads (Also referred to as Arterials) Other major federal, state and local roads that move traffic to, and through the region. These routes extend beyond individual urban patterns and carry large volumes of traffic. They are primarily for movement of throiigh traffic. State Route 65 serves this function locally.

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Area Interstate Routes, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 79, are easily accessible to Economy Borough, but they are physically remote enough from the community that they do not exert a direct impact on local land use configurations. There is a direct spin-off associated with highway related development in neighboring municipalities such as Cranberry Township, but Economy Borough is not faced with the challenge to provide controls and infrastructure needs which result from having interchanges and highway corridors sited within its jurisdiction. These neighboring Interstates are strategically si'tuated to benefit the travel needs of local residents without burdening the community with the fallout of development pressures ordinarily associated with direct proximity.

One Primary Road traverses a small portion of Economy Borough. This highway, State Route 65, accommodates local, area and regional traffic movements. Route 65, which is also referred to as the Ohio River Boulevard in this locale, became severely overburdened following the Depression Era as a result of the variety of functions which it served in conjuction with new growth and the resultant traffic volume increases.

In the years following the Second World War, the road has undergone a series of programs to realign some sections and to increase the cartway from two to four lanes. The realignment programs bypassed many of the urban neighborhoods and commercial cores that the route traversed; however, the multitude of intersections and the many bordering land parcels that have direct access to the road continue to compromise the safety and the flow of traffic that uses the highway.

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Secondary Roads ( A l s o referred to as Collectors) Provide the principal means of circulation between the several distinct sections of the Rorough and enable traffic to move around and through highly urbanized areas. They also serve as feeders to primary roads. Secondary roads normally do not carry large volumes of traffic; however, they are important to the relief of primary road traffic congestion, particularly near the core of a municipality. Without adequate secondary routes, traffic is forced to use the primary roads for interdistrict movements.

Local Roads Are residential streets that provide access to individual abutting properties.

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Most primary roads provide regional community access and also funnel traffic through a municipality. Fortunately, the inadequacies of this primary facility have only a limited impact on community functions since the corridor is on the extreme western perimeter and serves only as a major access to and from the Borough.

The basic highway framework of the Borough consists of a series of Secondary Roads which move traffic throughout the community. The most predominant of these is the Conway-Wallrose Road which spans Economy from its northwest to southeast extremities. This road is important not only because it provides access for developed areas such as Bradford Park, Bock Lane, Ridgewood, Highfield and Sunset Hills, but it skirts many areas that are prime for future development.

Two other significant collectors, Ridge Road Extension and Big Sewickley Creek Road, serve the western and southern sectors of the community respectively. Ridge Road courses from the northern residential sectors to the Pinehurst-Miller Plan neighborhoods adjacent to Harmony Township at the southwest corner of Economy. Between these two residential concentrations, the road funnels traffic through limited growth areas characterized by steep terrain, provides access to the Beaver County Economy Park and connects with the Ambridge area and Route 65.

Big Sewickley Creek Road skirts the Borough's southern limits and provides an access spur between the Ambridge vicinity and the rapidly expanding municipalities of Marshall Township and Franklin Park Borough in Allegheny County. Narrow right of ways and circuitous alignments will limit. the overall use of this route, but it is important as a community access and it traverses an area of the Barc2g?I that has the potential for a variety of land use developments.

Two additional roads which partially lie within Economy qualify by function as collectors. One of these is Phillip Street Extension which connects Ridge Road Extension and State Route 65 in Baden. Only the eastern extremity of Phillips Street is within Economy Borough, but it will experience increased traffic volumes as local development expands. The other collector road is the northerly portion of State Route

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989 that lies within the Borough and flows south into Ridge Road Extension and Conway-Wallrose Road. This collector carries traffic into New Sewickley Township to the immediate north and it intersects with Freedom-Crider Road and provides nearby access to the rapidly developing areas of Cranberry Township.

The remaining roadways in the Borough are classified as Local Roads. These are minor routes which provide internal access, particularly for serving individual site destinations. Although some local roads are privately owned and maintained, most of the system throughout Economy Borough is under municipal jurisdiction. This is fortunate and it reflects a long standing public policy which was designed to insure a quality circulation system capable of supporting the demands of continuing community growth. All of the primary and secondary roads throughout Economy Borough are under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation while the responsibility for local roads varies.

Most of the local roads that carry the higher volumes of traffic or connect major sectors of the community such as Bock Lane and Golden Grove, Bradford Park, Wallrose Heights, Mason and Hoenig Roads are under state control. The balance of the local roads, which include all of the streets within the various residential subdivisions, fall under local government control. This latter grouping is the segment of the circulation system that will experience the most growth a s land use activities generate the need for additional streets and the extension of existing ones.

The growth outlook for the community does not suggest that there will be any major additions to the basic road configuration except for the extension of the local road system which will be needed to support new land use activities. However, growth throughout the immediate region may result in local highway problems. These concerns are discussed in Part Two of the plan update in conjunction with the related planning elements outlined in Part One.

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SUMMARY

Part One of this Comprehensive Plan Update provides an overview of the evolution of development throughout Economy Borough during the past thirty years. Included herein are reviews of changes that have occurred together with the current status of basic planning elements which are the barometers of municipal development.

The planning review reveals that while significant population expansion has occurred since 1950, there has been little overall change in basic land use configurations because of natural land characteristics. The predominant feature of these characteristics is the steep terrain which influences nearly seventy-five percent of the total gross land area of the Borough. This feature has probably been beneficial to the '

quality of development since it has helped to thwart urban sprawl and it has also been a factor in limiting land use mixing which, more often than not, results in noncompatible land uses and a lowering of property a

values. These same slope restraints will continue to influence future growth patterns.

Population levels increased dramatically in the Borough between 1950 and 1980, but were abriiptly halted during the past decade due largely to regional and national economic conditions. The coming decade is expected to produce a revival of growth, but at more modest rakes. This trend is already being manifest but the continuation and maintenance of an upturn in development activity will be dependent on economic conditions that are beyond the boundaries of Economy Borough.

A s noted, little change has been recorded in the basic land use configurations throughout the community as development has taken place. Residential expansion has been focused mostly within subdivisions that are made up predominantly of single family homes. Business activity, except for the commercial complex at Northern Lights, is widely scattered throughout the municipality. Most of the commerce is locally oriented light business, although there are a limited number of heavy commercial enterprises. Conway Yard, which was , once a dynamic industrial location, currently accommodates only limited operations, but could be a key area if regional industrial revitalization schemes take root.

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The community facilities which serve local residents have generally kept pace with growth during the past three decades, but there are some inadequacies that should be addressed to meet the demands of both con tinu ing expans i on and state and national environmental mandates. Previous programs, together with pending projects, have put the Borough in an excellent position to meet the safety, utility and recreational needs of the local residei;ts.

Economy Borough is fortunate that major sections of the local highway system are under the jurisdiction of the state. This reduces local maintenance costs and a large measure of the responsibility for the overall circulation needs of the community. Local adjunct road needs have kept pace with development because of firm planning policies.

