Penn Township to host info session on zoning change amid resident concerns
Penn Township will host an informational meeting this month to explain a series of potential zoning changes.
Meant to encourage economic development in the township, the proposed changes include Harrison-City Export Road, Mellon Road near Bushy Run Corporate Park and near the intersection of Route 130, Pleasant Valley Road and Sandy Hill Road — which is slated for a turnpike interchange.
Residents came out by the dozens to a township meeting in October, expressing concerns and asking questions about the proposed changes. The informational meeting — scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 26 — is meant to clear the air, said township Secretary/Manager Mary Perez.
The township planning commission has worked since February on the zoning change proposal, said community development Director Bill Roberts.
The changes would allow for mixed-use development along Harrison City-Export Road — including housing and commercial entities — and retail properties by the future turnpike interchange.
It would also expand the industrial-zoned territory at Bushy Run Corporate Park.
These areas were highlighted for zoning changes in the township’s most recent comprehensive plan, adopted in 2021.
The changes are likely to be up for a vote by the commissioners in the new year, Roberts said.
Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com.
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