Department of Community Development |
James Morrison, Director urrysville
MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE NEWS
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Residential Development:
During 2017 and the period from 2010-2016, the Municipality of Murrysville continued to be a major contributor to the growth of the western portions of Westmoreland County. In 2017, the Municipality issued 46 permits for new residences, while over the last 8 years 386 new home permits were issued. This average of 46 new homes per year over this period is a positive reflection on the desirability of Murrysville as a place to live, given the decline experienced in the housing industry due to the 2008 recession over this time period. The Municipality experienced more residential growth in the construction of attached units attracting both younger families and empty-nesters. Commercial Development:
During the past year Murrysville continued to be a major target for new commercial development, particularly along the enticing Route 22 corridor. This development has taken advantage of the improvements made to the corridor in the early 2000s, the availability of new parcels for development, and the high purchasing power of Murrysville residents. Over the last 3 years, 40 occupancy permits have been issued for new commercial establishments within the
Municipality. This compares to just 21 commercial permits being issued over the previous 5 years. This increase can be explained by the previous stated reasons, as well as a better economic climate in the region.
New shopping centers and plazas, including the Blue Spruce Shoppes and Maple Commons, account for a substantial portion of this commercial activity. In addition, small business and professional office development has increased within the Old William Penn Highway corridor. Together, this activity has provided additional consumer choices for Murrysville residents and has established Murrysville as a regional hub. The Murrysville development codes have assured that these developments have been completed in a high-quality manner that best reflects the development values of the Municipality.
Recent Commercial Development Projects: Blue Spruce Shoppes • Maple Commons Plaza • Conley Auto Body Applebee’ s Restaurant • Auto Zone • Pasqualino’ s at Rosa Court Store-All Express • New Sheetz • New PNC Bank
Planning Projects: Comprehensive Plan
The process of updating the Murrysville Comprehensive Plan that started in 2013 was completed in early 2015 when the Plan, identified as a Vision for the Municipality, was adopted by Council. The Vision covers a ten-year time frame and maps out goals and strategies to implement over this period. While the Planning Commission takes the lead in implementing the Plan all officials and staff of the Municipality will be encouraged to utilize the Plan in their areas of focus. The Plan is now being used as the framework to update the development codes of the Municipality.
Traffic Impact Study and Capital Projects Plan: Implementation of the Traffic Impact Fee Plan and Capital Improvement Plan, which was adopted by Council in December 2015, began in 2016. The Plan included the development of a Transportation Capital Improvements Plan and Traffic Impact Fees that are assessed to developers to assist in its implementation. In 2016, the recommendations of this Plan were incorporated into the five-year Municipal Capital Improvements Plan. The selected project would construct a new bridge from Logan Ferry Road to Sardis Road on a site slightly north of the existing deteriorating bridge connection. The new project will provide for safer access and assist in the alleviation of traffic congestion at the intersection of Sardis Road and Old William Penn Highway. Currently, the Municipality holds over $ 1.1 million in traffic impact fees. In 2017, proposals were solicited from engineering and transportation firms to complete a feasibility study for this project. It is anticipated that this study will be completed in 2018. Marcellus Shale Zoning Ordinance: One of the most challenging issues facing the Municipality in its history was completed in 2017 with the approval of a revised Oil and Gas Drilling Ordinance by Council. This process started earlier in this decade when Murrysville developed an extensive ordinance regulating this land use with a Task Force of in-house and industry experts guiding the process. Soon afterwards, the Pennsylvania Legislature amended its Oil and Gas Act limiting the regulatory role that local governments possess in the regulation of this activity. A subsequent decision by the PA Supreme Court restored local authority to a certain extent, and the Municipality elected to reform its Task Force to re-examine its ordinance to assure that it was consistent with prevailing law. The Task Force presented its report to Council and it was decided that staff should prepare a draft ordinance to incorporate the report’ s findings. This draft was presented in October 2015 to Council at a public meeting and persons on various sides of the issue were given the opportunity to voice their opinions on its content. Several educational sessions and meetings were held in 2016 to further discuss and improve this proposed ordinance.
After the education sessions were held, extensive work continued by the Task Force on developing a final report to Council with a draft ordinance that sought a balance between landowners who held oil and gas rights, while providing adequate protections to the environment and minimizing negative impacts to nearby residents. The 2017 adopted ordinance has served as a model ordinance for other communities seeking to address this critical land use issue.
Code Enforcement:
The Department remained active in code enforcement activities and responses to violations reported by residents or observed in the field by staff. 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.
In 2017, the Municipality adopted a Property Maintenance Code to strengthen staff responses to issues that negatively affect the quality of its neighborhoods and impact the public health and safety of its residents. It also adopted a rental registration program for residential rental properties that requires inspections before tenants occupy a rental unit to assure that rental properties are maintained in a manner consistent with the adopted Property Maintenance Code.
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.
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