State College City Zoning Code
PART A
Community Development Goals/Objectives/Policies
§ 19-101 General Goals.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
The features of nature within the Municipality are among its most important assets. Those natural features, along with individual initiative and creativity of the members of the private and public sector who have developed the man-made features, give State College Borough its present character. Therefore, the overall community planning goal is to preserve the good, remove the ugly, and enhance the present natural features through sensitive physical development of both the private and public sector. It is this basic goal that the following community goals should achieve.
§ 19-102 Commercial.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals.
(1)
The central business district should be protected and strengthened by creating a focal point of the community, rich in a variety of commercial, cultural, business and governmental facilities as well as being endowed with a pleasing physical environment.
(2)
The provision of an adequate distribution of goods and services in attractive locations, which will be convenient to the population and compatible with surrounding land uses should be encouraged.
b.
Policies.
(1)
To areas outside the central business district, encourage attractiveness of design through the use of adequate setbacks, adequate landscaping and adequate buffers with residential areas.
(2)
To protect and encourage the improvement of viable planned shopping centers in accordance with other stated goals and policies.
(3)
To enhance safety of all commercial areas through the provision of: controlled vehicular access to establishments, well-designed wide landscaped separations of adequate widths between streets and parking lots, vehicle and pedestrian separation which avoid large unbroken expanses of parking lots.
(4)
To create pedestrian malls where appropriate in the downtown area.
(5)
To develop a functional design concept which will permit ease of pedestrian movements between parking areas and business locations, and between high-density areas and to central business district.
(6)
To encourage attractiveness of both public and private property by coordinating themes for signs, streetlighting and planting materials.
§ 19-103 Education.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971]
Adequate distribution of varied types of educational facilities should be provided in a manner that will offer maximum safety and convenience to students.
§ 19-104 Environmental Protection and Improvement.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. Encourage that the physical development of the natural environment be based on sound ecological principles that will provide for a livable and enjoyable urban setting which preserves and complements the natural setting for existing and future generations.
b.
Policies.
(1)
To promote and encourage good design of buildings and landscaping.
(2)
To protect the beauty of the town and countryside.
(3)
To discourage unplanned changes in land contours which might interfere with proper natural drainage, create unstable topographic conditions or damage natural amenities.
(4)
To encourage, insofar as possible, retention of the natural environment for the enjoyment of community residents and visitors.
(5)
To seek means of suppressing pollution of air and water and the improper disposition of litter and solid wastes.
(6)
To encourage careful design of necessary commercial and municipal services such as signs, utility lines, roads, etc., so that they do not damage the beauty and livability of the community.
(7)
To encourage citizen efforts to make the community more attractive and livable.
(8)
To encourage cooperation between the Borough and nearby municipalities in the protection and improvement of environment quality.
(9)
To seek means of defining and suppressing unwanted noise pollution.
§ 19-105 Industrial.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. Sites for light industrial development conveniently accessible to living areas where site development and performance standards are applied to minimize external effects of the use will not adversely affect surrounding areas should be provided.
§ 19-106 Parks and Open Space.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. A wide variety of well-designed recreation facilities in carefully-selected areas should be provided to meet the needs and desires of all age groups for passive and active recreation, in locations which will promote safety and convenient accessibility for participants.
b.
Policies.
(1)
To provide a recreational activity cluster network which will satisfy the recreational/leisure time needs of all residents of the community.
(2)
To develop a linear recreation and open space system whose primary function would be to act as a connector to link together recreation activity clusters, to link residential areas to these clusters, and to link residential areas to employment areas, with a primary emphasis on pedestrian and bike traffic.
(3)
To develop a mini-activity system to accommodate both residents and pedestrians in older highly-developed urban areas, which will provide relief from high-density residential/commercial development.
(4)
To protect steeply sloping lands adjacent to stream valleys and drainage ways, or elsewhere, where they contain natural interest features, or where they are subject to erosion problems.
(5)
To protect the natural amenities of valley lands within the municipal limits and to encourage similar action in adjoining townships.
(6)
To consider, for adoption, the Centre Regional Recreation and Open Space Plan in general and, specifically, those portions relating to the Municipality; and work in close cooperation with the State College Area School District, the State College Area Parks and Recreation Board and the other municipalities of the Centre Region in implementing the various elements of the Regional Plan.
