6000
5712
5412
5380
5355
5275
5000
4000
3000
2188
2126
2000
1814
1744
1620
1000
390
0
307
278
256
274
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Incidents
Criminal/Juvenile Arrests
Traffic Arrrests
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
James R. Morrison, Director
T
he Department continued the plan review process
and inspection of building activity throughout the
Municipality. In 2013, 32 new residential permits
were issued, which is a decrease from 59 in 2012.
However, there was an increase in construction activity due to
the development of the Marquis Place apartments with 118
apartment units which had a construction value of $9,434,020.00.
There were a total of five permits issued for commercial
construction activity in the Blue Spruce Shoppes, valued at
$2,035,000.00 and the Franklin Regional School District received
a building permit for remodeling and security upgrades, valued
at $1,595,000.000.
Finally, the Department issued 127 permits for additions,
accessory buildings, decks, pools, and signs. The previous year’s
total was 100 permits.
There was one new residential development plan of 6
lots, 20 minor subdivision applications,7 conditional use
applications, 4 site development plans, two of which were for
office development and one for retail and one for a self-storage
facility. They were:
• SP-1-13, AutoZone, 4830 William Penn Highway
• SP-2-13, Storexpress Self-Storage Expansion, Route 22
• SP-3-13, Livengood CPA Office, 520 Old William Penn
Highway, and
•
SP-4-13, Balasubramanian Professional Office Building, Old
William Penn Highway
The Staff, Planning Commission, and the Comprehensive Plan
Review Committee have been reviewing information with a
Planning Consultant to update the current Comprehensive Plan,
which was prepared ten years ago. The public hearing before
Municipal Council will be scheduled for early in 2014, and the
process of adopting the Comprehensive Plan is expected to be
completed by late spring.
The Department remains active in code enforcement activities
and responses to violations reported by residents or observed
in the field. In cases where compliance is not achieved due to
inability to locate a property owner or obtain a response in a
timely manner, property violations are addressed, where possible,
and then liens are placed on the properties for the cost of any
enforcement actions. There are two full-time building inspectors/
code officials to carry out these tasks.
The Department continues to update its mapping, using
parcel data from Westmoreland County and any approved
subdivision plans. In addition, the staff is continuing training
to maximize its use of the Geographic Information Systems
technology to keep property data organized, log all permit
activity, and improve mapping. The Department continues to
digitize records where appropriate.
Murrysville | Spring 2014 | icmags.com 45
MU N I C I PAL I T Y OF MU RRYSVI L L E N E WS
Identity Theft:
The police department investigates several
identity theft cases a year. This crime is the
fastest growing crime in America and involves
the stealing of someone’s identity for financial
gain, to commit a crime, to open accounts, etc.
This trend is expected to continue. Murrysville
officers very often conduct educational sessions
in the community to alert the residents as to the
seriousness of this crime.
Murrysville Police Arrests/Incidents
2009-2013
Murr ysville
Social Media Crimes:
Over the past couple of years, the
Murrysville Police Department has
investigated crimes committed through the
social media. Crimes included harassment,
threats, cyberbullying and sexting. The
Internet, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter and
e-mail have been the communications used.
It is anticipated that this trend will continue
and perhaps become more prevalent as we
move forward. The department’s detectives
have become better versed on investigating
and prosecuting these types of crimes.