Wolf Creek COG Comprehensive Plan - Mercer County Regional ...

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COG municipalities. COG officials should work carefully with the entire economic development delivery system to ensure local priorities are a part of a cohesive countywide approach to building the economy. Wolf Creek Slippery Rock Creek COG Comprehensive Plan Page 43
Conservation of Natural and Historic Resources Plan Citizens have prioritized rural landscape values as an important aspect of the community’s future. However, these are precisely the aspects of the community that are most at risk in a future scenario, which anticipates high levels of growth and development. The Plan hopes to both wisely use and protect these areas, while accommodating necessary development A first step in planning for natural and historic resources is simply knowing what and where they are. The COG area has a number of pertinent natural features that can, or should, limit development. It also has a rich history. The slope of land (and to a lesser extent the related categories of soil and surface geology) determines where development can take place. Steeply sloped land (with slopes greater than 15%) is inappropriate for development in Pennsylvania. Though most of the land in the Wolf Creek COG area does not have steep slopes, there are a few areas of fairly steep slope. Soils are also a determining factor for development activities. For example, the flow of septic waste through soils is affected by soil type. If the soils have too much clay, then water cannot penetrate them, potentially contaminating the surface water. If the soils are too sandy, water and septic wastes are drained too quickly, thus potentially contaminating the groundwater. The area has very few soils which are ideal for on-lot sewage disposal. On the other hand, good, fertile soils are a valuable and limited resource. They are one of the most important factors in rural land use planning, especially in Pennsylvania, which has a stated mandate to protect agricultural lands. In the COG area, soils range from “prime soils,” defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as those soils that are of such quality that they have few limitations for farming and “soils of statewide significance,” that while not prime, have good potential for farming, if well managed for any inherent deficiencies. A third classification in the area is “not prime,” or soils that are not suitable for farming for various reasons, and “wetlands” areas that are inundated or saturated by water and support vegetation and animals specifically adapted to life in saturated soil conditions. Prime soils make up more than half (50.5%, or about 28,221 acres) of all the soils in the study area. Soils of statewide significance make up an additional 30.8% (about 17,209 acres) of the soils. Not prime soils are just 12.6% (about 7,027 acres) of the soils, and water or wetlands make up 6.1% (about 3,360 acres) of the area. Hydrological resources are very important to the area. Even the name of the COG is taken from the stream that local communities identify with. In general, water quality in local streams is good. There is some degradation related to existing land use (some nutrient runoff from agriculture, and some septic tank pollution of streams from residential areas). However, the mix of wildlife species and plant communities shows the area’s streams to be generally healthy. The area also has significant concentrations of wetland areas, due to a combination of low slopes and favorable soils. These have a generally beneficial effect on water quality; Wolf Creek Slippery Rock Creek COG Comprehensive Plan Page 44
Page 1 and 2: Wolf Creek Slippery Rock Council of
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Page Number The C
Page 5 and 6: Tax Base, Public Services, and Land
Page 7 and 8: A Pennsylvania Comprehensive Plan I
Page 9 and 10: highway. Liberty Township had 1,276
Page 11 and 12: 1990. Springfield Township has over
Page 13 and 14: This diverse area includes small to
Page 15 and 16: overall goal or objective. At its w
Page 17 and 18: these facilities, services, and uti
Page 19 and 20: 4. To develop a land use patterns w
Page 21 and 22: D. Provide housing for all economic
Page 23 and 24: Economic Objectives 1. The township
Page 25 and 26: However, this is conservative, as p
Page 27 and 28: mobile home parks, which are all pr
Page 29 and 30: The C-2 District functions more lik
Page 31 and 32: KEY IDEAS 2. Avoiding mistakes made
Page 33 and 34: that surrounds the older settled pl
Page 35 and 36: Rural resource areas are where the
Page 37 and 38: investment. Pursuant to the desire
Page 39 and 40: Wolf Creek Township Land Use Plan W
Page 41 and 42: egional retailing. However, there a
Page 43 and 44: the number of residents working (as
Page 45 and 46: development, proper zoning, and, in
Page 47: • The space could be easily remod
Page 51 and 52: Schollard house on Schollard Road (
Page 53 and 54: strengthens the protection of farme
Page 55 and 56: Transportation and Community Facili
Page 57 and 58: Department provides protection to t
Page 59 and 60: east and west coasts of the United
Page 61 and 62: The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad
Page 63 and 64: Create linear park corridors linkin
Page 65 and 66: planning and will need to be furthe
Page 67 and 68: Estimated Cost: Will vary, based on
Page 69 and 70: Percentage of use by communities is
Page 71 and 72: Housing Plan Housing plans are an o
Page 73 and 74: 2000, the township gained about 300
Page 75 and 76: • Adopting a rental-licensing ord
Page 77 and 78: Action Plan and Multi-Municipal Com
Page 79 and 80: A sample implementation agreement i
Page 81 and 82: In preparing a plan for area-wide a
Page 83 and 84: accommodating a use on the list (pr
Page 85 and 86: large development to the host commu
Page 87 and 88: ests upon said improvement. The las

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