Part Two of this report provides both an overview of contemplated growth and an outlize of the challenges that local officials can be expected to encounter as development proceeds.

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Part. Two

Development Out look

PART TWO

DEVELOPXENT OUTLOOK

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The passage of time results in changes that exert impacts on practically every facet of the community structure. A primary purpose of the comprehensive planning process is to anticipate the changes that are most likely to take place with respect to a given study area, and to fcrmulate appropriate responses to deal with the consequences. In order to fashion community response to future changes, whether or not those changes involve either retrenchment or growth, it is necessary to establish goals to provide a basis for developing.loca1 growth policies. Goals are broad in scope and cut across the overall fabric of the community. These goals in turn provide a foundation for' developing objectives that relate to the variety of elements that together make up the municipal scene.

The overall goal of the Borough should be to protect the health, safety and general welfare of all its citizens. In developing policy guidelines to achieve this primary goal, the local leadership must be mindful of the need to maintain existing community values while accommodating the inevitable demands for change which will accompany ongoing growth. The following basic goals provide a framework for development policies:

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Conservation of natural resources and upgrading and maintenance of overall environmental quality.

Maintenance Of an orderly land use pattern throughout all segments of the Borough.

Coordination of local growth with area and regional development patterns and trends.

Development of community facilities, services and transportation systems on a comprehensive basis to provide for immediate and long range needs.

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The following community development objectives have been formulated to focus development policies on the achievement of overall goals.

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Creation and maintenance of an orderly land use development pattern to provide for viable, distinguishable and complimentary areas of growth.

Protection of the existing residential character of the community consistent with long range forecasts for new growth.

Preservation and encouragement of viable agricultural pursuits.

Protection of the natural environmental quality and significant open space features.

Improvement of the overall aesthetic quality of the community.

Prevention of blight.

Preservation of property values and encouragement of the highest and best use of available developable land areas.

Maintenance and expansion of the municipal and regional economic base.

Control of population density consistent with the ability of the community to expand in an orderly manner.

Development of accessways, utility systems, municipal services and community facilities consistent with local needs.

Coordination and cooperation with area and regional development programs and trends that are consistent with the types and quality of growth necessary to achieve the cownunity development objectives.

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PLANNING INFLUENCES

Regional Relationships

No community can stand as an island and have immunity from changing conditions that are experienced throughout the regional area of which it is a part. While locally expressed desires relating to land use characteristics and densities of develspment should be important concerns in charting the future course of development in Economy Borough, the role of regional factors on the development scene can not be ignored. Economic conditions probably exert the most decisive overall regional influence on the future of municipalities, but there are a host of other relevent factors which also reign over nearly every facet of a community’s outlook for growth or decline.

There are at least three predominant regional relationships that will have a direct bearing on the future of Economy Borough. Tho first of these is of course the economic health of the region. The timing, the scope and the form of economic revitalization throughout the general area will dictate the rate of local expansion and will also influence the character of new developments. The state of the economy will have a bearing on the demand levels for new growth and on the feasibility for providing the infrastructure necessary to support and encourage expansion. It has been suggested in Part One of this report that a gradual economic recovery is anticipated and that the regional economic base will take on a different character than that of the former steel oriented heavy industrial focus. If this outlook is accurate, it suggests that development will continue in Economy Borough at a modest rate rather than at the faster pace experienced prior to 1980. In addition, under this scenario, land use types, characteristics and values will not change appreciabiy in the foreseeable future.

Another regional factor to be considered is the 1 pressure being exerted by surrounding growth. Plate

Two, Area Growth Patterns, provides a graphic depiction of areawide population expansion during the past ! decade. One of the anomalies of regional economic and

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demographic trends in recent years has been the rapid growth that was sparked and that has been sustained in neighboring Cranberry Township. Cranberry, situated to the immediate nbrtheast of Economy Borough, has expanded in a phenomenal manner due in large measure to major interstate highway corridors and associated interchanges. It would have been natural to assume that this rapid growth would expand in a radial configuration into all of the surrounding area; however, the most significant growth has been restricted to the immediate north and south of Cranberry Township in a lineal pattern along the Interstate 79 corridor. Some minor growth has been recorded to the immediate east of the primary growth corridor, but population losses have been experienced to the west throughout neighboring Beaver County.

The initial fallout from Cranberry growth has, to a large extent, spared Economy, but growth is continuing in the vicinity and can be expected to impact the Borough in the immediate future. Borough officials should closely monitor growth trends throughout the vicinity as a means of anticipating possible impacts on the community. Particular attention should be focused on trends that point toward the creation of incompatible land uses, increased traffic volumes and development demands that could compromise the quality and adequacy of community facilities and utility systems.

Major infrastructure improvements and industrial expansion at a regional level have an impact on local development whether or not they are physically sited within a particular community. There are currently a series of ongoing and proposed projects of regional significance that have the potential to influence the character of development and the rate of growth in Economy Borough. The most significant of these are related to transportation facilities and commercial site development. If successful, these activities should enhance the potential for economic recovery throughout the regiori by creating new business activities, and expanding employment opportunities.

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Industrial expansion and infrastructure activities have focused on two specific sites within direct proximity to Economy Borough in recent months. The first of these sites is in adjacent New Sewickley Township,

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(From 1980 to 1990)

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AREA GROWTH PATTERNS

Plate Two

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where work is being completed on the first phase of an industrial park complex. The second site involves the recent completion of a highway access ramp to an industrial area bordering the Ohio River at Ambridge. It is hoped that this improved vehicular access will nurture expansion of an industrial park situated on land previously occupied by the American Bridge Company. The former development will be operational within several months while the later is partially committed for use. . Both of these sites have the potential for expansions that can have a positive influence on local job opportunities, the market for local housing resources and the generation of ancillary businesses and service activities.

Consideration is currently being given to a new highway corridor that would have a profound influence on the entire southern portion of Beaver County. This project, commonly referred to as the Crows Run Corridor, has taken a variety of forms and has been discussed as a possibility for many years, but it has gaiped momentum and credibility in recent months. Originally conceived as a connection between the lower Beaver Valley and the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 79 in Butler County, this route is now being projected as a cross-county expressway to include a new bridge over the Ohio River in the vicinity of Ambridge. Although the final route has not been determined, it will traverse the area directly north of Economy Borough and result in development of land areas that have previously been used only for farming and low density uses. This facility is still in the formulative stage, but the status of its planning should be closely monitored since it represents a regional influence of major importance to all areas that are contiguous to the highway corridor. Within Economy Borough it will undoubtedly result in increased traffic volumes and a variety of development pressures on land uses and local infrastructure.

\I Local Considerations

Planning influences of a local character include natural features, the amount of unused land available For development, established patterns of development, and local attitudes toward growth.

