Adoption of new zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances in Marshall was rescheduled for July 7 after a lengthy public hearing at the June 2 supervisors meeting.
The meeting marked the end of an official 45-day review process on the final draft of the proposed SALDO and zoning ordinance, which included a review by Allegheny County.
The process began in 2023 with the creation of a steering committee consisting of residents, volunteers and staff, according to Thomas Madigan, chairman of the supervisors.
The ordinance updates are meant to provide for greater clarity and guidelines for land use and development.
“We were assigned to investigate, trying to turn over every rock and explore every option to get the best fit for your community,” said Nick Sisco, project manager for Pashek MTR, who presented a summary of the proposed final set of recommendations at the June 2 meeting.
Michael Baker International is leading the update process, with Pashek MTR as its subconsultant. Both are based in Pittsburgh.
The zoning and SALDO updates were partly guided by four key issues that Marshall residents identified in the 2022 comprehensive plan, including a focus on recreation and connectivity, preserving green space and monitoring future development, keeping the township’s unique sense of place, and congestion along Route 910 traffic and land use.
Most of the public comments during the more than three-hour meeting had to do with proposed changes in the ordinances to the heavily trafficked area around Route 910, also called Wexford Bayne Road.
Route 910 is the only major east-west route connecting neighboring communities with Interstate 79, according to the Marshall Township comprehensive plan, with an increase in development over the years.
Adding to the concerns is PennDOT’s looming reconfiguration of the I-79/Route 910 interchange. Work is expected to start in August and run through September 2027.
Those at the public hearing were most concerned with a proposed Route 910 Transition Overlay District. An overlay district is applied over a base zoning district to establish additional standards applied on top of existing rules. The RTO is limited to townhomes only, but single-family homes are still permitted.
The proposed RTO district would be about 10 acres east of the Eat’n Park restaurant on the southern side of State Route 910 and about 5 acres east of Mingo Road on the northern side of State Route 910, according to Julie Bastianini, Marshall’s manager.
The RTO would allow for townhomes to be built, requiring a minimum of five contiguous acres by purchasing existing properties to consolidate the lots and redevelop the properties as townhomes, provided that this new development would have to configure access through a controlled intersection, said Jenni Easton of Pashek MTR.
This likely would take the form of an access road linking to the intersection of Mingo and Wexford Bayne roads.
Presently, the current driveways that enter on Route 910 would be eliminated, and those properties would use the access road.
The township cannot change the design on this state-owned road, nor the volume of traffic along it, much of which feeds neighboring communities. But by using this land use tool, the township can improve flow and turning movements, Eastonsaid.
A chart estimating traffic generation presented at the meeting indicated multifamily housing would create less traffic than single-family homes. An assumed 236 single-residential units would make an estimated 236 daily trips, and the 30 multifamily units would make an estimated 186 daily trips, according to the chart.
Businesses and office space have not been in high demand since the pandemic and were not considered a viable option, Sisco said.
However, several residents at the meeting disagreed and were opposed to any new townhomes, saying the traffic will only get worse.
Rosemary Murphy of Davidford Drive, which is located off Route 910 near the proposed transitional overlay district, said she is not against progress but thinks traffic will increase with any development in this area.
“The focus seems to be what we can build rather than fixing that problem. It’s still adding to an existing problem,” Murphy said.
Brad Nelson, also of Davidford Road, did not support this portion of the plan, saying, “I think there’s a better plan than townhouses or something. There’s got to be.”
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Yet another Davidford Road resident, Mike Stupy, was opposed to any rezoning and said officials should “leave it the way it is.”
Others supported the plan, saying the traffic is too dangerous already and that something has to be done.
“I just wanted to say something tonight in support of the changes because of these meetings that I have attended were predominantly opposed. I am 100% (in support),” said Kathryn Powell of Highland Court, which is near the proposed RTO.
Several residents who live on Wexford Bayne Road complained about the dangerous conditions of exiting their driveway and said they support a plan to address the traffic congestion and speed. They are in favor of the RTO.
“It’s dangerous. It’s not safe. Traffic has increased,” Travis George said. “Things do need to change.”
Joseph Vesel, another Wexford Bayne Road resident, said it’s a challenge to exit his driveway with the increased traffic and large trucks.
“I guess it’s called progress as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’m done with it.”
Pete Domville, who grew up on Davidford Drive and recently returned to care for the property there, has seen “dramatic changes in the area.” He said the traffic congestion goes beyond this location, and he is not in favor of more development.
“There’s a huge, huge traffic problem, and it just feels like it expands further than what we’re trying to do with the townhouses from the perspective of the overlay,” Domville said. “I’m not against development. I just feel like it’s a much bigger conversation.”
Additional standards for scale and orientation of multifamily residences in this proposed RTO include sufficient setbacks and buffers, screening, lighting and landscape to limit the impact on existing residences.
The proposed zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances also assessed existing zoning districts for potential needs for change, studying preservation and landscaping zoning options, and landscape and buffering updates.
Public engagement was held throughout the update process, including six steering committee meetings, two targeted stakeholder meetings regarding route 910, two public outreach booths at the township’s community day in August 2024, three residential surveys, and one open house, Sisco said.
Three planning commission meetings were held before the final draft, and there also is a page dedicated to the zoning and SALDO updates on the township’s website at twp.marshall.pa.us.
The voting meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 7 at the township building, 525 Pleasant Hill Road.
What the law says
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has established that municipalities have an affirmative duty to allow for growth within their borders and cannot use zoning to evade this obligation.
However, a municipality can and should enact policies that manage it sensibly and avoid sprawl. Marshall Township cannot declare that it’s at full carrying capacity and cannot accommodate further growth; it can require that future growth occur in a smart pattern concentrated around existing infrastructure and amenities, according to Page 20 of the Marshall Township 2022 Comprehensive Plan.