North Huntingdon's planning commission members expressed mixed emotions Monday about Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County's pitch to adopt pieces of the group's master plan for Route 30 corridor redevelopment.
The plan's goal is to engage the 14 municipalities along Route 30 from Somerset County to the Allegheny County line in the integration of land use, transportation and urban design to improve traffic flow along the corridor.
Planning commission Chairman Bill Chapman questioned how easy it will be for every community to get on the same page and make the plan work. "How do you get all of these municipalities on board?" he said.
Alex Graziani, Smart Growth executive director, said the plan is meant to be a tool, not an edict, for municipalities to consider and apply to their particular needs. The partnership is visiting each community in the corridor to gather input and create a plan that everyone can benefit from, he said.
"It's a coalition of the willing," he said. "We see this as a beginning of the dialogue."
Planning consultant Allen Cohen, of Pashek and Associates, likened the master plan to a box of tools to be used at the township's discretion. "At the end of the day, there will be something in the toolbox for you," he said.
Cohen was North Huntingdon's planning director from 1999-2006 and developed the township's comprehensive plan. He said North Huntingdon is "ahead of the curve" when compared to other corridor communities because of that plan.
Planner Bernie Solomon, however, said he had no use for the master plan and called it "a waste of money."
"This master plan is useless unless you improve Route 30. Without improving the traffic flow, any added development you create only makes a terrible scenario worse," he said.
Graziani said developing the traffic flow and structure of Route 30 is a federal issue. Creating language in the township's code that takes traffic off Route 30 through land use is something community leaders can do now.
Cohen said the master plan offers two things to corridor municipalities: To control what they don't want along Route 30 and provide what they do want.
Planner Dan Palmer agreed with Smart Growth's objective. "To keep your traffic in your town is the idea," he said.
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