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Natural features directly influence local planning decisions. Steep terrain, the most significant natural development restraint on growth patterns, is discussed in a previous section of this report. Needless to say, natural conditions will not change materially and will continue to influence future development. The various influences exerted by physical conditions have probably been beneficial to Economy Borough since they have curtailed urban sprawl a n d have been factors in 'the creation of contiguous tracts of relatively orderly growth. There have been problems associated with compact growth in some areas, but the patterns of land use that have evolved have created population densities that support the establishment and maintenance of necessary infrastructure. The per capita costs for sewer systems and other municipal services and facilities are feasible because of the densities of population that are present. Natural features also dictate that 'future growth will follow the same general patterns previously experienced.

Public sewer facilities now being planned will allow for an expansion of residential uses, but this growth will be within the immediate vicinity of current housing districts. Many portions of the interior and western edge of the Borough will remain mostly undeveloped or sparsely utilized because of steep terrain.

Another local planning influence related to natural features is the amount and location of land remaining for development. The 1962 planning study estimated that although over forty percent of the Borough's total land area was unbuildable due to slope conditions, there were over 6,000 acres of buildable land remaining. On the basis of population and land use changes during the past thirty years, it is currently estimated that less than twenty percent of the usable land area has since been utilized for development purposes. These statistics suggest that there are approximately 5,000 acres of developable land remaining for use.

A review of topography shows that undeveloped sites are located throughout the municipality, but that most of the available areas are adjacent to or within existing concentrations of residential use. Because of the local land configurations, the track of future expansion can be expected to emulate prior development. It is apparent that physical determinants have been instrumental in channeling past growth and will continue to mold the future land use patterns.

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Established land use patterns within and surrounding Economy will play a major role in steering new growth. Although some aberrations may take place in response to unanticipated growth pressures, most established land use concentrations will remain unchanged and will expand into contiguous areas. The current land use concentrations throughout most of Economy Borough are stable and will channel future activity. No dramatic changes in land use patteiiis are anticipated within the Borough, but growth in surrounding communities should be monitored for possible impacts on the extent and timing of local growth.

Local attitudes that relate to desired types of development are important local planning influences that can determine the complexion of a community. Attitudes within a municipality may be poles apart and range from a llno-growthll approach to proposals for completely new growth concepts. A primary function of the planning commission and the governing body is to assimilate these various attitudes and to chart the direction that a maturing community should pursue. Once chosen, the course is formalized by the adoption of policies, goals and objectives. These in turn are implemented through ordinances, such as zoning and subdivision controls, and by official encouragement of programs and projects.

Officials in Economy Borough have consistently pursued the planning precepts enunciated in the 1962 Plan by monitoring and controlling development. They have adjusted to changing conditions while providing and planning for existing and future needs. This has produced orderly land use patterns, ata-ble property values and created a healthy atmosphere for continued growth.

Natural conditions, availability of land, existing land use patterns and local policy decisions have been instrumental in the growth of Economy Borough. These factors have dictated the character and the siting of existing land use features and have also established a basis for the future physical composition of the community. The existing status of development provides a sound basis to insure a continuation of orderly growth.

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DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The following development proposals are predicated on the continuation of previous growth patterns and are generally consistent with the original 1962 Plan. They reflect the planning philosophies that are delineated in the Borough's formally adopted development goals and objectives and regulatory programs.

Land use proposals are based on topographic features, the preservation of environmental quality and the basic highway systems necessary for access and circulation. Land use proposals have also been coordinated with the outlook for expanding public water services and the 537 Plan for providing public sewerage systems. Specific attention has been focused on various aspects of the areawide development outlook sucr? as emerging growth patterns, economic development proposals and major highway plans. It is not anticipated that regional programs and development in surrounding .municipalities will materially alter the land use characteristics within Economy Borough, but they' will undoubtedly be instrumental in determining the timing of development activities.

Land Use Concepts

Land use proposals for a municipality represent an estimate of the categories, location and scope of land use activities that will be in place at some future date. The plan for future land use provides a focal point for assessing the other int.errelated components which collectively comprise the comprehensive planning process. The land use plan is designed to embody the planning goals of the locality and to serve as the primary basis for the delineation of zoning districts. An outline of anticipated future land uses f o r Economy Borough is shown graphically on Plate Three, Development Concept Map.

It is impossible to predetermine the potential land use demands for specific sites, but the concepts outlined as part of this Development Plan will serve as the primary basis for local land use and related zoning

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decisions as growth continues. It should not be inferred that these proposals for long term use are "cast in stone" since unforeseen circumstances may require the reevaluation of this material. However, any significant modifications should be implemented only after a detailed review of the bases for the original proposals and the consideration of impacts that changes may have on the overall plan and the future of the municipality.

Residential Use

Residential uses account for the most widespread use of developed land throughout the Borough. This predominance of housing activity should continue as additional growth occurs because the geographic location of the community, the large amount of steep terrain and the limited highway networks are not conducive to major commercial or industrial expansion. The most significant extensions of residential use will gravitate to areas that are contiguous to existing developments. The configuration of residential areas portrayed on the Concept Map are based on these factors and past development trends.

The most concentrated housing areas will continue to be found in the north and southwest portions of the Borough. The majority of new housing units will be in the single family category, particularly in the extreme northeast sector where strict zoning controls and private covenants limit the variety of allowable housing categories. Multi family housing units are permitted in all of the remaining residential zones. These zones are located throughout the municipality, but terrain features limit the size of development sites, and local market preferences have resulted in a predominance of single family dwellings. Single family homes are expected to dominate the future housing profile throughout the community; however, an emerging market demand for multi-family units could be accommodated in most sectors.

Housing will also continue to be the major growth activity in areas of the Borough that have remained relatively undeveloped. Many of these areas are scattered along the perimeter and in the central portions of the Borough. These areas are zoned in a rural category to accommodate low density housing along

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with other compatible land uses. Steep slope, the lack of utilities and limited site access in these areas will dictate continuing low density activities and result in a continuation of strip patterns of housing along existing roadways.

Anticipated housing locations are depicted graphically on the Development Concept Map. Land identified as llConcentrated Residential Area" is within the sectors currently identified for future construction of public sewers. Housing density in these areas should not exceed two dwelling units per gross acre of land except for multi family units which allow for up to six dwelling units per gross acre. Areas designated for "Low Density Neighborhoodstf do not all have access to projected public sewer systems and will generally require residential densities below 1.5 dwelling units per gross acre. The "Scattered Residential" and "Strip Use" areas will require a minimum of .one acre per dwelling unit. Even if multi family uses gain in popularity, the overall density of housing in Economy Borough will remain low.

Planning estimates in 1962 revealed that nearly 720 acres of land were being utilized for residential activity. Applying the 3,594 population increase since that time, and based on an average family size of .3.5 persons and a maximum housing density of 30,000 square feet per dwelling unit, the estimate of total residential land area is now in the range of 1,400 to 1,500 acres. Using the same rationale, if the projected population level of 10,647 is reached by the year 2000, the total residential land area would still fall under 1,800 acres. This would represent less then 25% of the total estimated developable land. Obviously, ample land is available for long term residential growth. (It should alsc: be noted that the 3.5 factor for family size is higher than current trends would suggest.)

