Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County

by Karen Fetter

Westmoreland County is fortunate to have a community that cares about its future, specifically about its growing future. Whether its preserving rural landscapes, revitalizing towns and cities, or reclaiming suburbs, Westmoreland County is in the right hands of community leaders led by the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County (SGPWC).

The SGPWC is a community-based private non-profit that strives to encourage the kind of growth that improves quality of life for both residents and businesses, but also ensures vibrant, high quality growth for future generations in Westmoreland County.

One way in which SGPWC is accomplishing this is through the U. S. Route 30 Master plan. SGPWC initiated a process with local businesses, planners, and community leaders to design a plan for the future that allows the area to grow without negative consequences such as rising housing prices, congested roadways, and less scenic byways.

According to SGPWC executive director Alexander Graziani, the Route Master 30 Plan is about planning for land use to enhance economic development. This is not a highway study intent on developing alternatives for widening Route 30 and other unaffordable solutions, said Graziani. This study will help municipalities understand how to enhance the safety and mobility of the corridor through better land use choices.

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Route 30 is the major transportation artery of Westmoreland County. The 40-mile stretch of this historic road, which is more famously known as the Lincoln Highway, connects small towns and suburbs to cities and rural landscapes such as Ligonier, Latrobe, Greensburg, and Irwin. It is also a prime location for economic growth.

With the assistance of Pennsylvania State Senator Bob Regola, the SGPWC was awarded a $200,000 grant to conduct the Route 30 Master Plan. Matching funds, additional grants, and in-kind resources are being provided by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, PennDOT, and the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor of the PA Heritage Areas Program under the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the State Department of Community and Economic Development, Westmoreland County and the following municipalities: City of Greensburg, Irwin Borough, Ligonier Borough, Ligonier Township, Unity Township, Hempfield Township, and North Huntingdon Township.

To begin the Master Plan efforts a summit meeting was held in January of 2006. More than 150 attended to share their desired vision for the outcome of the plan. From that summit, volunteers were asked from the communities to serve on the Community Vision Team (CVT) which is comprised of more than 100 people. A smaller, 19-person Project Working Group has been appointed from the CVT to make major decisions such as work plan development, fundraising, and the consultant selection process.
A nationally recognized corridor planning firm, the Renaissance Planning Group (www.citiesthatwork.com) with offices in Charlottesville, Virginia was hired in September to guide the development of the master plan.

The first public meeting for the community to discuss this new plan was on October 18, 2006. The topic was, Where are we now and where are we going. At this meeting, the vision for the Route 30 corridor developed in the spring of 2006 was unveiled.

Smart Growth wants to work with the community and get its input, according to Graziani.

It is our desire to get public input early and often in order to craft realistic policies and actions. To view the latest master plan information visit the project website at www.route30plan.com.

Some solutions that are being discussed include consolidating driveways, connecting adjacent land uses, parallel service roads, providing medians and U-turn locations, creating bike lanes, and bus pull-off areas.
The next scheduled meeting is set for January 18, 2007 with the topic, Where do we want to be? Another meeting is scheduled on March 15 that will discuss How will we get there?

Phase 1 of the two-phase master plan will be completed by June 30, 2007.

The U.S. Route 30 Master Plan is a three-stage, multi-phase project set to take place over a period of three or more years. The first stage was Getting Started, which was from October 2005 through August 2006. The current phase, Developing the Plan, is slated from September 2006 through March 2008. The final stage, Institutionalizing the Framework for Implementation, begins April 2008 and goes through May 2009.

SGPWC was founded in 2001 and is located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. It stemmed from the City of Greensburgs Bicentennial celebration that later prompted UPGs President Dr. Frank Cassell to identify major community problems resulting from poorly planned growth in the area. SGPWC recognizes the connection between growth and quality of life and hopes to enhance that for Westmoreland County residents.