May 14, 2013

Neighborhood Planning
state college neighborhood plan
focus group workshop
Unity Church of Christ
Agenda
Welcome from Planning Commission

Staff Update

Neighborhood Planning Process

SWOT Analysis Input

Break-out Groups

Neighborhoods’ Planning priorities

Brainstorm Action Items
Neighborhood Boundaries

Wrap Up & Next Steps

Planning Process
•Nov-Dec 2012: Citizen Planning Workbook; begin neighborhood inventories

•Jan-March: Neighborhood SWOT Meetings

•May-June: Continue updating neighborhood inventory/analysis and collecting

neighborhood workbook activities; begin developing recommendations through series of
neighborhood planning meetings

•June-July: Develop Community Asset Map; continue inventory/analysis

•Aug-Oct: Community Asset Map; Develop Plan Draft

•Sept: Review Draft of Plan

•Oct-Nov: Implementation Workshops

•Dec: Plan Completed

SC Neighborhood Plan
SWOT Analysis Input
SWOT Analysis Input

Strengths
• Historic roots, quality architecture, pedestrian/neighborhood scale
• “arboretum” feel, lack of high rise apartments
• Proximity to downtown, Penn State, public and private schools, churches
• Accessibility of daily amenities, parks and open spaces
• Walkable, bikeable, ADA access and alleys for accessibility
• Resident diversity, sense of community in neighborhood, freedom from fear

Weaknesses
• Through traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular), speeding, not many traffic control measures in
neighborhood
• Urban Village- lack of maintenance for public infrastructure, quality of housing, and basic
amenities to make area attractive for families
• Property maintenance and renter behavior, education of renters on local ordinances
• Lack of knowledge on and consistency in Borough ordinances
SWOT Analysis Input

Opportunities
• Make neighborhood attractive for reinvestment as Centre Region grows
• More bike/ped connections, green space, community spaces, neighborhood retail
• Redevelopment of W. College Ave, the Urban Village, former train station & OW Houts sites
• Traffic calming, pedestrian-scale lighting, neighborhood gateways
• Change perception of long-term residents toward students and renters
• Improve communications with Borough

Threats
• Losing neighborhood amenities, SCASD Schools, Community Field, parks & bike paths
• Aging housing stock, absentee landlords and local historic district without authority
• Perception that all renters are students
• Terraced Streetscape District/other development along W. College that doesn’t take neighborhood context
into consideration
• Stalled planning for the Urban Village
SWOT Analysis Input
SWOT Analysis Summary
Common Themes

•Diversity of Borough’s neighborhoods are a strength, as long as stable & well-

maintained

•Access to parks and recreation, proximity to public and private amenities,

accessibility via most modes of transportation

•Attract more residents to our neighborhoods– families, young professionals,

work-force housing

•Opportunities for implementing/updating programs or policies that promote

and protect homeownership

•Protect & reinvest in Borough’s neighborhoods as growth in the Centre Region

continues
SWOT Analysis Summary
Common Themes

•Collaboration & consistency among regulations and agencies enforcing them

•Increased communications & record-keeping among government officials,

landlords and neighborhood residents

•More opportunity for community dialogue on issues affecting neighborhoods

•Continue to improve relationships between student & non-student neighbors

•Establishing neighborhood boundaries

Planning Process
Do our strategies encompass all of the SWOT’s identified by our
neighborhoods?
• Expanded

Work with neighborhoods to answer the question, “How do we turn these

strategies into actions?”
• Development of recommendations (using focus group input)
• Determine each neighborhoods’ priorities

Begin thinking about the question, “How will we achieve these

recommendations?”
• Inventory resources available to us; determine missing links
Planning Strategies
Neighborhood Facilities & Appearance

•Maintain neighborhoods’ aesthetics, high quality housing stock and cultural

and historic resources

•Protect existing neighborhood activity, social and commercial centers; enhance

these in order to serve the neighborhoods’ residents

•Explore opportunities for increasing environmental sustainability

•Address neighborhood-scale vehicular safety and efficiency

•Improve non-vehicular connections among neighborhoods and

Borough/Campus amenities
Planning Strategies
Balancing Owner & Renter Occupied Housing

•Maintain a high level of service for enforcement of Borough Ordinances and

policies

•Create programs and partnerships for improving management of rental housing

•Increase homeownership and programs that help major employers find

appropriate housing for employees

•Consider impacts on neighborhood sustainability as growth occurs in the

Centre Region
Planning Strategies
Improving Neighbor to Neighbor relations

•Maintain and expand diversity(generational, occupation, income, family

status) of neighborhood residents and improve relations between student and
non-student neighbors

•Improve communications between neighborhood leaders and Borough Council

and staff

•Improve communications with surrounding municipalities in order to discuss

impacts of new developments

•Market the positive benefits of living in the Borough’s neighborhoods

From SWOT to Actions

Many unique, neighborhood-specific issues

Several overarching themes

Recommendations that address Borough-wide opportunities

with flexibility to work with neighborhoods on specific action items
Planning Efforts
Downtown Master Plan
• Recommends extension of downtown bike network and connections to University via Gill
Street bike path extension
• Ideas for traffic calming that could be implemented in conjunction with redevelopment in the
West End
• Recommends coordination with Ferguson Township
• Streetscape elements in a similar vocabulary to downtown
• Suggested land uses and redevelopment targeted at graduate student, faculty and family-
oriented housing and neighborhood-scale commercial
• Address concerns with quality of housing stock and amenities in the Urban Village
• Suggest redevelopment opportunities for the train station & other properties along campus
edge
Planning Efforts
Downtown Master Plan- Bicycle Network
Planning Efforts
Downtown Master Plan- Traffic Calming
Planning Efforts
Downtown Master Plan- Streetscapes & Open Spaces
Planning Efforts
Downtown Master Plan- Redevelopment Opportunities
Break Out Groups
Join your neighbors at the table designated for your neighborhood

1.Review SWOT Analysis Comments & Planning Strategies

2.Identify priorities for your neighborhood

3.Brainstorm actions to address these priorities

4.Who should have a key role in achieving these actions?

5.Share with the group

If time permits, discuss neighborhood boundaries using the maps at your table.
Break Out Groups
Example
Break Out Groups
Join your neighbors at the table designated for your neighborhood

1.Review SWOT Analysis Comments & Planning Strategies

2.Identify priorities for your neighborhood

3.Brainstorm actions to address these priorities

4.Who should have a key role in achieving these actions?

5.Share with the group

If time permits, discuss neighborhood boundaries using the maps at your table.
More info on www.statecollegepa.us
 Wrap Up
Thank you for attending and providing Planning
Commission with your comments and feedback!

What’s Next?
• Work sessions with Planning Commission during summer to draft plan elements
• Future neighborhood meetings as plan elements are drafted

How to stay engaged?

• Neighborhood Planning Website www.statecollegepa.us/NeighborhoodPlan
• Neighborhood Planning Workbook
• Social Media
• Facebook: State College Neighborhoods
• Twitter: SCB_Nghbrhoods
• Email planningdept@statecollegepa.us

Thank you to Our Lady of Victory for hosting this meeting!