TABLE D LAND CLASSIFICATIONS*

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Cateqory Area in Acres % of TOTAL Total land area 12,480 100% Undevelopable (heavy slope) -5 130 41%

*Source: 1962 Economy Borough - A Comprehensive

Total Developable area 7,350 59%

Development Plan

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The housing locations that are projected are consistent with established growth trends. These housing patterns will preserve the rural charactor an'd the quality of development throughout Economy Borough as growth continues. It is not expected that any of these designated areas will experience highly concentrated development since the availability of developable land in the Borough fa.r exceeds what is neededto accommodate projected population levels.

Housing Profile

The housing profile of the municipality is that of a typical "bedroom community" which has been sought out by homeowners' desiring to live in neighborhoods in a semirural setting with access to nearby business and cultural amenities. Homesites will become increasingly attractive to this type of consumer as public utilities are extended. Housing styles and construction methods are subject to a variety of trends, but the general character and setting of neighborhoods should not change appreciably.

The housing pressures from growth in the corridor east of Economy Borough, which includes Cranberry, Marshall and Franklin Park, are being felt locally to some extent. New Sewickley Township to the immediate north will be a prime target for this activity since only minor development, has previously taken place, but some fallout will impact Economy. This may spawn multi family residential developments in areas where public utilities are made available to support the higher densities.

Local officials have enacted zoning provisions designed to accommodate a variety of housing types and market demands. These provisions permit a mix of housing densities and value levels without compromising the quality of the existing housing stock. Single family housing trends are expected to remain predominant; however, the recently revised regulatory controls provide for variations in housing that may be needed to accommodate a variety of income levels, modified life styles and related impacts.

There are currently no significant concentrations of substandard housing units in the Borough because the

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majority of the built-up neighborhood areas in the community have evolved within the past forty years and much of the housing stock is of relatively recent vintage. The majority of the total housing stock can be categorized as being in excellent to good condition. The 1962 Plan identified three general neighborhood areas in the south and west portions of the Borough as containing between twenty and thirty percent substandard housing units, but the total number of structures so identified numbered only twenty. Those twenty units represented less than one percent of the total residential structures throughout the Borough at that time. A 88windshield81 survey of the housing stock conducted in 1990 revealed essentially the same conditions.

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There are currently only a minimum number of substandard residential structures within the Borough and there are no significant concentrations of blight that threaten to spread to adjacent districts. Judicious application of building and housing codes should be employed to achieve the upgrading of substandard structures through rehabilitation or by removal through condemnation. However, the incidence of substandard conditions is limited and there is no need for any large scale rehabilitation or redevelopment efforts on the part of the Borough. A s development continues throughout the region, the escalation of property values should provide incentives for owners of blighted structures to upgrade property for development purposes.

Commercial Use

Commercial areas account for the second largest category of established id i id GEPS in Economy Borough. These activities range from light to heavy commerce and are scattered in a random configuration throughout the community. One large unified commercial site of regional importance and a series of small independent businesses comprise the local economic inventory.

Northern Lights Shopping Center is the largest single business complex in the lower Beaver Valley. It is located at the northwestern perimeter of the Borough with major access via State Route 65, a major primary highway. This siting creates positive land use and traffic situations that are unique. Route 65 offers

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excellent highway access for both local and regional traffic, but it does not traverse internal portions of the community and precipitate the difficulties that are ordinarily associated with high speed regional movements. The Shopping Center is unique since it provides the equivalent of a central business district in an otherwise rural oriented municipality. Also, the primary focus of business activities is more toward the regional market than on the local community. This provides the Borough with the advantages of a significant commercial tax base, employment opportunities, and a variety of convenient shopping outlets in a location that is physically segregated from residential and open space areas. This physical separation eliminates land use conflicts, traffic congestion, and a host of other difficulties that are often associated with the co-mingling of major commercial sites and residential neighborhoods.

Northern Lights is located on the extreme northwest perimeter of the Borough. It is an integral part thereof, a physical and economic component that is vital to the wellbeing of the entire community. In recent years, there has been an erosion of the level of business activities both within the Shopping Center and on contiguous satellite business sites. This has been primarily due to national and regional economic conditions.

The viability of the Center has a direct bearing on the entire neighborhood area that borders Route 65. Any ongoing deterioration, however slight, will create a ripple effect throughout the vicinity and result in vacant buildings and marginal uses. Under these conditions, the municipal tax base will suffer, local employment opportunities will be reduced, and residents will be denied the convenience of a variety of retail outlets. In addition, marginal land use activities that take advantage of low rent sites could create land use conflicts and an unacceptable aesthetic quality. Borough officials should work in concert with surrounding municipalities to support and encourage the owners and management to modernize and maintain the Center. The key to such efforts will be the establishment of an ongoing liaison between all of those involved to discuss existing and potential problems within a cooperative spirit.

A series of independent commercial sites are found parallel to major highway frontage throughout the

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community. This activity consists of scattered convenience commercial establishments that are oriented largely to residents within the immediate vicinity. These include vendors of groceries, auto service, food service, and similar items. The majority of these businesses are in the northern sector of the community in conjunction with Conway Wallrose Road near the largest concentrations of population. Similar uses are found in a random pattern in the southern perimeter along Big Sewickley Creek Road. However, this lattsr area of business activities is more weighted with heavy commercial uses than the uses to the north.

Zoning currently delineates several areas for general commerce. The location of these areas was in part keyed to existing commercial sites and to the anticipated expansion of higher density growth in those locales. As contemplated residential growth takes place, the need for an expanded light commercial base will be created; however, current commercial land areas

' may need to be expanded.

The heaviest pressure for expansion can be expected in the northern sectors to provide convenience facilities to serve expanding residential subdivisions. It is proposed that a commercial complex be encouraged in proximity to these developing residential areas as an alternative to the continued scattering of commercial uses at random along roadway frontage. Such a proposed commercial area has been indicated on the Development Concept Map adjacent to Conway Wallrose Road near the municipal complex. This general area would be readily accessible to the highest densities of existing and projected residential activity but would be physically segregated from residential neighborhoods.

Access to commercial uses would be via Conway Wallrose Road rather than local residential access streets that traverse neighborhood areas. The actual siting of an integrated facility could range from Bock Lane to beyond the Borough Building and still conveniently serve major developing neighborhoods. An ideal land use configuration would be created by the establishment of a commercial complex immediately adjacent to the Borough complex. This would create a communitywide focal point of activity. It would be centrally located, offer excellent highway access and not create land use conf 1 ict s with nearby residential neighborhoods.

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This recommendation envisions a modest sized integrated siting of retail and service establishments sharing common accessways, parking, utilities, landscaping and related amenities. It is recommended that this be a limited convenience center, not a major regional facility. The primary service area would be oriented to the immediate vicinity.

