Affordable senior housing near Patton Township neighborhood draws community pushback

Despite concerns from residents, the Patton Township Planning Commission is recommending a zoning change near a small, quiet neighborhood to accommodate a proposed attainable housing community for people 55 years and older.

Township staff and the planning commission have been working through the proposal for months. During a planning commission meeting in August, the commission and residents in attendance heard an overview of the rezoning request for 160 W. Clearview Ave., which was previously a radio station. Leslie Warriner, senior planner for the township, said the township received a request from HFL Corporation in May to consider rezoning that property for a proposal of a 31-unit attainable housing community for people 55 years and older.

The 2.5 acre parcel is zoned R-2 low density residential and the request is for R-3 medium density residential.

If the property is rezoned, any use that is within the R-3 zoning district is eligible; it can’t be tied to the 31-unit, 55+ attainable housing community, Warriner said in August. The site is located within the regional growth boundary and in the sewer service area.

“The variety of uses that surround the parcel ... is very intriguing for this rezoning request,” Warriner said in August. “There is close proximity to retail centers and jobs. There’s access to public transit, there’s a CATA line that runs adjacent to the property ... and it has ample access to parks. It’s very centrally located.”

During Monday night’s commission meeting, members voted 5-2 to recommend the township board of supervisors approve the rezoning request. Members Sharon Collins and Richard Schmidt voted against the request.

The supervisors are expected to discuss and take action on the request during its Sept. 27 meeting.

Community Concerns

Several residents spoke out against the potential zoning changes in August and during Monday’s meeting. The zoning change, many residents said, would deeply alter their community.

Traffic was a large concern for many. During the August meeting, Warriner said the existing average daily trips to the radio station (considered a small office), was about 80. The 31-unit apartment style complex would generate approximately 140 daily trips, she said. A traffic impact study would be required if there is any significant development to the site.

Patton Township residents Lisa and Lance Oldt were among those concerned about the increased traffic.

“Putting the shoehorn in here, adding that traffic ... it is not going to handle it. I mean, it doesn’t handle when four people leave their driveway at the same time. You can barely drive down the road two by two, and putting that apartment there, you’re gonna block two driveways with three cars backed up at that light,” Lance Oldt said during the August meeting.

Larry Parko has lived on East Clearview Avenue for several decades. He said the ambiance of the neighborhood “has always been a major selling point” for him.

“...The calm environment with quiet streets and park areas are important to families, especially those with children. The addition of this complex would severely impact that ambiance in a negative way,” Parko said in August. “Additional congestion would be added to the already weak infrastructure system. As has been discussed, traffic is already a problem at Clearview and Waddle. Furthermore, the turning lane sections that have been added in the last few years have done little to alleviate traffic congestion. We don’t need more traffic.”

He added it’s inevitable that things change, but he suggested that the parcel become “an extension of the neighborhood and a continuance of the ambiance,” as there’s enough space for some single-family dwellings.

William Burnett, a planning commission member, said rezoning the parcel gives the township an opportunity to address and fix issues such as traffic without financially impacting the taxpayers.

“This is the chance to get more sidewalks there and get more bike routes there and get a properly set out bus stop there. There are advantages to this. And I believe even if we were to leave that property alone and do nothing with it, we would actually see an increase in traffic no matter what. Because everything around that corridor has developed and unfortunately people are going to use that corridor from Waddle to get to Walmart. Whether you like it or not, that’s going to happen,” Burnett said.

Plus, attainable housing is something that is needed in the Centre Region, he and others said. Commission member Jim Payne said he’d rather see affordable housing in that area than a large office space.

But Collins, one of the two opposing votes for the request, said rezoning can happen at any time and the commission shouldn’t rush to make this decision. There should be a small area comprehensive plan in place that shows what township officials and residents want the areas to look like before deciding, she said.

“I think we need to have a clear sight of what we want this area to look like before we make a big decision,” Collins said.

Long-range planning

Township Manager Amy Farkas said the board of supervisors and township staff are both committed to doing long-range planning for this area of the township (including Oakwood, Bolton and Clearview avenues) through a Small Area Plan.

The idea behind a small area plan is to engage the residents who live in the area and talk about the issues — including concerns brought up during these recent meetings, like traffic, neighborhood changes and sidewalk connections — to lay out a long-term vision for the corridor, Farkas said.

“When I look at the Waddle Road corridor, it’s really a corridor in transition ... that whole area has grown up and it’s changing. It is losing some of its residential character,” Farkas said. “We mentioned this to the board of supervisors at their last meeting and they think this is a great idea to do some long-range planning because then it makes it easier if we have something like this come up again, we can say that ‘the … small area plan says we should really be doing X, so maybe this doesn’t fit with that.’”

Other municipalities in the Centre Region have done small area plans — Ferguson Township conducted one for Pine Grove Mills and Harris Township did one for the village of Boalsburg — to help with long-range planning.

More information on the Clearview Avenue request and proposed plan can be found on the township’s website, twp.patton.pa.us/172/Land-Development-Plans.