Penn Township will host a meeting next month to gather feedback on a series of proposed zoning changes.
The meeting will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 9 in the cafeteria of Penn-Trafford High School, located at 3381 Route 130 in Penn Township.
The rezoning plan is intended to diversify the township’s tax base — a goal laid out in the municipality’s 2020 comprehensive plan. About 84% of the township’s real estate taxes come from residential taxpayers.
Related:
• Penn Township weighs zoning changes intended to boost economic development
• Penn Township residents raise concerns over proposed zoning changes
• Residents voice concerns as Penn Township continues developing zoning change proposal
• Penn Township moves forward amended rezoning proposal
The areas for the proposed changes were identified in a 2023 economic development study. The first phase of the rezoning is in the eastern portion of the township near Bushy Run Corporate Park, the Greensburg Jeannette Regional Airport and the municipality’s border with Jeannette.
Some changes also have been proposed for the northwestern portion of the township near Valley Landfill.
Other areas identified for zoning changes include Harrison City-Export Road between Route 130 and Blank Road and the intersection of Route 130, Pleasant Valley Road and Sandy Hill Road — which is slated for a turnpike interchange.
The interchange is estimated to be built between fall 2035 and summer 2038, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
The zoning meeting will be set up similarly to the public input session the turnpike commission held regarding the interchange in November 2024, said township Secretary/Manager Mary Perez.
Attendees will be able to review the updated zoning proposal and speak with members of the township and Westmoreland County planning commissions. They will be able to submit feedback via an online or paper survey.
“Taking into account some of the feedback that we got during the last round and some of the changes,” Perez said, “we have decided that a good place to start after we’ve talked about some of the things is to have a public meeting to gather input on proposed changes.”
Community development Director Bill Roberts aims to gather as much resident feedback as possible.
”We can utilize that to continue to tailor this process, bring it into a final draft and such,” he said. “We don’t want to get too far to the end and then open it up for public review, meet pushback and have to go back and reinvent the wheel.”