The scope of a commercial concentration in this locale will be naturally limited for two reasons. First, the regional area will not support another commercial core comparable to Northern Lights. Secondly, Conway Wal lrose Road provides excel lent intracommunity circulation, but it does not serve major regional traffic movements of the type that would be required to accommodate large scale business sites. This proposal provides an alternative to a continued random scattering of independent commercial sites as business potential expands.

Consideration must be given to providing for neighborhood convenience commercial outlets in the Lynwood Heights and Miller. Plan vicinity in the southwest corner of the Borough. The existing small commercial zone along State Route 989 offers a focal point for local business activities although other areas bordering this highway would also be appropriate. Local officials should encourage a common location for commercial uses in this vicinity similar to that suggested for the Conway Wallrose area. Even though the demand for retail goods and services will be more modest in this portion of the Borough, the advantages of a centralized siting for business outlets are valid.

Rig Sewickley Creek Road, which traverses the south boundary of Economy Borough, accommodates a variety of both light and heavy commercial uses, as well as industrial activities. These activities are oriented more to areawide clients t.han to local customers since residential densities are more limited and because much of the land bordering the road azd Big Sewickley Creek is of limited value for active uses. Sites along this road, including large areas at the intersections of Conway Wallrose and Hoenig Roads, are zoned for commercial purposes. It is anticipated that these districts will continue to accommodate mostly heavy commercial uses which are permitted as conditional uses and special exceptions under zoning provisions. A

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trend toward landscaping oriented businesses and services has taken root along this corridor, together with auto related functions. These activities are appropriate for this vicinity and can be reached without requiring traffic to traverse residential areas within the heart of the community.

Land use projections suggest that Northern Lights, the Conway Wallrose Road vicinity and the Big Sewickley Creek area should be encouraged as the most viable commercial areas as growth continues. These areas will be supplemented by businesses in the southwest sector of the Borough and in the vicinity of the Route 989 - Conway Wallrose Road intersection. The random establishment of other business sites throughout the Borough should be avoided. These goals can be implemented through zoning enforcement and limiting zoning amendments to proposals that are consistent with the development concepts delineated herein.

Industrial Use

Industrial land use activities are limited to three specific areas of the Borough. The first of these is a limited industrial activity in the north-central sector of the community that borders on State Route 989. This operation is contiguous to residential development. The nature of current site activities is not particularly disruptive and vegetative buffering is being established. However, the industrial zoning of the parcel is not consistent with predominant land use features in the surrounding vicinity or with the outlook for long term development. Since the site is zoned to permit industrial use, the potential exists for a variety of activities to be established which could be disruptive to adjacent residential neighborhoods. This site should eventually revert to a residential zone and use unless the character of developing land uses in neighboring New Sewickley Township should, at some future date , dictate otherwise. There are no apparent. activities or plans pending at this writing to suggest any advantages to the continuation of industrial use in this neighborhood.

A second area of industrial oriented business is found along the western portion of Big Sewickley Creek Road. Limited sized land parcels, floodplain areas and

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environmental considerations relating to Big Sewickley Creek will limit the extent of any significant industrial growth in this sector of the community. Proposals for expansion of industrial use, particularly north of Big Sewickley Creek Road, should be carefully evaluated because of possible impacts on adjoining areas.

The only major heavy industrial area in Economy is a portion of Conway Yards. This site is effectively separated from other portions of the Borough by State Route 65. This enti're area is an integral part of the extensive rail yard system which extends north and south along the Ohio River. At one time, this facility was reportedly the largest in the world, but it has since been reduced to a relatively modest operation. However, this site is strategically located along the Ohio River shoreline and must be factored into the long range development outlook for the Borough.

The eventual significance of "Conway Yards" to the future of Economy Borough depends upon the success of regional level development programs and related proposals. The foremost of these is the construction of a proposed Mid Valley Expressway to link the Beaver Valley Expressway and the Greater Pittsburgh Airport with the growth corridor in Cranberry Township. The Crows Run highway, which has been promoted locally for many years, would be an integral part of the Mid Valley Expressway and would enhance the Conway Yard site for industrial use. A recent study1 proposed a specific activity for the site as follows:

"The connection of the two areas [via the Mid Valley Expressway] suggests - the integration of the low cost transportation assets of the rail and the river in the valley with the greater convenience of highway transport. A facility which accommodates the transfer of goods from one transportation system to another could be a major benefit to the region, not only by the addition of employees at the facility, but by improving the cost and convenience of receiving snd shipping goods for other industries in the region.

1Crows Run Economic Impact Assessment, Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission, May 1987.

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"The Conway Yards is a logical location for such an intermodal transportation facility. It is already a spacious rail marshalling area, and enjoys direct access to the Ohio River. The Crows Run Highway will provide a direct link from these yards to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and to 1-79. Further, its proximity to the Greater Pitt Airport affords interchange with air transportation service.

"It will provide an opportunity for developing a major intermodal transportation facility at Conrail's Conway Yards, where transfer of goods among road, rail and river carriers can be accommodated. Such a facility would provide new j obs itself; but, more importantly, it would attract additional users to the area who could take advantage of nearby intermodal transfer facilities. This would improve the potential for reusing the old industrial properties and, therefore, for creating new jobs."

The outlook for both the Mid Valley Expressway and the, rebuilding of an industrial oriented regional economy is speculative at this time, but programs of this nature could have a future bearing on the eventual value of Conway Yards to the Borough. All proposals of this type should be closely monitored because of the implications to both the timing and character of long range development activities.

Public Use

Existing public use areas are ideally sited to serve present needs as well as the anticipated land uses that are outlined above for residential and business purposes. The primary concern for additional public use areas should be focused on the need for adequate recreation sites to accommodate a growing residential inventory. As Borough recreation programs are expanded, there will be an increased need for activity areas throughout the community. Long range plans should give consideration to the acquisition of recreation sites at locations convenient to the areas of highest residential density. All acquisitions should be coordinated with projected public recreation program goals and the financial ability of the Borough

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to utilize and maintain the sites. Indiscriminate acquisition of sites that are not related to targeted service areas or that are not earmarked for specific functions should be avoided.

9pen Land

There are significant areas of open land within Economy Borough and much cf it can be expected to remain unused. The 1962 Plan calculations show that over forty percent of the total land crea in the Borough is undevelopable because of heavy slope conditions and an associated lack of convenient road access. The most significant concentrations of this land are found throughout the central and southeastern portions of the community. Uses in these areas are limited to scattered homes and agricultural pursuits.

Most of the housing is found in strip patterns located adjacent to local road systems. These homes are sited individually or in small neighborhood groupings. Some expansion of home building is anticipated, but it will be modest in scope because of the aforementioned natural constraints and the lack of public utilities. Areas categorized as open land fall within the portions of the Development Concept Map labeled "farm, open-scattered residential." Since these portions of the Borough w i l l remain basically unused, they must be protected from despoiling by questionable land use activities such as dumping, unregulated deforestation, environmentally questionable grading methods and marginal building practices. Zoning provisions should be strictly enforced in these portions of the community to maintain environmental qualities, aesthetic values and natural characteristics.