§ 19-107 Public Facilities and Services.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. A high level of service and a safe, efficient, economic and convenient location for local governmental services of utilities, administration, police and fire protection, library cemeteries, civic centers and other facilities and services should be provided to the citizenry.
§ 19-108 Quasi-Public Services.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. Sites for churches, clubs, fraternal organizations and others with convenient accessibility for the people using such facilities should be provided and encouraged.
§ 19-109 Regional Relationships.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. The Municipality should be recognized as a social and economic part of the Centre Region. The physical development of the Municipality does have an effect on the Centre Region. Therefore, mutual cooperation and understanding of municipalities in the Centre Region is desirable for planning and problem-solving, in order that the maximum social and economic benefits may be derived by all residents in every municipality of the Centre Region.
§ 19-110 Residential and Housing.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals.
(1)
Opportunities for a variety of housing choices in locations, types and cost within living environments that offer maximum amenities of safety, quietness, convenience, economy and freedom of blight should be offered to the citizenry.
(2)
The high quality of existing housing should be maintained.
(3)
The character of older, sound residential neighborhoods, which lie within close proximity to the University should be preserved.
b.
Policies.
(1)
To encourage dwellings ranging from single-family to high-density apartments, which will be designed in harmony with their surroundings.
(2)
To provide for high density, quality development in appropriate older sections of the Municipality where general property deterioration and proximity to downtown and campus plus existing land use are influential factors.
(3)
To separate residential areas from inharmonious land uses by utilizing major streets, topographical features, open space and screening as transition areas, as well as the judicious use of building heights and building orientation.
(4)
To provide adequate opportunity for private landowners to create interesting, more livable housing projects.
(5)
To investigate ways of providing housing for elderly persons and lower income groups.
(6)
To retain the fine character of the main fraternity district and protect contiguous surrounding single-family areas as well as other older single-family residences.
(7)
To continue improvements to public property such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, boulevards, etc.
(8)
To acquire land for recreational and open space purposes, where appropriate.
(9)
To confine high-density residential development to areas within easy walking distance of the central business district, insofar as is possible, in order to reduce vehicular traffic on municipal streets and to stimulate commercial activities downtown.
(10)
To combine existing commercial uses with high-density residential uses conducive to a good living environment.
§ 19-111 Transportation and Circulation.
[Ord. 790, 12/8/1971, Section 1]
a.
Goals. A transportation network that will efficiently, rapidly and safely move people and goods within and around the Municipality should be provided in a manner as to enhance the environmental amenities.
b.
Policies.
(1)
To encourage the municipal transportation network with the regional transportation network.
(2)
To provide for a balanced transportation system.
(3)
To prevent unnecessary congestion along any particular street or set of streets through the coordination of land use and the proper design of roadway facilities.
(4)
To protect the character of local residential streets through a system of functional classification of streets.
(5)
To create a harmonious integration of main traffic routes and residential land uses through screening, reverse lots, etc.
(6)
To encourage the use of inner and outer circumferential routes for intra-regional travel.
(7)
To encourage the safe and efficient separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic to help reduce the conflict normally associated with these two modes of transportation.
(8)
To work with other municipalities in establishing safe inter-connecting bike routes within the Region.
(9)
To encourage the development of a coordinated plan for public mass transportation for the Region and the University.
(10)
To discourage private driveways from connecting directly to major roads where new development occurs and requiring safer, well-marked entry ways where necessary.
(11)
To develop programs for removing paving from grassplots located within public rights-of-way and replacing them with appropriate plantings so as to create easily-identified driveways and more attractive roadways.
(12)
To work with other municipalities in the area to create uniformity of and protection for highway design and function.
(13)
To encourage reverse frontages for new development, particularly adjacent to State highways or existing municipal major streets.
(14)
To require that new subdivisions be served by interior collector streets with access to major streets at controlled points.
(15)
To adopt an Official Map incorporating all existing and proposed streets.
(16)
To seek the cooperation of the Pennsylvania State University to develop a highway feeder and dispersal system which will not endanger the privacy of, or overload neighborhood streets.
(17)
To control density of development so as not to place unnecessary traffic on neighborhood streets or overtax any particular arterial or collector streets.
(18)
To develop a street network which will: permit easier traffic circulation within downtown; make downtown more accessible; and encourage through traffic to by-pass down- town on one of the loop systems.
(19)
To protect the privacy of local residential streets through proper subdivision design which will prevent traffic from using such streets to supplement major streets.