Land Use Summary

Residential development will prevail as the predominant growth activity throughout Economy Borough. The majority of residential expansion will occur in the northern portions of the community as an extension of established neighborhood areas. Single family homes will continue as the predominant housing type, but some multi family units can be anticipated in response to changing market trends and economic pressures.

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The Northern Lights Shopping Center will remain the only regional oriented retail business facility. Local commercial expansion wili be focused on convenience goods and services that are targeted on the local resident consumer. Additional commercial developments should be limited to a series of specific locations that have been delineated to accommodate population concentrations. Unified commercial centers should be encouraged to minimize the dispersion of minor commercial sites that would interfere with residential neighborhoods and traffic patterns.

Heavy commercial and light industrial businesses will continue to be a limited influence in the municipality in the future as they have been in the past because of the lack of adequate sites. Businesses of this nature should be limited to the south perimeter of the Borough where they are segregated from residential neighborhoods and intracommunity traffic patterns. The Conway Yard area is the only location that has a potential for heavy industrial development; however, the outlook for utilizing this site ‘is directly related to the completion of regional infrastructure projects which are still in preliminary stages of planning.’

Current public us.e areas are strategically located and adequate to provide for proposed growth demands. As long as current land use proposals remain valid, there will be little if any need for additional public use areas other than for minor recreational sites.

Open land areas characterized by steep terrain will experience only limited growth. These areas are particularly vulnerable to abuse and will require careful monitoring and regulation by local officials.

Natural features and highway patterns have, in large measure, dictated the location and type of land use development that has taken place throughout the community. These constraints, coupled with firm development policies and land use controls, have produced an orderly growth pattern. Regional and local analysis suggests that continuing growth will follow previous trends and that no significant shifts in the character of the community will be forthcoming.

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Highways

A detailed discussion of the existing local highway circulation system is included in Part One of this report and the physical location of the system is shown on Plate Four, Highway Systems. As previously explained, the location of these roads was dictated, in large measure, by natural terrain features. These routings have in turn been largely responsible for the land use patterns that have evolved. Any additions to the present highway system within Economy Borough will be limited to minor local roads that are established for access to individual developments.

Following is a discussion of the role that the various highway components will serve as local growth is experienced.

Expressways

Expressways are not shown on Plate Four since there are none physically present within the Borough: however, this class of facility will have a direct influence on local growth trends. Much of the present expansion activity in and around the Borough is attributable to the influences that stem from the proximity of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 1-79 in nearby Cranberry Township. These facilities will not result in significant shifts in the categories of land uses in Economy because development patterns are already firmly established, but their influence can result in an acceleration of the rate of activity throughout the regional vicinity. This phenomenon has already been demonstrated in many of the communities contiguous to Cranberry Township where previously rural areas have experienced rapid growth. In surrounding areas, especially where public utility systems are being developed, the domino effect of this general expansion will continue.

A proposed expressway, which would have an impact on this immediate vicinity, has been in various stages of planning for several decades. This proposal involves a new highway in the Crows Run vicinity which lies directly north of Economy Borough in neighboring New .Sewickley Township. Known as the Crows Run Expressway, this route would connect the Ohio River Boulevard

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(State Route 65) with the Turnpike and Interstate 1-79 in Cranberry Township. In recent years, the original Crows Run Concept has been expanded to become a part of a Mid County Expressway which would extend westward, via a new bridge over the Ohio River to connect with the Beaver Valley Expressway in Center Township. Both the original and the expanded proposal would provide a critical link between the O%io River Valley and expressway systems in Cranberry. The expanded project would create a circumferential link in the county and regional highway network that would stimulate economic recovery throughout the region and could be expected to accelerate the rate of growth in communities such as Economy Borough.

The exact alignment of the proposed expressway is still subject to more detailed studies. A preliminary suggested routing is shown on Plate Five, Regional Highway Proposals. This highway facility would encourage light industrial functions at a variety of points along its corridor, as well as heavy industrial revitalization along the river valley where such commerce once flourished. The possibility of renewed industrial activity at the Conway Yard site in Economy Borough has been noted in the previous section of this report. That potential is hinged directly to the Crows ,

Run Project.

Other significant industrial growth is not considered likely in Economy Borough as a result of a new expressway although light industry would be attracted to sites just to the north in New Sewickley Township. This is borne out by the current construction of an industrial park at the intersection of Lovi and Freedom Roads immediately contiguous to Economy. However, the type of activity is of local importance since it will result in a more active housing market. This would translate into accelerated growth and the local primary road system, which connects adjacent communities,would experience increased traffic volumes.

Primary Highways

The only primary highway within the Borough is State Route 65. The majority of the community is not directly influenced by Route 65 since it traverses only a small segment on the extreme western perimeter. The majority of the traffic consists of through movements

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REGIONAL HIGHWAY PROPOSALS Southern Beaver County

Plate Fjve

directly north or south beyond the Borough. Route 65 provides excellent traffic access to and from the community and is one of the influences that has resulted in the continued interest of the Borough for residential sites. Completion of the Crows Run Expressway would increase the importance of this primary facility and would enhance the value of the Northern Lights Shopping Center as a viable regional commercial facility.

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Collector Highways

Conway Wallrose, Ridge and Big Sewickley Creek Roads are important collectors which accommodate through traffic movements and provide for circulation within the community. Ridge Road is the most important of the three since it intersects directly with Route 65 and also funnels traffic to the most densely developed subdivisions. The importance of this facility is reflected in a comparison of traffic volumes on Ridge Road and Route 65 between 1973 and 1986. Average daily volumes on Route 65 dropped slightly from 23,900 in 1973 to 23,500 in 1986. Conversely, Conway Wallrose volumes rose from 5,200 to 7,050 during the same interval. Ridge Road also recorded an increase while Sewickley Creek volumes decreased.

These three arteries will continue to serve as the most important collector streets. Several other streets which are currently classified as local streets will assume a collector function as growth continues. In particular, Bock Lane/Bradford Park Road and Golden Grove/Wallrose Heights Road will experience increased traffic as growth in Economy, New Sewickley, Cranberry and Marshall Townships increases. Hoenig, Mason and Shaefer Roads will also carry increased intercommunity volumes due to this growth.

All of these roads are the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportat ion for maintenance and improvement. Local officials should closely monitor the physical condition, adequacy and safety elements that relate to all such roads. Additional volumes will necessitate the upgrading of collector roads by PennDOT to provide adequate carrying capacities and safety provisions. Information regarding adverse conditions and expansion needs should be relayed to appropriate state agencies and officials on a continuing basis and followed up to insure action.

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Local Streets

The basic function of the 8810ca188 street system is to provide access to individual sites. Plate Four, Highway Systems, illustrates the local street system at the time the original planning study was,developed (1962), the current system, and contemplated increases to the local street inventory. The focus of growth in the northernmost sectors of the Borough is graphically indicated by this breakdown.

The projected expansion of the local street system, as illustrated, is tentative and not intended to be considered all inclusive. It suggests the most logical connections with coliector roads that will be needed to serve new residential growth. These projected alignments are based on topography, but are subject to variations. All subdivision plans submitted for approval should be evaluated on the basis of their relationship to the overall circulation system.

Insofar as possible, additions to the local street system should be designed to limit the volume of traffic funneled through individual neighborhoods. Particular attention should also be given to the points of intersection of local streets with collector roads. The frequency of intersections should be limited and adequate sight distances should be required to minimize unsafe conditions. These guidelines are of particular importance to traffic entering high volume collectors such as Conway Wallrose Road.

Summary

There are currently no expressway systems within the Borough of Economy. Established expressways within the immediate vicinity have probably been responsible for increasing the rate of local growth but have had little influence on the types of land uses that have been established in the Borough. The proposed Crows Run Expressway would exert similar pressures for the development of available land throughout the community and could result in additional business expansion on the western perimeter. The most notable influence that local officials will have to contend with will be increased traffic volumes on internal collector streets.

No additional primary roads are contemplated within the Borough, although Route 65 will experience expanded traffic volumes in conjunction with a new expressway facility. This additional traffic circulation will enhance the value and use potential of industrial and commercial properties in the vicinity of the primary route and be advantageous to Economy Borough.

The local collector highway system can be expected to expand as a result of the reclassification of some roads that now serve a local function. This will result from the need to accommodate internal growth and increases in intercommunity movements. Maintenance and apgrading to achieve adequate carrying capacity and traffic safety will be the foremost concern for local officials with respect to the collector highways. Actual and anticipated highway needs must be forwarded to PennDOT on a continuing basis in a timely manner to allow for scheduling of improvenent projects. Specific responsibilities should be assigned by Borough officials to insure that monitoring of these needs occurs. Ideally, this would entail a cooperative effort to include the Planning Commission, police officials, maintenance department and a committee of the Borough Council.

Private streets have wisely been prohibited as a matter of policy for many years. This is producing a local street system that is constructed to specified standards and one that requires only basic maintenance by the Borough. Future additions to the local street system will be limited primarily to the extension of current neighborhood circulation systems. When approving additional local streets, consideration should be focused on the limitation of traffic volumes that traverse each iiefghbcrhood, the relationship of the street location to the overall municipal circulation system, and provisions for safe intersection of local streets with the collector sys tem.

Major expressway and primary carriers are oriented in a manner that provides Economy Borough with many advantages but few of the local difficulties usually associated with this type of a facility. The internal traffic circulation system throughout the Borough functions well. The configuration of the roads is such that an excess of intercommunity traffic movements have

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not been encouraged. .The primary concerns for maintaining adequate traffic circulation, as development continues , are the need to .upgrade facilities to accommodate increasing highway use and the coordination of additional streets with the current sys tem.

Public Services and Facilities

Part One of this report includes a review of the basic public services and facilities that are currently available to residents of Economy Borough. This inventory includes both community and regional level facilities. Attention is called to the fact that cultural and social amenities are usually available at the regional level rather than locally since higher education, the performing arts, social services and similar activities all require a broad funding base. More locally oriented services, such as public protection and utility systems, are more commonly provided by the municipal government or adjuncts thereof, such as public authorities.

Public Safety

Police and fire protection facilities have adequately served local residents for many years. The level and quality of these services have been consistently high and have been expanded periodically in response to the needs of an expanding community. The police department is an arm of local government which operates from a base at the municipal complex. This location provides excellent access for serving the entire Borough. Monitoring the level. of services and the physical requirements of this facility is the direct responsibility of the Borough Council. Past experience suggests that the high quality of the public safety program will be maintained.

Fire protection is provided by a volunteer fire department. The department is operated by the Economy Volunteer Fireman ' s Association, a semi-public organization which is funded through both private and public sources. A s outlined in the initial section of this report, three strategically sited stations provide

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excellent fire protection coverage throughout the community. Even though the primary responsibility for the recruitment, organization, management, training and equipping of this facility is privately oriented, it must rely on public support, cooperation and financial assistance. Borough officials must remain responsive to the requirements associated with the continuing expansion of this public service as additional construction is experienced throughout the municipality.

Public Recreation

Recreation programs and facilities are also discussed in Part One of this study. It has been noted that local governments throughout the country are discovering that parks ar?A recreation facilities are in growing demand. In both urban and rural environments, growing numbers of people have come to consider recreation facilities and services as essential government functions. These attitudes prevail even in low density neighborhoods where increasing numbers of private facilities, such as swimming pools, are in evidence and where recreational opportunities are provided by federal, state and county governments.

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In the past, this type of community facility was normally seen as a luxury that was provided only by the most affluent municipalities. Economy Borough responded early to this desire of residents for close to home recreational'activities in a two fold manner. In addition to providing park and recreation sites, they have also established a Recreation Board to ,

develop community level programs. The most important function of this Bmrd should be the establishment and implementation of goals and objectives for serving all segments of the community. The Board should also be cognizant of long term development potential and consider projected needs in terms of both programs and physical resources. A s previously noted, the Economy Recreation Board is proceeding in these directions.

Utili ties

Many utilities, such as power, natural gas and communications, are provided throughout most of this regional area by private firms that service large

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geographic areas. Utilities such as public water and sewer systems are more often a function of governmental entities such as municipalities or public authorities. The availability, the lack of, or the potential for public water and sewerage systems is of importance in determining the types, densities and timing of development for any given area. This is particularly true in Beaver County and the surrounding vicinity because of the difficulty of obtaining adequate on-lot water and because of soil compositions that are not capable of efficiently accommodating on-site sewage disposal systems.

At the time the 1962 Plan was compiled, there were no public sewers in Economy Borough and only the Northern Lights vicinity and a portion of the Ridge Road area from Harmony to Old Economy Park had public water. Since that time, public water has been periodically extended and now is either available or is scheduled to serve all the major development areas. Water is provided by the Ambridge Water Authority. (See Plate Six, Water Service Areas)

For many years, all sewage was handled with septic systems, cesspools and similar provisions. Few of these on-site systems . have proven adequate. As development densities have increased, problems have become more and more widespread. As difficulties increased, the larger subdivisions were provided with local sewage treatment plants. At the present time there are treatment plants serving the Orchard Estates, Northview, Ridgewood, Sunset and Highfield residential areas. There are a l s o plants at the Economy and Ridgewood Schools and a lift station in the Northern Lights/Anne Street vicinity. In spite of this series of independent facilities, the problems associated with sewage disposal have multiplied throughout the Borough.

The recently developed 2Act 537 Plan identified a series of concerns, such as on-lot sewer malfunctins and soils that are unsuitable for on-lot systems. These conditions were found in all sectors of the community and were particularly acute in neighborhoods where continuing development is now taking place or is contemplated. The continued strengthening of federal and state environmental controls, coupled with these

2Act 537 Plan, Comprehensive Sewage Facilities Planning Study; KLH Engineers, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA-January 1991.

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identified inadequacies presents local officials with two specific concerns. First, the strict enforcement of existing environmental provisions by the Pennsylvania Degartment of Environmental Resources is limiting and threatens to halt further development by mandating expensive alternatives to conventional methods of private sewage disposal. Many individuals a d small scale developers will be unable to bear the cost of meeting the prevailing criteria for sewage treatment. Large scale developers will also find it difficult to bc.ild homes and business sites that are marketable due to these high costs. Second, many property owners with existing malfunctioning systems will face the possibility of having to comply with expensive new standards. Noncompliance can result in penalties on both property owners and the municipality.

The 537 Plan includes a series of alternative proposals for providing public sewers to serve the needs of the Borough. A s stated in the Plan, these alternatives are based on the desire to have services available to the entire municipal population. However, since a program of such broad scope is not feasible as an immediate project, a master plan has been outlined for phased implementation. Decisions on how each phase will be scheduled will depend on a series of considerations that include the areas of most critical need, the

' possibility of coordinating programs with neighboring systems arid economic feasibility. The overall projected sewage service a r ~ a s , the primary interceptor routings and the phase boundaries are illustrated on Plate Seven, Sewer Service Area.

The various alternatives include conveyance of sewage to existing treatment plants at Baden and Ambridge, as well as the possibility of constructing new plants which could also jointly serve neighboring communities. These multiple schemes for providing sewers are not outlined herein since they are subject to continuing study and evaluation. Obviously, decisions will be finalized only after agreements are reached with cooperating agencies and financing provisions are arranged. However, a comprehensive approach for providing for these critical needs is in place. The implementation of sewerage systems will allow for a greater variety of development types and will assist local officials in maintaining the overall quality of existing development. These programs should be vigorously promoted to solve the existing sewage disposal inadequacies throughout the Borough and to prepare for accommodating new developments.

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General Summary

Planning Purposes

The stated purposes of the 1962 Comprehensive Development Plan were to evaluate the positive features of the community, suggest methods for the elimination of negative influences and to determine the potential for growth. The basic focus of t h i t original study was on the outlook for continuing residential expansion and limited additional business activity. With the exception of growth projections which have proven to have been overly optimistic, that general outlook for development has been accurate. The 1992 Evaluation and Update of the Comprehensive Plan, contained herein, conforms with the original study with respect to the long term outlook for growth in Economy Borough.

The planning goals and objectives which are on pages 3 1 and 32 of this Update will provide the direction needed to channel development into patterns that are consistent with comprehensive planning guidelines. They focus on the maintenance of community attributes such as environmental and aesthetic quality, uncrowded orderly developments and adequate levels of municipal services. Particular considerat,ion is given to the potential impacts that will be exerted by growth trends in contiguous municipalities and throughout the regional area.

Establ ished Criteria

Natural features and locational factors have been beneficial influences as the Borough has matured because they have restrained the scope of development activity at a time when many municipalities were inundated with unchecked growth. The large percentage of steep slope and the resulting access problems have limited overall development potential and have influenced the types and siting of land uses. These criteria will continue to influence growth.

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Economic Considerations

The national economic reversals experienced during the last decade have had a profound negative influence on

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SEWICKLEY TOWNSIilP

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SEWAGE SERVICE AREA,

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SEWER SERVICE AREA Economy Borough

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this region and on the Borough. The characteristics of development patterns in the Borough have not changed appreciably but the rate of growth has been slower than originally contemplated. The 1962 Plan projected a possible local population level of nearly 16,000 by 1980, but the actual population today is only slightly in excess of 9,500. Current estimates suggest a population expansion of twelve percent by the year 2000. This will not materially alter the basic land use complexion of the Borough and is consistent with the growth outlook delineated in the Comprehensive Plan Update.

Area Relationships

The growth projections in the 1962 Plan were predicated on the continued expansion of the local economic base and the numerous employment and supporting business opportunities that it offered. The unanticipated economic reversals which have since been experienced necessitated a reassessment of long range growth potential for the Borough. This current study has placed emphasis on the relationships between development prospects for Economy Borough and the actual and probable growth in contiguous communities.

The planning objectives for Economy are related to regional trends and emerging patterns of change in surrounding communities. Consideration has been given to clearly visible activities in places such as New Sewickley and Cranberry Townships, as well as to regional proposals such as the Crows Run Expressway. None of these relationships are expected to modify existing land use patterns, but they will undoubtedly result in increased rates of growth. Activities in contiguous municipalities will also have a bearing on local traffic volumes and may be a positive influence on the financial feasibility for expanding infrastructure such as public water and sewage systems.

Planning Element Relationships

Residential uses are expected to remain the dominant land use component with the highest concentrations of housing sited in the north, northeast and southwest sectors of the Borough. Commercial and industrial land use proposals are interrelated to residential proposals

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to provide for optimum business opportunities free from conflict with adjacent site functions. Areas designated for open space and low density development relate to heavily sloped land and parcels that have limited accessibility because of steep terrain.

Community facilities and services have been evaluated on the basis of both existing and projected service levels. Public services are presently located to efficiently serve all segments of the community. In most instances, future extension of public services can be accommodated at current locations. Provisions for the extension of public utilities to serve all the existing and projected development areas throughout the Borough are currently being formulated.

Continuing Planning

The long range plan prepared in 1962 was basically sound and only minor revisions have been made as a result of this reevaluation. Although no significant future changes are contemplated, the plan should be considered flexible to allow for justifiable adjustments. Modifications must be evaluated on a comprehensive basis and not as isolated elements. Consideration should be given to the immediate and long range implications of a sanctioned change and whether it would compromise planning goals and objectives. Analysis should be conducted to determine if a change would create land use conflicts, compromise the safety and well being of residents or overburden community facilities and services. Consideration should also be given to the economic viability of requested master plan modifications for development purposes to assess the potential for successful establishment and continuation of the activity.

The Planning Commission is the local agency primarily responsible for maintaining the viability of the Comprehensive Plan. The Commission should monitor new land uses, and changes in the status of community services and facilities. An annual report should be prepared and presented to the Borough Council which documents changes, trends and related problems and insufficiencies. The report should include recommendations for addressing needs.

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This Comprehensive Plan Update should be formally adopted by Borough Council to serve as the primary guide for controlling future development and as the basis for the Z m i n g and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances. Any amendments to those controls should be compatible with the Comprehensive Plan.

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E X I ST i NG

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Pennsylvania BOROUGH OF COil!WAY 4 N o r t h -

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ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Concentrated Housing Commerce Center

Local Commerce - Light

Highway Strip Housing Heavy Commerce

Scattered Homes - Farm &Open Land 1 0' I Public-Semipublic ~ i '. ' ,

I ECONOMY BOROUGH =! Beaver County

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